From Rags to Ricky

by Sid Owen

From one of the stars of C4's Banged Up, this is Sid Owen's entertaining and poignant autobiography, as the troubled kid heading towards a life of crime found success in EastEnders.Sid Owen is best known for playing the hapless but loveable EastEnders character Ricky Butcher, one of Britain’s most enduring soap icons. What people don’t know is that Sid’s early life saw more drama than anything his character endured. His father was an armed robber who was sent to prison when Sid was very young. Sid went out 'on the rob' from an early age, breaking into shops and seeing it as a big adventure.Sid lived happily with his mum and siblings on a sprawling north London council estate until he was seven, when his mum died and the brothers were split up. Feeling confused, unloved and unhappy, Sid was heading towards a life of crime. Acting offered an escape from his troubled home life and his teen years played out between extremes – at thirteen he was working with Al Pacino and Donald Sutherland on the movie Revolution; at sixteen he was living in an Islington squat with his brothers when his work brought him to the attention of the EastEnders producers.From Rags to Ricky is Sid’s moving, unforgettable account of his north London childhood during the late 1970s and 80s. His natural storytelling skills, authentic voice, ear for dialogue and sharp eye for detail transform this story of loss and deprivation into a timeless tale of one individual’s struggle to defy the hand fate dealt him and come out winning.

Genres: Autobiography

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2021

Reviews

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good book but lacks much substance. It's fairly well written but I was put off by the regular use of swear words. Fine for Sid Fans. The cover says compelling but this book Is not

[Jody Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting life Sid Owen has led. I really enjoyed this book

[Holly Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Tags to Ricky
By Sid Owen

Hiya All

If you’re a big Eastenders fan this book will be right up your street. I for one used to love watch Ricky Butcher.
Sid Owen has had a really tough up bringing and this book is his journey from childhood to fame and Eastenders. Considering his back ground he has really made a name for himself for all the good reasons

I do recommend this book if you have always been a fan or you want to read about his past.

Anyone recommend any good autobiographies?

Look and even this book was signed by him! Brought this from my friend

[Christine Parkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ricky, (or should I say Sid!!) has led a very interesting life. I enjoyed listening to this book, which Sid narrated. Following an extremely difficult childhood, he found his love in acting, which became his saviour. I felt it lacked any real information about his family life once he left Eastenders. I give this 3 and a half stars.