Young Once: A Life Less Heavy

by Nigel Planer

'Beautifully written, deliciously evocative, funny and touching'
STEPHEN FRY
'A thermometer up the Khyber Pass of Comedy, expertly administered'
RICHARD E GRANT

Aged twenty-five, dressed as Che Guevara, Nigel Planer answers an ad for a room and his life changes for ever.

Both a memoir and a love story, Young Once follows his journey, from bell-ringer to gravedigger, from university dropout to long-term patient of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and all the other bizarre events that shape him, until the day he meets Alexei Sayle, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson in a former strip club and the 1980s Comedy Revolution is born . . .

Often mistaken (even by his mother) for Neil, the hippy character he creates, by 1986 Nigel has become so well-known he often has to leave the house via the kitchen window. It's lucky that he has always had a talent for seeing the funny side of whether it's dealing with 20-foot-éclair-related injuries or being cajoled into Band Aid by Bob Geldof; gatecrashing a rave with Robin Williams or crashing into the set on Top of the Pops; becoming a grandfather at twenty-nine or being rescued from disaster by musical theatre.

Against a backdrop of squats, Glastonbury and roller discos, with a supporting cast that includes Lemmy, a stony-faced Robert de Niro and French and Saunders, Young Once is a wildly entertaining and gloriously sideways glimpse into a remarkable life and career. It's also an object lesson in why you should never give up looking for your Happy Ever After. It might well turn out to be right in front of you.

'Nigel's true-life adventures would make Neil from The Young Ones crap his loons'
BEN ELTON
'YOUNG ONCE is delicious . . .The very funny life of an icon of British comedy, brilliantly portrayed'
JO BRAND

Genres: Autobiography, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published September 25, 2025

About the author

Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953 in Westminster, London) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright. Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray. He is long time comedy partners with Peter Richardson. He also narrates the children's TV show, Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny in parts autobiography of the actor and interesting

[Sally Koerner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comfortable read - interesting, thoughtful, gently paced, respectful of people mentioned - enjoyable

[Matthew Holley]

As an FYI, I will say that I was very keen on reading this book because I thought it was going to be all about the backstory and experience of making The Young Ones, as both the title and cover photo suggest. But in reality there is not much content about this until about halfway through, and then very little, maybe enough to fill up a few pages. Curious choice.

[Pm · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Young Ones fan - I was the age group for it when it came out - I loved this. Fascinating stories from his own life, on and off the stage and screen. I could have done with longer chapters about The Young Ones, especially given the title. But the stuff about musicals, etc, was good, and didn't go on too long - how I hate musicals!

Was surprised to find out how much of him was in the Neil character.

Also there's a wonderful bit about him and Rik Mayall keeping a crash victim they found on a road from slipping into unconsciousness by doing Rick and Neil impressions.

Loved it. Recommended..

[Jason Cotton · Rating 4 out of 5]

As people who know me know I love biographies, I particularly like reading biographies of people I either grew up watching or listening to. I got this book for Christmas and originally made it a "week to read" book. I read it in just over 24 hours. I literally could not put it down. it's an excellent recount of a man who most people remember as one character, but this book explores a lot more. from failed marriages, divorces, children, fame, voice overs and even being a "pop star". It's a really good read and definitely not 'heavyyyyyyy' 😁😁😁😁

[Brechtje Spoorenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zelden lees ik een autobiografie uit, maar aan de Young Ones bewaar ik warme herinneringen en Neil was ook mijn favoriet. Dit boek geeft een mooi inkijkje in de comedywereld in Londen, de vriendschappen, de band met acteurs/comedians die ook allemaal beroemd zijn, aangevuld met alle privé-perikelen. Wat heeft Planer veel gedaan en wat is er veel structuur en planning nodig om iets anarchistisch te maken :). En ja, romantisch is het ook.

[Beattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a hopeless romantic (in the best way - men take note)! The quickest I have ever read an autobiography for all that means. Perfect blend of personal life and backstage info for those who are interested in how the scene came about. Beautiful insight to relationships between friends, family and lovers. Answered my question as to why Nigel never appeared on Strictly. Can’t complain!

[Wilfred Berkhof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, I enjoyed it but felt it could have been so much more. It could have used many more (fun) anecdotes and a bit more actual feelings in it. Now it felt a bit dry at times.

Plus I would have loved to have heard more about Nigel's work as the narrator of the Discworld books!

[Paul Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audio book was, as one would expect, expertly read, demonstrating his immense dramatic skills. While it did not lack honesty, it did lack depth, only in that there was so much ground to cover. A candidate for three volumes!

[Bill Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read from Nigel as he talks about his ups and downs of his career, the legacy of Neil, the money problems with divorce, the journeys he has been on and the success of the young ones

[Huibert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boeiend, en ik vind de vorm (niet chronologisch) wel goed. Beetje sentimenteel hier en daar.

[G.J. Minett · Rating 3 out of 5]

worth a look

[Jayne Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been to a talk about this and was interested. Enjoyed hearing about such a varied life and background of things that I grew up with.

[Sally Cornell]

fabulous read..funny, and wonderful

[Nicky Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just a wonderful book from start to finish, Nigel's life is fascinating and hearing him talk about all those much loved characters is a joy! Highly recommend

[Finch Jones]

A beautiful, thoughtfully written memoir

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavy man!

There's more to Nigel than Neil! Interesting read and an insight into a life far and above just an anarchic sitcom. An alternative comedy pioneer from the start.

[Andy Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read!

[Neil Seymour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well written! Much much more than just another book about the Young Ones!

[Heather Nazmdeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting life with funny bits

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only really knew this author from playing Neil in The Young Ones, but while I was reading his story I was amazed at how many other things he has been in. I enjoyed his story, although parts of it were a little slow for me. However the part of his life when he begins to act was the best! I loved the time around The Young Ones, and his memories on his relationships with his co-stars were warming and quite emotional. The Young Ones was a huge part of my younger years, so reading how Neil came about was great. This book is perfect for any fan!