What Have I Done?: My Autobiography

by Ben Elton

Read brilliantly by the author, Ben Elton. From The Young Ones and Blackadder theme music to snippets of his stand-up comedy shows, this audiobook includes bonus audio recordings showcasing special moments throughout Ben's incredible career.


‘What Have I Done? snaps, crackles and pops with wit, bravado and glorious Ben-ness. A triumph’ – Stephen Fry

‘A big life chronicled by truly the Upstart Crow of our generation’ – Dawn French

Ben Elton has done everything and worked with everybody. Now, in this frank, forthright, and hugely entertaining book, he tells the whole story.

Discover the truth behind iconic hits like The Young Ones, Blackadder, and We Will Rock You. Relive the pioneering stand-up of Saturday Live that birthed a comedy revolution. From being the BBC’s youngest-ever sitcom writer to his most recent, critically acclaimed stand-up tour, Ben reveals unique insights into his groundbreaking work.

He talks honestly about his relationships with brilliant friends, inspiring contemporaries, and occasional foes. His life off-screen has been just as challenging and funny as it has been on, and he unpacks it all with wit, insight, and of course, a ‘little bit of politics’.

For decades, Ben’s been making people laugh, think, and getting on plenty of wicks - these are the uncensored stories.

‘Funny and fascinating, it’s a story of triumph and disaster and is the closest you’ll get to understanding where great comedy comes from’ – David Mitchell

'Bloody marvellous' – Jo Brand

Genres: Comedy, Biography, Autobiography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Humor, Comedian

Audible Audio

Published October 9, 2025

About the author

Ben Elton was born on 3 May 1959, in Catford, South London. The youngest of four, he went to Godalming Grammar School, joined amateur dramatic societies and wrote his first play at 15. He wanted to be a stagehand at the local theatre, but instead did A-Level Theatre Studies and studied drama at Manchester University in 1977.

His career as both performer and writer encompasses some of the most memorable and incisive comedy of the past twenty years. His groundbreaking work as a TV stand-up comedian set the (high) standard of what was to follow. He has received accolades for his hit TV sitcoms, The Young Ones, Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line.

More recently he has had successes with three hit West End musicals, including the global phenomenon We Will Rock You. He has written three plays for the London stage, including the multi-award-winning Popcorn. Ben's international bestselling novels include Stark, Inconceivable, Dead Famous and High Society. He won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award for the novel Popcorn.

Elton lives in Perth with his Aussie wife Sophie and three children.

Reviews

[Leighton Baller · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a huge Ben Elton fan, I absolutely loved this book. His stand-up, The Young Ones (I’ve got Rick tattooed on my arm!), and Blackadder have all meant a lot to me over the years, so reading his autobiography felt like catching up with an old friend.

What really made me laugh was how many people in Ben’s life seem to dislike him — in nearly every chapter someone’s having a dig or a critique! But he handles it with such humour and self-awareness that it just makes him even more likeable.

My dad and I read this at the same time, so it was great being able to talk about it together as we went. A genuinely funny, sharp, and honest read. Highly rated from me.

[Tracey Shelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up with great enthusiasm after always admiring Ben. The first part with his stories of Rick and the young ones was funny and I loved it. This was reinforcing my wonder at why people slate him so much. However the further I got I started to ask ‘ who is Ben Elton’ . Where do his morals, personality actually stand. At one point I have to admit I thought to myself, ‘ yer I totally get why people find you pompous and boring. However the book was worth a read for the great stories about his time with Rick and the young ones, Black Adder days

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one and immediately passed it across to the current Mrs Simon. We were all born within a few months of each other, all born with a love of television and film comedy. I accidentally spent my university years in Manchester drinking, learning and dreaming of becoming a writer or musician (Elton succeeded, I got a little side-tracked), left this behind as we built careers and took more to family life than pub-culture as we grew older.

And then we (that’s me and Mrs S) both measured out our television watching twenties and thirties watching Ben Elton inspired comedy on the box. First came Kevin Turvey and A Kick Up The Eighties, hugely quoted and accidentally misquoted in The Dusty Miller and the Highgate Oakes. OK Elton had only a small input, but the die was cast. Then The Young Ones, of course. My Manchester days with Jon and Farley and that big doylum from Biggleswade was something of a recreation of the programme. In our case it was Whalley Range not Didsbury. Blackadder was loved by the next generation of Simons just as much as by us; played on cassette in the car as we travelled through Dorset or Normandy and still occasionally watched on DvD. Friday and Saturday Night Live were unmissable and loved The Man From Auntie and its follow up. Wonderful to see Ronnie Corbett included. I read Stark and enjoyed it very much. Hadn’t read another of his books until this one. Found The Thin Blue Line masterly; the writing and casting in perfect harmony. Was never much of a one for musical theatre so didn’t bother with this (anyway not a huge fan of either Queen or Rod Stewart...actually thought long before We Will Rock You that they were basically musical theatre anyway: had Freddie Mercury more a twin with Meatloaf than McCartney, marvellous but not really rock’n’roll,) but found Upstart Crow (once I found it) a perfect late night binge watch.

The book, a lovely trot through my own life as well as finding out that I had every reason to be happy that I always thought Ben Elton to be a very good thing.

Strange that he had his detractors. But look at his fans; George and Olivia Harrison, Paul and Linda, Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, French and Saunders, Fry and Laurie, Branagh and Thompson, (ok, these are mostly lovvies but represent the tip of a very large ice-berg of fans) the list is extensive and always impressive. The list of famous detractors is much shorter and seems to comprise of those whose gift for comedy is of a sneering, punching down type that never much appealed to me. Ben Elton or Jonathan Ross? Mmmm? Not much a contest for me. See also Ricky Gervais, and indeed Stewart Lee. I’m not knocking these comics, indeed I have an admiration for them. Punching down has its place as does sneering. And I always liked the tall fellow from Bristol. But then, not as much as the smiley chap in the sparkly suit. To paraphrase George Harrison, Thank you for keeping us amused at times when the world itself wasn’t very funny.

Appendix A.
I forgot to include the fact that, both he and me, had our lives turned around by reading The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. Anyone who has read and been moved by this book is welcome to come round for tea and toast whenever they like. (Address withheld)

Appendix B.
So taken with having my memories of enjoying his writing, acted out over the years, that I bought a DvD of Maybe Baby which had completely passed me by at the time. I’m afraid I haven’t watched all of it. Nor do I intend to. To use a line Stephen Fry used to describe his feelings towards The De Vinci Code. As big bucket of loose stool water as you are ever likely to encounter. They said if I liked Richard Curtis films then I’d love this. So, you cannot say I hadn’t been adequately warned.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did really enjoy this but he does go on about politics a lot! loved the Blackadder, Young Ones and Upstart Crow stories

[Zak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuck the haters. Ben Elton is hilarious and a sublime writer.

[Clare Nestor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 470 page tome but nonetheless it’s pacey and very readable. It probably would appeal more to people of the same/similar vintage as Ben Elton, (like me) who watched and enjoyed Saturday Night Live, The Young Ones, Blackadder. The stories of this part of Elton’s career, his relationships with Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson and Rowan Atkinson are all very interesting and entertaining and probably the first half of the book is better thanks to this.

In truth, it’s not really an autobiography - it’s not a full and open account of his life but more a detailed resumé of his career. There’s not a lot of ‘personal stuff’ - some family background at the beginning, his marriage to Sophie, his battle with psoriasis. But three quarters of this book is about putting down on paper what he has done and achieved and why he thinks it’s good. He is clearly a very talented and intelligent man and a gifted writer - the books, plays, musicals, screenplays. His work is prolific - and he details it ALL.

But he comes across as someone who feels deeply undervalued and hard done by by the British press and other critics. (I’m not sure why he’s so worried about what Jonathan Ross thinks though!!) He also seems slightly resentful that he hasn’t had the more traditional trappings of fame and become a ‘national treasure’ like his famous entourage of friends - Emma Thompson, French and Saunders, Fry and Laurie. He seemingly wants more recognition and validation and wants to be liked more. It feels like this book is his pitch to try and right perceptions and shape his legacy. (He has certainly done much more than I fully appreciated.) But in doing so, at times it comes across as a little overzealous, indignant and even pompous as he pushes his case too hard occasionally. The constant name dropping and celebrity endorsements in the second half of the book, which I’m sure he is genuinely thrilled and flattered by, become tiring and they don’t always hit the right note.

I’m a fan of his work and have enjoyed his stand up, television and many of his books, including this one but unfortunately I don’t think it will convert the haters. I’m now quite keen to read Stephen Fry’s memoirs just to see how the overall tone and how he presents his achievements compares!

[Christine Sampson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book although I don’t agree with Ben Elton’s politics I appreciate his passion and his writing skills particularly with Upstart Crow which was superb. I suppose I expected funnier and a bit more of the sharp wit and clever use of language. The book is interesting when he writes of his personal challenges, perhaps this was because I could relate to some of them but on the downside there was endless name dropping; who was nice to have a beer with, who invited him and his wife round for dinner and finally why people just sometimes disliked him so intensely. The reader is treated to his theory on this but as it came towards the end of an extremely long book I can’t remember much only as you’d expect some of it related to the British class system and various no good groups always wanting to keep successful lads from Catford in their place. Overly long, really I don’t know why there had to be such a long dissection of ‘We will rock you’, but at least we know that Ben got on really well with Brian and Roger.

[John Gall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, funny and spans 45 years + of comedy culture. Really enjoyed this

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The more I read, the lower my rating. 2 stars is based on giving up with 2 & 1/2 hours to go.

[Moravian1297 · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first, I'd like to state that I absolutely LOVE Ben Elton. There, I've said it and now my cards have been firmly laid on the table. I'm something of a Benny Elton fanboi, so get over it! Granted, I'm not a fan of his entire oeuvre, but given its scope and vastness, that's hardly surprising. I do however, love and revere certain parts of it, namely, his ’anti-sitcom’ sitcom, 'The Young Ones', his historical sitcom, ’Blackadder' (along with ’I’m Alan Partridge’ and ’Father Ted’ in my top three British comedy shows of all time), and with the exception of Ben's novels, 'Blast From the Past' and 'Inconceivable', I've thoroughly enjoyed his books, with 'Past Mortem', 'The First Casualty' and 'Two Brothers' being particular highlights. In fact, I'd put 'Two Brothers' into my top five all time greatest novels. And last but certainly by no means least, his ground-breaking, highly influential stand up routines. In 2019 I actually managed to achieve a bucket list ambition, which I thought had most definitely past me by, and caught Ben live at Eden Court, Inverness on his reunion stand up tour, and it was brilliant. Ben certainly didn't disappoint, the comic maestro was extremely funny and had lost none of his stage presence and machine gun rattle wit. Generally these days, with the exception of perhaps Mark Thomas, I can safely say that I do not like ANY stand up comedians very much, and have simply just stopped watching them, or their contrived panel shows, as they just aren't, well….. in simple terms….. funny! So it truly is amazing for Ben to buck that trend, and blow me away! Contemporary so called stand up comedians could most definitely do themselves a favour and watch the master at work, 'Mr Ben Elton, ladies and gentlemen, ooh! A little bit of politics!', and see how it's done properly. And I do find it quite ironic that two of the least funny men on the planet, Stewart Lee and Mark Steel seem to have made their entire living by doing nothing other than slagging off Ben Elton! Steel in particular seems pretty much obsessed by the talented comic, playwright and novelist, which is a pity, because his Benny Elton obsession aside, his heart and his politics seem to be in the right place. I once had the misfortune to see Mark Steel on the panel show 'Have I Got News For You' (which as I've said, I no longer watch, as it just became a parody of itself, and I no longer found it very funny), and he was very much an unamusing and seemingly very bitter one trick pony, in that ALL he said on the show was quite literally, "Ben Elton is sh*t! Ben Elton is sh*t! Ben Elton is sh*t! Ben Elton is sh*t! Etc, etc...... " Un-f*cking-believable, haha!

I've never actually understood all the hate that's heaped upon Mr Elton. It's vicious, witless and completely unwarranted. It's often been levelled at him, that he's a sell out, a sell out? Who or what exactly is he selling out? What does that even mean? Unfathomable nonsense, expounded I think by various elements of petty jealousy, right wing zeal, left wing self righteousness (Ben is one hundred percent correct when he states in the book, that the left like nothing better than having a go and hating on other left wing factions that they've found some miniscule point of order to disagree on! The ’Socialist Schism Party’ here by ratifies their utter contempt for the ’Red Semantics Front’! Monty Python sum this up succinctly in their hilarious ’Splitter’ scene in ’The Life of Brian’), general middle class snobbery and arrogance, and good (bad) old fashioned anti-Semitism. Where it rears it’s ugly head just like anti-Irish/Catholic bigotry in Scotland, which is so ingrained into society, that people don’t even realize they’re doing it, and actually get quite unjustifiably outraged at the mere suggestion of it! ’Unconscious bias’, as I think it’s termed today.
If Ben had been quite literally ANYBODY else, with his body of work and achievements behind him, he would most definitely be a 'National Treasure' by this point, or indeed, many, many years ago.
He most certainly is for me, but mind you, would he really want that label? Because most 'National Treasures' these days turn out to be either, drug cheats, tax dodgers, nonces or some other form of egregious sexual predators!

Right, to the book, haha! I thoroughly enjoyed it and was hooked from the first couple of sub-chapters. It was highly entertaining and eminently interesting, full of Ben's joyous humour, including a sprinkling of ’knob’ gags, and his effervescent lust for life. I did feel however, that the hilarious author seemed to lose enthusiasm for the book toward the end. Where, for the first two thirds of the autobiography, it was highly detailed and pretty expansive, but from the final third, about the time of entering into the twenty first century, it really started to wane, and I found Ben was rushing somewhat and just seemed to be skipping through his latter years. This was something of a disappointment, as I'd been getting quite a lot from the detailed stories and explanations that the author was espousing at the start and middle of the book.
A prime example being, when he mentions one of my favourite Ben Elton novels, 'Past Mortem', he literally just says, "Then I wrote 'Past Mortem'....." That was it! Wail! Go on Ben, tell us what inspired it?! Tell us how it came to pass?! There had been a sub-chapter on 'don't boast to your butcher', which quite literally meant that, don't boast about things you haven't already done to your butcher, because sometimes, they don't come off, and they (the butcher) then proceed to take the piss! Now, for as ever so slightly amusing as that anecdote was, I'd have MUCH preferred an explanation into the inspiration behind 'Past Mortem', than a story about his blimmin’ butcher, or indeed, the effort that went into building a wooden fort called 'The Structure' in his back blimmin’ garden.

I really enjoyed learning about things like, how TV 'morality upholder', Mary Whitehouse (an all powerful and highly ignorant busybody of the 70's and 80's, and someone whom Billy Connolly says is Cockney rhyming slang for toilet!) had liked Ben's 1996 novel 'Popcorn', as she thought it attacked screen violence, haha.
But in the next breath, I was saddened to learn that a screen adaptation, with none other than Antipodean acting legend, Russell Crowe, of the brilliant WWI set thriller, 'The First Casualty' (a book I read, then joyously read again out loud to my then girlfriend, at her request I might add!), had never made it out of the basement, and ruefully ended up in what Ben calls his 'broken crockery' of failed projects, that for whatever reason, never quite make it. But a movie or TV drama of ’The First Casualty’ would have been fan-bloody-tastic, as it really is a wonderfully written tale, and as General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett, VC, KCB, DSO would put it, ”Hey, ho you can’t have everything I suppose.”

I simply lapped up the stories Ben told about the legend that is Rik Mayall. One particular stand out Rik anecdote, was when Rik had read the reviews of Ben's latest sitcom at the time, 2014's 'The Wright Way' (I'd never even heard of that one!), all of which were extremely bad (it actually reminded me of the reviews dished out to the hapless Andy Millman and his sitcom ’When The Whistle Blows’ in ’Extras’). In fact Ben calls that his 'nadir' of sitcom script writing. Anyway, Rik, after tortuously reading the reviews out loud to the crestfallen author (whom had deliberately NOT read them!), asks "Do you want me to kill the c*nts?" Haha! And to paraphrase Jez from ’Peep Show’ “That’s just sooo Rik” (David Mitchell would go on to star as William Shakespeare in Ben’s 2016 sitcom ’Upstart Crow’)
I was actually surprised at just how much of Ben's work, that I hadn't previously heard of before! The afore mentioned 'The Wright Way' ( described by the critics as 'the worst comedy ever written'! It would have certainly had to go some way to beat 'Two Pints of Lager....'), the Ardal O'Hanlon sitcom 'Blessed', the 2007 Ch4 late night variety show with Alexa Chung (whom I've also never heard of haha), 'Get a Grip', thankfully I’d also never heard of the Rod Stewart musical 'Tonight's the Night' (although Rod is a Celtic fan, I wholeheartedly endorse the Green Brigade banner at Celtic Park, 'Tories Not Welcome, F*ck Off Rod!', haha!), which would have negated any possibility of me having had watched, or indeed, listened to it lol (however, I’m not arrogant enough to think that just because ‘I’ don’t like Rod Stewart, that nobody else should like him, or that because Rod is a high profile ‘celebrity Tory’, the author of his musical is a ’sell out’!) and of course, the odd play here and there (I do own a copy of a book with three of Ben’s plays, ’Gasping’, ‘Silly Cow’ and ‘Popcorn’. Which I had bought because I thought I could read them like a novel, but obviously, you can’t, doough!).

I did have a couple of slight criticisms however, near the end of the book, Ben says ’he always puts 100% into what he does’, but unfortunately he'd already said earlier in the biography, that he tends to 'spread himself too thinly' by taking on too much work at the same time, resulting in him not being able to give it his everything! Although this does come across as contradictory, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and imagine, that even when he was 'thinly spread', he still attempted to do it, with maximum effort.
He talks in the book about his publisher's lawyers insisting he change the George Galloway based character in his 2006, 'X Factor' inspired novel 'Chart Throb', into Prince Charles (as he was known at the time), just in case Galloway sued. But I utterly cringed, when he also stated, that unlike the Scottish firebrand ex MP, Prince Charles didn't deserve to be lampooned or wickedly satarised! Whaaaat?!! If EVER someone DID deserve to be satarised, it's that twat! Even if only for his and his families parasitical sponging off the State, and that's before you even start asking questions, on just why the Royal Family, King Charles and the late Prince Philip in particular, were so friendly and cosy with 'Mr Jim'll Fix It' himself!
But in the grand scheme of things, those criticisms were pretty minor all told.

So, all in all, Ben Elton's autobiography was excellent, and coincidentally, I had been wondering what he'd been up to since 2019's tour and novel, 'Identity Crisis' (of which I'm a proud owner of a signed copy, woohoo!). But the autobiography, now makes that question pretty self evident, haha (I had been hoping that he’d been working on a new novel, but the autobiography will do just fine!).
Ben's personality bubbles out from the pages of the book, with not a single trace of bitterness, which, in my opinion, he'd have been more than justified in doing, but as Ben shows us in this biography, by actually praising those whom have so unjustifiablely maligned and denigrated him, life's just too short to waste it on hate. With the exception of perhaps Alexei Sayle (whom has since apologised to Ben for his past poor behaviour), Ben 'Farty Spice' Elton has more talent in his farts, than those whom have bizarrely made careers out of having a go at him, so hopefully Ben has finally said to them, 'F*ck off, I'm Ben Elton! Goodnight!'

I'll finish with Ben's favourite line from his entire oeuvre, it's from his sitcom 'The Thin Blue Line' and police detective Grim is telling Rowan Atkinson’s police character that if he makes a mistake, it's Grim that will get the blame, and he says, "You're cock up, my arse! Hahahaha!! Fantastic! I do LOVE a ’dooble’……

……. the hilarious Harry Enfield sketch ’Benny Elton’ which Ben says in the book, was as much fun to make, as it is to watch haha!

https://youtu.be/0jm8zlLdk7w?si=otvX4...

[Evan Micheals · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerri told me that Ben Elton had written an autobiography and this became an urgent read. As a fellow ‘old git’, his comedy has given me great joy and I have read every book he has written (usually shortly after he wrote it). My relationship as a fan goes back many decades, so it was with great interest I read this book. It is 450 pages, so twice as long as most books published these days.

First, a little bit of politics. Elton has always identified with being from the ‘right on’ left wing of politics, and been attacked for it by the left and the right. He expected it from the right, but was hurt by it from the left. Elton felt his harshest and most savage critics were from his left. Elton is critical of the culture of the left which likes to eat their own children. This dates back to the birth of socialism, with the left factions expending energy attacking each other, with the belief that their point of view is the true and pure representation of what the left should be. Think Stalin and Trotsky or Mao in his early career. History has shown only the most savage survive to implement their tyranny on their people. Elton was an influence when I began my political awareness and these days I quote Churchill: “If you are not a liberal at 20, you have no heart, and if you are not a conservative at 30, you have no brain.” I am well over 30, and become more conservative with every year. Elton claims he remains on the left; if this is so, having read him for so many years, I believe he is of the sensible centre rather than the loony left.

Elton developed a ‘hate/hate’ relationship with the press, from the Mail to the Guardian. He reflected that every work was savaged at first, with the press advising him to retire, implying he was an oxygen thief from younger talent. Elton’s crime was he wrote things that proletarians dared to enjoy. Our cultural leaders who write the press hate things because they are popular. Proles have no class and no taste, therefore Elton’s work, being popular, must be beneath class and good taste. Born into a proletarian life and profession, I have always loved Elton’s work. Before I found philosophy, reading Elton was an inspiration of critical thought. Blind Faith was not 1984, and it was understandable to simple working people like me.

Any ‘old git’ of my vintage will enjoy this trip down memory lane. This book was easy to read (I completed it over 8 days) whilst touching on memories of popular culture that have dominated my life. Elton does not mind name-dropping about pals he has made along the way with the rich and famous and he usually says how wonderful and talented they are. There is little dirt here. Elton remains someone who I like and this has inspired me to watch the two series I have not seen, The Wright Way and Upstart Crow (because, like a lot of proles, I only watch sport these days). I remain a fan.

[Ian Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Ben Elton’s for about forty years so my comments here can be taken with a grain of salt. I’ve loved nearly everything of his that I’ve seen, heard, read or acted in (I was in the first Australian production of Silly Cow back in 1995), so those are my qualifications. I say”loved” but I’ve really only ever gone back to a few of his works with joy. His stand-up is chief among that.

Having said that, this is a merely”very good” volume of autobiography. It covers a lot of ground and is also a fairly lengthy tome, but it also feels quite superficial in places. Elton spends a lot of time wondering why he is disliked by the media when the answer - that he is a hardworking, prolific writer who never found a medium that he couldn’t work in without a ridiculous amount of success - has been staring him in the face since he first attended Drama school in his teens.

I’m also baffled by his recount of his friendship with Rik Mayall. I don’t doubt that they worked brilliantly together and enjoyed an incredible friendship offstage, but the anecdotes retold here don’t paint Mayall in the best light. He comes across as greedy and vain, though these are traits that close friends can easily overlook (we’ve all been there, frankly). But this also makes me believe Elton’s claim that when he likes someone he tends to overlook their faults.

I also got a lovely flash of recollection and nostalgia whenever he talked about projects that I had forgotten he’d been involved with or discovered that he had had a hand in. I enjoyed reading about his novels and the inspiration behind them, as well as the energy that he throws into his writing and the ways that he approaches a topic when he wants to create something about it.

But it’s a ridiculously enthusiastic autobiography, too: he shamelessly namedrops and tells the most generic theatrical tales about his friends in show biz, assuming that we will find them as hilarious as he does. However, he is also very honest and blunt about the process of getting something created and the ways in which it has changed over the course of his career. He admits to having been very lucky in a lot of things that have happened to home, but also that he has worked extremely hard for that luck - there’s a real sense of frustration when he goes up against other writers who don’t pull their weight as much as he does on a set but he’s also generous in his praise of many colleagues, too, even under circumstances that should dictate otherwise. Elton is happy to forgive, it seems, but he doesn’t necessarily forget.

A great read: literary beyond the achievements of the author - he’s widely and well-read in a lot of areas - and one that highlights his interests and enthusiasms as much as the great issues of his life.

[Colin Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've Always liked Ben Elton. When the Young Ones burst onto our TV screens back in the early 80s it was truly groundbreaking. The contrast to the traditional nice and fluffy sitcoms like The Good Life was stark. (And although the aforementioned Good Life was satarised in one memorable scene he doesnt actually hate the show) Around about the time the Young Ones came out Elton also got his break on Saturday Live on channel 4 (an attempt to do a British version of the US show). He was among a group of so called alternative comedians who would challenge the traditional comedy that relied on racism and sexism and changed the face of comedy forever. He became well known for his frequent routines criticising then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher along with what would become frequent catchphrase "A little bit of politics."

Blackader which he co wrote with Richard Curtis (from series 2) remains one of my all time favourite sitcoms. It's interesting hearing the background to all these various projects he's been involved in, as well as his journey to becoming a writer and a stand up, something he almost accidentally fell into.

He's honest and open showing a vulnerable side that doesn't necessarily come out in his stand up work. His confrontational persona is one he had quickly develop in his early days to deal with what could be difficult audiences. Though it's a style that has mellowed slightly over the years.

He talks about his various friendships but the most interesting is probably his close friendship with the late Rick Mayall which was at times challenging.

It's become fashionable to dislike Ben Elton and while the dislike from papers such as the Daily Mail who have always hated him (ever since his Thatcher bashing days of Saturday Live) is to be expected the criticism from the left is harder to understand. It's something that he is sensitive about and his hurt comes out in his writing. Some seem to think that because he's collaborated on a musical with Andrew Lloyd Webber who was a Tory Peer he's a sell out. But that seems a rather insular and judgmental view. It's something that he does deal with in the book and he takes a rather more sensible view than many of his critics.

However his body of work is prolific from stand up, sitcoms, Movies, plays, 16 novels and much more. He has acheived considerable success in all these fields (as well as some notable flops which he's not afraid to discuss also)

It's a fascinating book showing a more vulnerable side than his onstage persona would often suggest.

[Dave Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enticing, fascinating book! Ben's achievements are superhuman. It would be possible to have ten successful careers from his achievements. In this book he's honest and self-aware about his work and personal life. I've always been horrified by the nasty attacks from people whose achievements are dwarfed by his. In my opinion they criticise him because they feel failures compared to Ben, who achieves what he does by hard work. Nobody served anything up to him for free, Ben has won everything from determination and work. Ben shows the rest of us up by getting up early in the morning and working. It's easier to dismiss his art as rubbish than it is to admit to ourselves that if we made more effort perhaps we might make something beautiful too.

The gracious way he deals with the worst of human jealousy and vindictiveness is staggering. Instead we get generous-spirited descriptions of many people he's worked with during his long and brilliant career. This book is a fascinating story of the last forty years of culture, as well as of Ben's part in it. A must-read for anyone interested in comedy, popular culture, or the entertainment business. It's also a more effective self-help book than most self-help books. For every success Ben's created, he's had knock-backs either because the powers that be didn't finance his project, or because the haters tried to destroy it. Every time, Ben bounces back with limitless commitment and resilience, and continues to create.

I feel amazed at Ben's positive energy and enthusiasm for life. I love his work, and am looking forward to volume two of his fascinating life story. Long live Ben Elton!

[Drumbago · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having grown up in the late 80s & 90s, The Young Ones, Blackadder and even some of Ben's stand up were formative and some of the very best comedy of the era. Despite not knowing much about the man himself, I expected to enjoy this book based on the strength of his early work.

I was wrong. For a man who has spent his life writing comedy the book is surprisingly lacking in laughs and strikes quite a serious tone. It's largely an exercise in self-aggrandisement and settling old scores whilst being disappointingly light on detail on the actual writing and creation of the aforementioned series that most people will be interested in.

We get maybe a half a chapter on the formation of the young ones, taking us up to the point of filming the pilot, and that's it, we move on. No anecdotes of rehearsals or filming, and Blackadder gets pretty much the same treatment. This is all interspersed with tales of his becoming a stand up, (and his supposed invention of observational comedy) and plenty of room is left for people paying him compliments, Alexei Sayle publicly apologising for being mean to Ben, Billy Connelly writing Ben a nice little letter saying how great he is.

I get that he's had a long career and been involved in many many projects but a little more in-depth storytelling and a little less ego would have served this book very well.

He recently gave an interview on The Rest is Entertainment podcast and covered the most interesting parts of the book in almost exactly the same words, it's only an hour long, I'd save yourself some time and just watch that instead of reading this.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of celebrity autobiographies, but as a teenager in the 1980s, Ben Elton was such a huge part of my life growing up that I was intrigued. I was lucky enough to see him interviewed by David Mitchell about his book and my interest was even more piqued.

From The Young Ones, through Blackadder, his plays (I recall watching his first West End play, 'Gasping' at the Theatre Royal in Haymarket in 1990 with Hugh Laurie), his novels and all of the many other projects he has been involved in, this book takes you through his career.

However, it begins with his relationship with Rik Mayall. The two met at University, where Adrian Edmondson was also a student. This is a very moving part of the book, as Ben Elton discusses his often difficult relationship with Rik Mayall, his early death and their work together.

Soon after University, The Young Ones exploded onto the scene and, before long, Ben Elton was a stand-up comedian. I enjoyed reading about his many successes, as well as the interesting projects that never quite made it. Understandably, Ben Elton is upset at the negative criticism he received from critics over the years. Unfortunately, his constant complaints did feel a little repetitive by the end and, although I sympathised, I think it would have been best toned down.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It struck me fairly quickly into this autobiography that Ben Elton is a workaholic who writes almost as quickly as he speaks. The pace of this book is relentless as Ben recounts the Eighties, the Nineties and into the Millenium, recalling the highs and lows of his professional and personal life (as well as those of many of his contemporaries.) The bulk of the book is concerned with covering his first two decades of fame when, it seemed, he was involved in everything - stand up comedy, play writing, comedy writing, musical writing, book writing - and everything that he touched seemed to turn to gold. It's a breathless account and, frankly, left me feeling a bit inadequate in terms of what I'd achieved in life compared to Ben Elton. What Have I Done? was the question I was asking myself by the end of it.
I would imagine that you're either a fan of Elton and his work, or a fan of his work but not so much Elton. If you're the former then you'll enjoy the book but if it's the latter you might find yourself screaming at the book to just shut the f*** up for a minute and give it a rest. That's how I felt at some points in the book, but overall I enjoyed it and tip my hat in admiration to what Ben Elton Has Done in his life so far. I doubt he's finished yet either.

[Tyrone Atkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there is something that lefties and right-wingers can on agree on, it is that they hate Ben Elton. Seems silly to say that when you consider just how successful the 66 year-old has been. Now here in his autobiography, he gets to settle scores whilst breaking down his life and many highs and lows as a sit-com writer, stand-up comic, novelist, playwright and director. What Have I Done? (2025) has Elton break down his origins, career (in great detail), triumphs, failures and family life but for me, as a fella whose first experience of seeing stand-up was Elton's famed efforts on Channel 4 and whose first sit-com love was The Young Ones, this was a compelling read. Sure, I've literally no interest in musicals like We Will Rock You (which seems all kinds of lame) as I don't care for vilifying him for working with Tories (as a very outspoken Labourite, he has been condemned for this). He does come across as wounded by the decades of criticism and he uses this platform to address them. It is both petty but fun stuff though. I feel that Elton will always want to be loved (I lost count of the name-drops and humblebrags) but he does accept that it probably won't happen in his lifetime. But hey, the man gave us the Blackadder - let's give him his due! A good read for fans.

[Tony McGovern · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook.
I’m not a fan of Ben Elton, but I’m a fan of a lot of his work, I well remember the buzz around school the morning after the first episode of The Young Ones, and I love Upstart Crow. But oh, this book. I decided to up the one star I was considering, up to two stars, purely because of the anger it provoked in me, which is some kind of quality for a book I’m sure.
You’re a writer, so for god’s sake edit - who the hell wants to know about all, I mean all, the student plays, and projects that never saw the light of day. The endless name drops, every bloody hospital appointment, every tinpot award no-one’s ever heard of. And the endless, giant, chips on the shoulder - get over it, you’re rich beyond your wildest dreams.
I kept wanting to like Ben Elton, many, many people do so he must be a good guy. But he lost me for good, after an interminable chapter about his psoriasis, when he wrote how he still ‘takes the trouble’ to support psoriasis causes. That summed it up for me - don’t say you ‘take the trouble’ and expect to be universally loved.

[David Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Ben Elton since I was approaching my teens and was first exposed to show of the ilk of Not The Nine O'clock News and alike, the dawning of alternative comedy, and shoes and comedians who have tracked my many years.

I knew some of Ben's story, but this book is amazing in just how much I didn't know I didn't know about him, from his early childhood and the difficulties he had, through to trying to fall in love(and succeeding) on the other side of the world to the, many would agree, totally unwarranted and cruel spiteful reviews and personal digs against his political views.

There is so much depth and detail here, anyone who was, like me, getting into my teens in the early 80s will instantly be transported back to various times in Ben's career and seem to be sitting there beside him.

Through to his later career with the likes of Blackadder and later The Thin Blue Line righ up to his jukebox musicals and more serious historical writing, and true fan will still have a lot to learn and discover about one of the most enduring comedy talents the UK has produced

[Sarah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*

This starts so well - fast-paced and interesting. But the good part ends all too soon.

After the Young Ones, the book becomes an elaborated diary. Everything of substance or interest to a fan of his successful work is either too briefly sketched or completely ignored. This is the recurring theme of the book. Superficial facts, lots of famous names, humblebrags galore, but hardly anything about the real Ben, his inner thoughts and experiences, the actual details of his creative life. The Upstart Crow part near the end is better, but still skates on the surface really.

The name dropping gets too much. The Beatles chat in particular was v dull indeed. At this point I nearly gave up on the book entirely. Interesting celeb anecdotes are fine, of course, and he is friends with a huge group of famous people who emerged at the same time. But who sends him Christmas cards, and endless dull stories about celebs he met but wasn’t actually friends with - not so much.

I’m interested in Ben Elton and his work. He is a good egg who makes me laugh. A lot of his work I really love. With not much soul and humour on show, this book becomes a somewhat empty vessel. (Audiobook)

[Darren Betts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook: Ben Elton has seemed like a constant through my life. From watching The Young Ones with my parents to watching The Thin Blue Live with my kids, and in between, his stand up accompanied my teen years. He’s a figure of hate for the right wing media and seems for long stretches to never be able to do anything right. He tolerates a level of opprobrium I would never recover from. And yet he seems a lovely, decent soul and his work stretches long and wide from musicals to novels to sitcoms and sketch shows, from the UK to Aus and points between. Success and failure but always the work, the family, the friends. Lots of great stories and a fascinating journey through the last 50 years in culture and, even, in society as he describes the impact of Brexit on our discourse in a later scene. I’m not a big reader of celebrity autobiographies but enjoyed this very much and it was well suited to audiobook.

[Joseph Ritchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every anecdote could genuinely end with “needless to say, I had the last laugh”.

This book was essentially a shopping list of score settling, name dropping and contradiction. He’s a working man’s labour hero, but claws at any chance to sit amongst the elite. He’s a feminist but his first comedy routine is “big tits”.

I love biographies of comedians, and when I saw an interview with Ben on ‘The rest is entertainment’ podcast I thought this would be a decent book for the Rik Mayall and Young Ones lore. But it’s just laced with such bitterness and venom it was so hard to enjoy.

Ben Elton has always been the guy who’s name appears in the credits of many things I loved when growing up, but in that same vein as Ricky Gervais - when their work is not a collaboration with others, it’s evident he’s not the heart and soul of those things I loved.

[Ros Gaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big Ben Elton fan - I think he’s a true original and an awesome human being. While I found this an enjoyable and entertaining read, I wish Ben hadn’t spent so much time detailing the inevitable showbiz failures and rubbish tall poppy criticisms that are an unavoidable part of life as a top notch UK ‘creative’ - thus giving these unjust perspectives more air time. Perhaps they could have been all covered more briefly in one chapter, allowing more focus on this hugely successful writer’s diverse and amazing successes as a stand up comedian, and in tv comedy, musicals and novel writing. Also, this memoir primarily addresses Ben’s UK readers, despite the fact that he has many fans and readers in Australia (where he now resides as a citizen), NZ and elsewhere. But I highly recommend this memoir, and a trip to see him as a stand up - his shows are some of the funniest I’ve ever seen.

[Andy Matheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It helps that I grew up with so much entertainment provided by the pen and the voice of Ben Elton. The book becomes something of a reminder of years gone by and is rich in stories and anecdotes. I was also surprised how prolific Ben has been and had many ‘I didn’t realise he wrote that’ moments.

Many great stories and observations. It was also a reflective book. Ben has always been a controversial figure and on the receiving end of some serious critical annihilations. He talks about this in some detail which made me reflect on the fairness or unfairness of criticism in the creative process. In the end you are reminded of his amazing talents which has just kept evolving and shaping popular entertainment. I can’t help feel he was hard done by with some of this.. which actually inspired me to give him 5 stars for the book.

[Jason Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Have I Done?
by Ben Elton

Honest, vulnerable, resilient,
Ben presents adventures of his life
(Though not much on his novels, often brilliant,
And not much on his family, bar his wife):
Student digs, precocious stage productions;
Uneasy status, easy laughs, with Rik;
Thwarted by America’s obstructions;
Alternative comedians’ new schtick:
A thousand projects, not always successful;
A thousand treatments for psoriasis;
A thousand critics’ maulings, ever stressful;
Hard the heart that can’t admire this!
It’s sitcoms, musicals and parenthood.
(But what befell the Structure made of wood?)

[Paul Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly I very much enjoyed most of this book, except for his ridiculous politics, but as he doesn’t exclude people who think differently neither do I.

The early years in the biz were great and the love story with Rick was a pleasure, but after that it was about trying to fit in with the liberal elite he doesn’t think exists, trying not to offend.

I’m very much with Harry Enfield (in the book) when it comes to politically correct bullshit.

Still, that aside I’d recommend this book and hope that Farty has even more success.

[Scott Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and dispite Mr Elton thinking most people dislike him, Ive always been a big fan of his work. Blackadder, the Young Ones, these shows particularly are the background of my youth, and later on I continued to enjoy his literary work (especially Time and Time Again). Anyone interested in writing will find this book an inspiration and it was also intriguing to read about his struggles with the media.
The book kept me interested from the first page, to the last, and when he updates it in another 20 years, Ill hopefully look forward to reading that also.

[Emerson Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun audiobook to listen to! Ben Elton has been a favourite author of mine since I was a teenager and stumbled across his novel High Society. Since getting into his books, I started seeing his name all over media I adored, and then he kinda slipped off my radar until now. I've read all his novels and seen a lot of the TV shows he's written. I have not seen any of his plays, or his stand-up, or his presented comedy shows, but I love hearing/reading all about them. It's also wonderful to hear him get passionate and angry about politics. A real treat of a book!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebook. Such an amazing creative life. I think Ben is a genius. I have loved his books and the live show I saw had me laughing to tears. What a mix of attitudes and behaviours towards him by other creatives. Not surprising. Lots of admiration and lots of jealousy no doubt. Great to get the inside story on a lot of these people. Thankfully Ben is not bitter. How lucky we are to call him Australian, one of ours 😀. Could have done with a good edit, some explanations were not needed.