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What Have I Done?: My Autobiography
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
‘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
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 9, 2025
About the author
Ben Elton
66 books1,523 followersBen 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
October 26, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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.
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.
December 29, 2025
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!
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!
October 19, 2025
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
January 19, 2026
This is a readable and very confident account of Elton’s life and career- chatty; discursive and sometimes reflective- if at times it reads like a very long addendum to his Wikipedia entry that can’t be helped as Elton blasts through the many many many stopping points on his writing and performing life. There are moving sections on his relationship with Rik Mayall and the name dropping is like carpet bombing as Ben met the whole pantheon of British entertainment ( and perhaps Australian?) and worked with many. Occasionally and rarely he doesn’t expand - Saturday night live sections give a cursory mention to Harry Enfield without mentioning the mega hit characters and their impact of Stavros and Loadsamoney …. And it’s all very breathless like the jukebox musical of his life as written by him.
He tackles the thorny issue of why he invites such opprobrium and hate - we don’t like success - especially seemingly overnight success on the tele - and we don’t like motormouth comedians who bang a political agenda whilst surfing the waves of money and champers that the success brings - Elton mitigates for himself well and his protestations and self defence are all fair enough. He’s also honest enough to re watch some interviews and find his old self annoying too.
His achievements in writing including librettos / movies / sitcoms and novels are laudable and sometimes ground breaking and one can’t help admire his self starting drive and ultimate mastery of many forms.
The book itself is well illustrated and does exact what it says on the tin.
No index which is never good ( lazy publishers ) but a decent go at presenting himself - he even threatens an expanded version in 10 years time adding to the story ….
Not stylishly written but more machine gunned into the page but worth a look as the gag meister weaves his magic… and it might take me back to the novels and the plays - win win .
My name is Bookthesp1 - GOODNIGHT !!
He tackles the thorny issue of why he invites such opprobrium and hate - we don’t like success - especially seemingly overnight success on the tele - and we don’t like motormouth comedians who bang a political agenda whilst surfing the waves of money and champers that the success brings - Elton mitigates for himself well and his protestations and self defence are all fair enough. He’s also honest enough to re watch some interviews and find his old self annoying too.
His achievements in writing including librettos / movies / sitcoms and novels are laudable and sometimes ground breaking and one can’t help admire his self starting drive and ultimate mastery of many forms.
The book itself is well illustrated and does exact what it says on the tin.
No index which is never good ( lazy publishers ) but a decent go at presenting himself - he even threatens an expanded version in 10 years time adding to the story ….
Not stylishly written but more machine gunned into the page but worth a look as the gag meister weaves his magic… and it might take me back to the novels and the plays - win win .
My name is Bookthesp1 - GOODNIGHT !!
October 22, 2025
Fuck the haters. Ben Elton is hilarious and a sublime writer.
November 7, 2025
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.
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.
June 1, 2026
I really enjoyed it.
He's a writer who fell into being a performer of his own material and he's been very, very successful which is the only reason, really, that I can see which would suggest why people don't seem to like him. He talks about that dislike (sometimes hatred) in the book and I think he's put up with quite a lot. It's strange, I read somewhere years ago that as humans we love the underdog and we will them to succeed. Then when they start to win we cheer them on and encourage them to keep going - right up to the point where they are clearly on top of their game and then we need to see them fail, preferably in public, because they are just too clever and maybe a little smug.
Everything has a sell-by date and Ben has written so much that he has had a lot of projects which reached theirs: The Young Ones, Blackadder, Saturday Live, We Will Rock You - the list goes on. He's been really productive and he's worked with anybody he wanted to - what's wrong with that?
He's a writer who fell into being a performer of his own material and he's been very, very successful which is the only reason, really, that I can see which would suggest why people don't seem to like him. He talks about that dislike (sometimes hatred) in the book and I think he's put up with quite a lot. It's strange, I read somewhere years ago that as humans we love the underdog and we will them to succeed. Then when they start to win we cheer them on and encourage them to keep going - right up to the point where they are clearly on top of their game and then we need to see them fail, preferably in public, because they are just too clever and maybe a little smug.
Everything has a sell-by date and Ben has written so much that he has had a lot of projects which reached theirs: The Young Ones, Blackadder, Saturday Live, We Will Rock You - the list goes on. He's been really productive and he's worked with anybody he wanted to - what's wrong with that?
January 3, 2026
This is what autobiographies should be! It tells the stories that you don’t know or that you thought you knew but didn’t. Ben Elton talks about his friendships with some of the big comedy names such as Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Harry Enfield and Roman Atkinson. He talks about his faults which cost him jobs, particularly in relation to Hollywood. He talks about his successes as well as his failures. A fantastic and funny read.
November 18, 2025
I did really enjoy this but he does go on about politics a lot! loved the Blackadder, Young Ones and Upstart Crow stories
March 23, 2026
I'm generally not a fan of an autobiography, finding them self-congratulatory and self serving, however I have been, and remain, a great fan of the work of Ben Elton since the early 1980s. In the days of The Young Ones, Blackadder and Saturday Live many hours were spent by my friends and I learning whole scenes and routines, then quoting them at one another, which in the pre-streaming, pre-VHS early 80s meant listening to the routine and learning it while you were watching it. I know, that's how obsessed we were.
Bringing up the offspring they quickly had to get used to:
Child: Daddy, I'm bored
Me (as Vyvyan): Bored! Bored! Bored! Bored! Bored!
...
Child (wanting an an answer to an important question): Is it a yes or a no?
Me: It's a neigh my lord, but I don't believe a word of it.
...
Child: but how do you know that daddy?
Me: Oh just a wild stab in the dark, which is, incidentally, exactly what you'll be getting if you don't start being a bit more helpful.
...
Me (Any time boarding a train): Double seat, double seat, gotta get a double seat.
...
Child: Can you help me? I've got to write an essay about Richard III
Me: Oh dear, Richard III.
Ok, that last one never happened, but I've got it ready should the occasion ever arise, and most recently I find myself exclaiming a sudden realisation with: Hang on. Hang the futtock on.
In my work I was that cool English teacher who showed the the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth when we were studying the war poets (I also had my students compare the satire of Jonathan Swift and Terry Pratchett - I was a very cool teacher) and took the class to see a stage production of Popcorn. Then, in later life when I get to know (slightly) the then Bishop of Bath and Wells I take great delight in offering him a jelly baby.
I've not read as many of Elton's novs (as I seem to recall them being called 40 years ago, however, if you try typing 'novs' into Goodreads today it autocorrects it to a very Ben Eltonesque word) as I would like, however I feel that after reading this autobiography that is about to change. As a piece of autobiographical writing this does, of course, have sufficient numbers of diminutively name-dropped luvvie-kissies to keep Elton's publisher happy while at the same time being generally self-effacing and down to Earth.
A happy memory-jogger for long time fans and a fascinating insight into 40 years of British comedy culture for everyone else.
Bringing up the offspring they quickly had to get used to:
Child: Daddy, I'm bored
Me (as Vyvyan): Bored! Bored! Bored! Bored! Bored!
...
Child (wanting an an answer to an important question): Is it a yes or a no?
Me: It's a neigh my lord, but I don't believe a word of it.
...
Child: but how do you know that daddy?
Me: Oh just a wild stab in the dark, which is, incidentally, exactly what you'll be getting if you don't start being a bit more helpful.
...
Me (Any time boarding a train): Double seat, double seat, gotta get a double seat.
...
Child: Can you help me? I've got to write an essay about Richard III
Me: Oh dear, Richard III.
Ok, that last one never happened, but I've got it ready should the occasion ever arise, and most recently I find myself exclaiming a sudden realisation with: Hang on. Hang the futtock on.
In my work I was that cool English teacher who showed the the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth when we were studying the war poets (I also had my students compare the satire of Jonathan Swift and Terry Pratchett - I was a very cool teacher) and took the class to see a stage production of Popcorn. Then, in later life when I get to know (slightly) the then Bishop of Bath and Wells I take great delight in offering him a jelly baby.
I've not read as many of Elton's novs (as I seem to recall them being called 40 years ago, however, if you try typing 'novs' into Goodreads today it autocorrects it to a very Ben Eltonesque word) as I would like, however I feel that after reading this autobiography that is about to change. As a piece of autobiographical writing this does, of course, have sufficient numbers of diminutively name-dropped luvvie-kissies to keep Elton's publisher happy while at the same time being generally self-effacing and down to Earth.
A happy memory-jogger for long time fans and a fascinating insight into 40 years of British comedy culture for everyone else.
December 1, 2025
The more I read, the lower my rating. 2 stars is based on giving up with 2 & 1/2 hours to go.
July 28, 2026
I get it now. The title is a play on words. I am English and born the same time as the author but since I have lived abroad since 1981 I missed his famous persona and have only experienced him obliquely through black adder etc. so I now see that you have been super productive and widely despised. Now which of those two elements makes the most interesting story? The person who passed me the book to read warned me that it was full of name dropping. And honestly it becomes a bit tedious. I am reminded of the phrase ‘discretion is the better part of valor’. The reason why David Niven’s ‘the Moons a Balloon’ which Ben Elton says he read as a youngster was so great was that the stories with celebs were brilliantly funny and in their telling David Niven made fun of himself. If Ben Elton could have done something similar it would have been a better book and if he had lived like that perhaps he would have been more likeable. It’s important to be successful but much more important to be kind and liked. Elton does not seem to have learned that yet.
October 14, 2026
I’ve always liked Ben Elton’s humour (and politics) and saw him perform twice when he was at the height of his stand up comedy fame in the 80s. His high energy ’motor-mouth’ style was really funny. So I was interested to read more about his life, especially the parts of his life ‘down under’ when he wasn’t so much in the public eye in the UK.
For the most part I found this book very interesting, however I’m not so sure that Ben Elton is as much a champion of women as he thinks he might be. The gruelling process of the IVF is viewed purely through his own eyes (great detail about him producing his ‘sample’). But his wife’s experience of daily hormone injections is glossed over in one line. Similarly the hours of pain endured during the birth of his third child merits one line whereas there are pages and pages of dialogue about his meetings with US directors. He leaves his wife with 3 children under 3 for weeks to pursue his ambitions yet talks of his own exhaustion having children, never his wife’s. Im hoping this is because he doesn’t want to speak for his wife, but alas I think it might be because he’s actually quite egocentric. He most definitely has the ‘male gaze’ personality where family life is concerned.
However despite these very jarring examples of his life view I think anyone who liked Ben Elton ‘back in the day’ will enjoy this book, especially the early parts of the book when he discusses his rise to fame via The Young Ones and Blackadder.
For the most part I found this book very interesting, however I’m not so sure that Ben Elton is as much a champion of women as he thinks he might be. The gruelling process of the IVF is viewed purely through his own eyes (great detail about him producing his ‘sample’). But his wife’s experience of daily hormone injections is glossed over in one line. Similarly the hours of pain endured during the birth of his third child merits one line whereas there are pages and pages of dialogue about his meetings with US directors. He leaves his wife with 3 children under 3 for weeks to pursue his ambitions yet talks of his own exhaustion having children, never his wife’s. Im hoping this is because he doesn’t want to speak for his wife, but alas I think it might be because he’s actually quite egocentric. He most definitely has the ‘male gaze’ personality where family life is concerned.
However despite these very jarring examples of his life view I think anyone who liked Ben Elton ‘back in the day’ will enjoy this book, especially the early parts of the book when he discusses his rise to fame via The Young Ones and Blackadder.
May 21, 2026
Candid insights into his prolific career.
Despite brutal treatment at the hands of pundits and peers, Elton had a phenomenal work ethic and commitment to his craft. Creative standouts include the Blackadder series and especially Upstart Crow, which has some parallels to his own experience (Robert Greene is a perfect distillation of many vitriolic, malicious, jealous, poison-penned critics).
It’s a reflection of his character that he didn’t take the bait or dwell on the negativity to deliver ‘Upstart’ late in his career.
Recommended for creatives, especially those early in their career.
Despite brutal treatment at the hands of pundits and peers, Elton had a phenomenal work ethic and commitment to his craft. Creative standouts include the Blackadder series and especially Upstart Crow, which has some parallels to his own experience (Robert Greene is a perfect distillation of many vitriolic, malicious, jealous, poison-penned critics).
It’s a reflection of his character that he didn’t take the bait or dwell on the negativity to deliver ‘Upstart’ late in his career.
Recommended for creatives, especially those early in their career.
December 3, 2025
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.
March 4, 2026
Ben Elton’s early career makes for a fascinating read. Rocketing to success straight out of university, the scourge of the right, he became famous young. That bit is all interesting, as he develops relationships with other rising stars and navigates a class-dominated media landscape. The book slacks off considerably when he is very successful, finds the perfect wife and lives the perfect, well to do life. He tries hard to make this bit interesting and funny but, in truth, not much happens. He goes for lots of dinners with other famous people when he’s in town. That’s about it for twenty-odd years. The book starts and ends well but would have been stronger if the many pages of pleasant nothingness had been distilled to a single ‘lucky me’ chapter.
December 1, 2025
Excellent read, funny and spans 45 years + of comedy culture. Really enjoyed this
May 1, 2026
I really enjoyed this memoir. Obviously Ben can write stories and it’s amazing to see all the things he’s done in his career. I also remember when it became cool to not like him and I never really understood why. Here he gets to voice it himself and obviously his friends list is like a who’s who of lurvies throughout the last 40 years
January 26, 2026
This is an immensely enjoyable, engaging memoir written with heart, candid humor, and thoughtfulness. Ben’s memoir is largely linear, though it jumps around when it makes sense to follow the fortunes of a particular project. He’s reflective and (rightfully) indignant over the unfair treatment he’s received in the press over the years. He is critical of his own work, sure, but there is something about the venom with which his failures are met that is uncalled for (snobbery in media critique, who’d have thought?). The book focuses largely on his career, though there is plenty devoted to his family and their importance in his life.
His insights into his greatest works - The Young Ones, Blackadder, We Will Rock You, Upstart Crow - are new and interesting, and every bit as fascinating as the remembrances of his failed projects and ‘broken crockery’ that never got made. His work ethic is prolific and frankly awe-inspiring. And the star power he’s rubbed elbows with is astonishing. He’s lucky, yes, but also incredibly talented to have accomplished as much as he has.
Ben is clearly very personably, as he has nothing but warm words to say about nearly every person he’s ever met. The intimacy of his closest working relationships (particularly regarding Rik Mayall) are so beautifully depicted. I’m glad he is enjoying a well-earned ‘Ben-aissance’ as he is one of, if not the greatest comedy writers of his generation.
His insights into his greatest works - The Young Ones, Blackadder, We Will Rock You, Upstart Crow - are new and interesting, and every bit as fascinating as the remembrances of his failed projects and ‘broken crockery’ that never got made. His work ethic is prolific and frankly awe-inspiring. And the star power he’s rubbed elbows with is astonishing. He’s lucky, yes, but also incredibly talented to have accomplished as much as he has.
Ben is clearly very personably, as he has nothing but warm words to say about nearly every person he’s ever met. The intimacy of his closest working relationships (particularly regarding Rik Mayall) are so beautifully depicted. I’m glad he is enjoying a well-earned ‘Ben-aissance’ as he is one of, if not the greatest comedy writers of his generation.
February 12, 2026
This book was an epic of commitment on my behalf. It’s far too long and detailed. It’s a Book Club choice and and I always feel obliged to finish them, as I feel that part of the deal is that you read books that you wouldn’t choose yourself.
I haven’t read any of Ben Elton’s books, nor have I seen many of his TV, theatre or movie productions. Some of Blackadder, a bit of Upstart Crow and I’ve seen him perform live once and I wasn’t impressed. A lot of swearing and smut, which I tend to think is just a cover up for a lack of talent. And I’m not a prude.
This book was wordy and needed a good edit. I won’t go into detail as to what could have been pruned as I would end up as verbose as he is in this book.
However, being a Brit who grew up there in the seventies and eighties, I relished his description of the pop culture of the time. Also his observations of politicians and politics, which are akin to mine.
There’s no denying tho his extraordinary, prolific and varied range of work. He’s a hard worker and soldiers on regardless of the criticism of his peers and the media. His work isn’t particularly to my taste and I won’t be seeking any of his material out, but I admire his work ethic. And I didn’t end up hating him.
I haven’t read any of Ben Elton’s books, nor have I seen many of his TV, theatre or movie productions. Some of Blackadder, a bit of Upstart Crow and I’ve seen him perform live once and I wasn’t impressed. A lot of swearing and smut, which I tend to think is just a cover up for a lack of talent. And I’m not a prude.
This book was wordy and needed a good edit. I won’t go into detail as to what could have been pruned as I would end up as verbose as he is in this book.
However, being a Brit who grew up there in the seventies and eighties, I relished his description of the pop culture of the time. Also his observations of politicians and politics, which are akin to mine.
There’s no denying tho his extraordinary, prolific and varied range of work. He’s a hard worker and soldiers on regardless of the criticism of his peers and the media. His work isn’t particularly to my taste and I won’t be seeking any of his material out, but I admire his work ethic. And I didn’t end up hating him.
November 21, 2025
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!
August 6, 2025
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...
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...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2025
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.
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.
November 9, 2025
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.
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.
December 23, 2025
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.
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.
April 23, 2026
The areas that were the most engaging were predictably the areas of his work that I’m most familiar with. Fans of the Young Ones and that era of comedy will find much to enjoy. His anecdotes of meeting and building relationships with the likes of Rick and Ade and Rowan Atkinson, Coltrane and Stephen Fry (whose life he practically saved in a very scary story) were the most rewarding. Gave plenty of insights into the writing process behind TYO and Blackadder (along with some honesty about the weaker aspects of the shows and conflicts between him and the cast), his deeply intense relationship with Rik in his early years (some of their letters between each other particularly insightful), the clashes with Rio’s ego, their falling out and his alcoholism in particular were very moving.
This is certainly a career focused autobiography rather than a life story focused one, which for many will be pleasing. There are a few personal stories in here describing landmark events or lifelong conditions such as his wedding day, going through IVF and his affliction with psoriasis.
Less engagement with the second half - I haven’t seen We Will Rock You, been able to enjoy any of his literature or get through more than an episode of Upstart Crow, so I found a lot less to engage with in the latter parts other than describing his relationship with David Mitchell. This lack of engagement with this part of his work made the mentioning of various celebrities start to feel a bit self aggrandising. He has respect from a lot of people - public and famous alike - along with plenty of hatred for his political views… or apparent inconsistencies as he rants about himself being the butt of many comedians jokes - Stewart Lee get’s a couple of long slams from BE for his mocking of him. Also showing off, I did somewhat enjoy his anecdotes with the likes of Paul/George/Ringo and Tony and Cherie Blair). There was plenty of professional tragedy as he described a couple of instances where film/sitcom ideas have fallen and rights have been maintained by film companies unlikely to never be released.
He’s clearly a very talented writer and has far more impact on the world of British Comedy than the general public remembers now - and he deserves more acclaim for sure.
This is certainly a career focused autobiography rather than a life story focused one, which for many will be pleasing. There are a few personal stories in here describing landmark events or lifelong conditions such as his wedding day, going through IVF and his affliction with psoriasis.
Less engagement with the second half - I haven’t seen We Will Rock You, been able to enjoy any of his literature or get through more than an episode of Upstart Crow, so I found a lot less to engage with in the latter parts other than describing his relationship with David Mitchell. This lack of engagement with this part of his work made the mentioning of various celebrities start to feel a bit self aggrandising. He has respect from a lot of people - public and famous alike - along with plenty of hatred for his political views… or apparent inconsistencies as he rants about himself being the butt of many comedians jokes - Stewart Lee get’s a couple of long slams from BE for his mocking of him. Also showing off, I did somewhat enjoy his anecdotes with the likes of Paul/George/Ringo and Tony and Cherie Blair). There was plenty of professional tragedy as he described a couple of instances where film/sitcom ideas have fallen and rights have been maintained by film companies unlikely to never be released.
He’s clearly a very talented writer and has far more impact on the world of British Comedy than the general public remembers now - and he deserves more acclaim for sure.
April 12, 2026
Ben Elton – “What Have I Done?”
If you’re picking up a novel by Ben Elton, you come with expectations. Maybe a dose of wit. Maybe you’re looking for commentary that doesn’t tiptoe but stomps straight through the middle of polite conversation. With What Have I Done? Elton delivers.
At its core, this is a novel about consequences. The deeply humankind that sit with you at 3am and refuse to let you sleep. The title itself reads like a confession, and that tone seeps through every page.
Decisions are made for reasons that feel justified in the moment, only to unravel under the weight of hindsight. Elton has always had a knack for exposing hypocrisy, but here he turns the lens inward, asking not just “what’s wrong with the world?” but “what would you do if it were you?”
What stands out most is the pacing. Elton allows the tension to build gradually, layering unease rather than rushing toward it. There is a quiet dread in watching events unfold, a sense that something is going wrong long before it fully reveals itself. It’s less about shock value and more about that sinking feeling of inevitability.
Stylistically, the writing is crisp and accessible. He writes as if you are sitting opposite him having a conversation. There is a rhythm to it - natural, sharp, and often laced with a sting. The Ben Elton humour is still there, but it is a more restrained Elton that’s on show.
Where the novel succeeds most is in its emotional resonance. It lingers. You don’t close the book and move on—you sit with it, turning over the characters’ choices, uncomfortably aware of how easily they could have been your own.
In the end, What Have I Done? is less a question posed by the people in it and more one handed directly to the reader. And it is that shift—from observation to introspection—that gives the novel its real weight.
It might just be one of his most thought-provoking.
If you’re picking up a novel by Ben Elton, you come with expectations. Maybe a dose of wit. Maybe you’re looking for commentary that doesn’t tiptoe but stomps straight through the middle of polite conversation. With What Have I Done? Elton delivers.
At its core, this is a novel about consequences. The deeply humankind that sit with you at 3am and refuse to let you sleep. The title itself reads like a confession, and that tone seeps through every page.
Decisions are made for reasons that feel justified in the moment, only to unravel under the weight of hindsight. Elton has always had a knack for exposing hypocrisy, but here he turns the lens inward, asking not just “what’s wrong with the world?” but “what would you do if it were you?”
What stands out most is the pacing. Elton allows the tension to build gradually, layering unease rather than rushing toward it. There is a quiet dread in watching events unfold, a sense that something is going wrong long before it fully reveals itself. It’s less about shock value and more about that sinking feeling of inevitability.
Stylistically, the writing is crisp and accessible. He writes as if you are sitting opposite him having a conversation. There is a rhythm to it - natural, sharp, and often laced with a sting. The Ben Elton humour is still there, but it is a more restrained Elton that’s on show.
Where the novel succeeds most is in its emotional resonance. It lingers. You don’t close the book and move on—you sit with it, turning over the characters’ choices, uncomfortably aware of how easily they could have been your own.
In the end, What Have I Done? is less a question posed by the people in it and more one handed directly to the reader. And it is that shift—from observation to introspection—that gives the novel its real weight.
It might just be one of his most thought-provoking.
November 3, 2025
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!
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!
November 5, 2025
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.
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.
January 25, 2026
An impressive champagne socialist 5/5
This is a proper autobiography, in that Ben Elton has created and experienced so much over 45 productive years he actually has a lot to say. He's had a great life and comes across as a very down to earth guy who has gratitude, and perhaps mild surprise, for how it's all panned out. Loosely in chronological order, the book is a cultural tour of 80s and 90s when TV and standup comedy blossomed, in which he was centre stage, and then moves on to cover the novels he wrote and plays he was involved in the 2000s. The writing is conversational style, and it’s engaging, frank and reflective. He is pretty honest with his opinions on various people (though he probably held back on his true views of Jonathon Ross!) and the chapters on psoriasis and IVF showed his human side. I enjoyed reading about his involvement with the labour party over the years and also how he splits his personal life between the UK and Australia. There are a few obligatory nob gags and plenty of humorous takes on things which keeps the smiles coming while you are reading. Perhaps there is too much name dropping towards the end, but what a rich life he’s had, so let him indulge I say. Three key takeaways for me were; i) just how insanely productive he has been over such a long timeframe, ii) that he has forged and maintained so many long term friendships, and iii) how much he hates the British media, probably justifiably so. He’s an observational comedy legend, creative writing genius, has an incredible work ethic, and this all came through in what was a really enjoyable read. Hopefully this book will sway any naysayers still out there.
This is a proper autobiography, in that Ben Elton has created and experienced so much over 45 productive years he actually has a lot to say. He's had a great life and comes across as a very down to earth guy who has gratitude, and perhaps mild surprise, for how it's all panned out. Loosely in chronological order, the book is a cultural tour of 80s and 90s when TV and standup comedy blossomed, in which he was centre stage, and then moves on to cover the novels he wrote and plays he was involved in the 2000s. The writing is conversational style, and it’s engaging, frank and reflective. He is pretty honest with his opinions on various people (though he probably held back on his true views of Jonathon Ross!) and the chapters on psoriasis and IVF showed his human side. I enjoyed reading about his involvement with the labour party over the years and also how he splits his personal life between the UK and Australia. There are a few obligatory nob gags and plenty of humorous takes on things which keeps the smiles coming while you are reading. Perhaps there is too much name dropping towards the end, but what a rich life he’s had, so let him indulge I say. Three key takeaways for me were; i) just how insanely productive he has been over such a long timeframe, ii) that he has forged and maintained so many long term friendships, and iii) how much he hates the British media, probably justifiably so. He’s an observational comedy legend, creative writing genius, has an incredible work ethic, and this all came through in what was a really enjoyable read. Hopefully this book will sway any naysayers still out there.
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