Re-run the Fun: My Life as Pat Sharp

by Pat Sharp, Darren Richman (Primary Contributor), Luke Catterson (Primary Contributor)

Pat Sharp is a man out of time.

For those of a certain generation, he is an iconic figure synonymous with good fun, great hair and excess gunge. For others, he's just that bloke with a mullet.

Fame is a fickle beast and, since the cancellation of Fun House in 1999 ('Just ten years into its run, when it was finally finding its feet'), Pat has become a reclusive figure, only emerging from his splendid isolation to pop up on things like I'm A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Come Dine with Me.

Until now.

With time on his hands and now reliant on a faulty memory, Pat has expertly blended fact and . . . fiction: revealing all about his adventures with David Hassselhoff at the Berlin Wall in 1989; how he broke up a fight between Damon Albarn and Liam Gallagher at a house party; the time he suggested Geri's dress be a Union Jack; and much more.

A definitive work (based on very little fact) that anatomises the cultural trends of the '80s and '90s, Re-run the Fun is just the kind of sorta-biography we need in these turbulent times. Finally, the Great British public can learn what life is like just about in sight of the top - the highs, the lows and the hair tips.

Genres: Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2020

Reviews

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bizarre but funny parody of the life of Fun House presenter Pat Sharp.

The regular digs at fellow former CITV presenter Neil Buchanan regularly brings the laughs.

[Lettice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable and totally bonkers rampage through 80s and 90s British pop culture with the mullet god himself, Pat Sharp. Key moments in his life are a footnote to his shaggy dog stories and C list celeb encounters. I suspect that if you didn't come of age watching Fun House and listening to wicked tracks by Pat & Mick you might not understand half of this book. DJ, presenter, singer, poet and now author - maybe he is the greatest polymath of his generation?

[Matthew Ogborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly biased as my pal Darren co-wrote this welcome mix of nostalgia and finely tuned humour, but it holds its own alongside the Alan Partridge books in this genre. Pat’s involvement in various culture defining moments of the last few decades, several brilliant subtle lines interweaved in the mayhem and the consistently amusing tales combine to deliver a much needed comic shot in the arm that helped me through the latest lockdown. Seek out and giggle hard.

[Jonathan Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the film Airplane! in book form (although not about planes or disaster or at least not that type of disaster). The jokes are as relentless as Pat Sharp’s mullet (perhaps he bears a resemblance to Ted Striker - not a striking resemblance). Well worth re running the fun.

[James R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book that treads the line between reality and fiction for an entertaining and nostalgic look back at the nineties.

It's a book that might have a fairly narrow target audience, as you really need to be familiar with kids TV in the nineties to fully appreciate all the references in this book. If that is you then this blend of the real and the fabricated is a lovely, light-hearted read that gently sends up Sharp and his fellow entertainers from that time. Neil Buchanan from Art Attack is the closest thing to a villain in the story and it's enjoyable reading about the fictional rivalry between the two.

The book feels very close to Alan Partridge in places, where it delves into the life of a B or C list celebrity whose star is on the wane. I don't see this as a bad thing though and thought the jokes were consistently funny throughout.

In this serious time, I enjoyed reading a book that was relentlessly silly and an enjoyable break from the real world. It won't win the Booker or get discussed in literary circles but it was a fun read and deserves to be very successful.

The audiobook is narrated by Sharp and enhanced the experience of reading it. His performance is spot on and helps to sell the tongue-in-cheek sortabiography approach of embellishing the truth.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny! The parody version shown here is just genius the rivalry with Neil Buchanan was almost believable. Fun House was a huge part of my childhood and I always loved Pat Sharp. I listened to this on Audible and he reads it in the driest way. Loved it.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. Easily the funniest book I’ve ever read. I hardly ever laugh out loud while reading, but with this book I was doing so every couple of pages.

[James Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun House and legendary DJ Pat Sharp takes his readers on a journey that cleverly blends pure facts but makes it read like fiction.

Fame can be and is a fickle beast. Since the somewhat surprising cancellation of his masterpiece Fun House in 1999 after ten years, Pat became a reclusive figure, only emerging to make appearances on I'm a Celebrity: Get me out of here, Never mind the Buzzcocks and Come Dine with me.

That is until he decided to write this book alongside Darren Richman and Luke Catterson. Sharp reveals his adventures with David Hasselhoff at the Berlin Wall; how he stopped a fight between pop rivals Damon Albarn of Blur and Liam Gallagher of Oasis; the time he suggested Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls should wear a Union Jack dress. Pat also tells of how he maintained his most famous bit; his hair and tells of his rivalry with Neil Buchanan.

I must admit I was surprised that whilst looking through a library that I frequent, I saw this book on the shelves. I, like many others, just wasn't expecting to see a biography of one of only two celebrity male heroes I had in my childhood. Pat, being one. The actor who played Treguard in one of Fun House's rivals on CITV, Knightmare being the other. If I was asked who's biography I would have seen first, I would likely have said the actor who played Treguard.

[Rolande · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as funny as it should be.

Clearly this is a parody, but the fictional Pat Sharp featured in the book is so 1 dimensional that it becomes tiresome after only a couple of chapters.
He loves his hair, and is extremely naive. That is literally it. It's a shame as it could have been so much more.

The poached rhino joke made me laugh, but apart from that it was a boring read.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sooo excited to read this book... but found it a disappointment. I enjoyed the early years part... but after that it seemed to flip flop about on the time line. I didn’t find it funny and found myself scan reading to the end.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an enjoyable few hours of nostalgia. I listened on audio and Pat's dry narration only added to the humour and wit. He comes across so likeably and any fans of Funhouse and/or Neil Buchanan haters will thoroughly enjoy. A well written collaboration and a welcome escape from now with a fun recollection of then.

[Martin Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Occasionally hilarious, but too often a bit tiresome in returning to the well of hair jokes. I read the paperback and I had a hard time really connecting the credulous, pathetic, moronic character Catterson and Richman created back to Sharp (I might give the audiobook a shot down the line though).

[Adam Murfet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Very funny!
Very topical
Just a great book

If you loved Fun House. You will love this book. I enjoyed re-running the fun

[Craig Hannington · Rating 1 out of 5]

3 chapters was enough, utter drivel

[Rick Bach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very silly idea executed well. Well done to Pat Sharp for going along with it.

[Andee Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to laugh as much.
It was a fun nostalgic ride, parodying the great Patman's life. This really was a blast.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lighthearted and great fun, many laugh out loud moments. I’d recommend for pure nostalgia of our younger years.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anecdotes and memoir you wouldn't believe (!) told in hyperreal style. Mixes high- and lowbrow expertly and is a fine memorial of Fun House and the lost art of announcing and back-announcing records on air.

[Paul Seaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly hilarious, Re-run the Fun is one of the best books I’ve ever read and not only for the hair tips. The whole volume (not just hair-related) was a pleasure from the first splat of shampoo on my barnet to that final rinse and blow-dry.
God, I simply must stop seeing things from Pat Sharp’s point of view, but it’s very tricky, because this book made me laugh so much I had to stop reading it to take breaths. My partner would chastise me at night for laughing too hard that the bed shook. A blend of the silliness of Fawlty Towers and the self-referential pomposity of the best Alan Partridge, Re-run the Fun did more than return me to a character from my youth and make him a lot funnier than I could imagine. It made me appreciate the magic of Comedy.
There are too many highlights to mention (especially in a mullet so lustrous) but the celebrity cameos are endless and amazing, the production meetings and development of Fun House had me ripping through the pages and the entire section about TOTP had me in hysterics. TOTP refers to Top of the Pops, but Pat goes into that in the book, so I won’t spoil it here. It simply suffices to say that TOTP will save you vital minutes of reading rather than the words in full would take. Just like I did for you there.
Anyway go and read this book, it’s really funny and it��ll be the book you most remember from this year just because it made you smile until your cheeks hurt. It did for me!

[N.S. Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog - https://nsfordwriter.com - on 29th August 2021.

“Wacky! Fun! Crazy! It’s outrageous!” So began the theme tune of Fun House, a kids’ game show which anyone who grew up with British TV between 1989 – 1999 will probably have watched. It was presented by Pat Sharp and his impressive mullet hairstyle, assisted by cheerleading twins Melanie and Martina. Pat’s career includes radio DJing and appearances on a variety of celebrity contestant shows but he is best known for presiding over go-karts and gunge on Fun House. Like the TV programme, this book is “a whole lot of fun” although there are no “prizes to be won.”

This book claims to be a spoof autobiography, but I have my doubts. I think most of it’s probably true. Pat confesses his addiction (to hair products, of course), his intense rivalry with nemesis Neil Buchanan (also a children’s presenter with ITV), his devotion to Fun House (why did it run for only 10 years?), his influence on the 90s cultural zeitgeist and how desperate he is for any work opportunities now that even the university students are too young to recognise him from TV. It also appears that his hair is a character in its own right and that Pat is jealous of the attention it gets.

An amusing read with some laugh-out-loud moments, Re-run the Fun would make a great gift for someone nostalgic for 90s kids’ TV.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read about Re-run The Fun in an article from Huffpost in October and the idea made me laugh. The world needs such a bizarre yet endearing concept this year. It’s unique and full of so many 80’s & 90’s pop cultural references that it makes you feel nostalgic. Not only does it send up the formulaic celebratory memoirs but the randomness of Pat Sharp epic journey from mobile disco king to presenter icon extraordinaire will brighten any dull day. And anyone who says different is clearly jealous of his luxurious barnet.

I was pleased that I was approved for the audiobook version as I feel that hearing Pat Sharp read this made me enjoy it even more than if I had the print copy. Sometimes concept books can be too full of themselves so the overall joke doesn’t fully land but this one gets everything right. It’s funny because of the way it’s written and with the audiobook, Sharp does the narration with the straightest of faces. It was perfect for dipping in and out of and I think that it would make a great stocking filler gift in any format.

I received a copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Richard Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply brilliant book and one of the funniest I've ever read. Genuinely laugh-out-loud lines on every page. There are clear shades of Partridge here, although it really stands in its own right as a unique and truly inspired work of comedy. Parts of this book honestly border on genius. This will undoubtedly become a classic of our time.

[Tom Mortimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a bit too young to know that much about Pat Sharp, but the buzz this book was generating pre-release made me try it, and... wow. Just hilarious. Arguably the funniest book I’ve ever read. So many laugh out loud moments

[Lise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatever I was expecting, this wasn't it (thank God). Bought this book on the back of some very favourable reviews, but I still had no idea what to expect. It's hilarious. Like proper laugh out loud funny, on every page. In these crappy times, we need more books like this. Well done Pat Sharp.

[Sarah Tummey · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, you might enjoy this book. When I saw it was a blend of fact and fiction, I wasn't sure I'd like it, but it made me smile and I'm glad I read it.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong Partridge influence and all the better for it. Excellent work Darren!!!

[Mr David Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A literary masterpiece! Pat Sharp is surely the next Dickens.