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The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw
When John Thaw, star of The Sweeney and Inspector Morse, died from cancer in 2002, a nation lost one of its finest actors and Sheila Hancock lost a beloved husband. In this unique double biography she chronicles their lives - personal and professional, together and apart. John Thaw was born in Manchester, the son of a lorry driver. When he arrived at RADA on a scholarship he felt an outsider. In fact his timing was it was the sixties and television was beginning to make its mark. With his roles in Z-Cars and The Sweeney, fame came quickly. But it was John's role as Morse that made him an icon. In 1974 he married Sheila Hancock, with whom he shared a working-class background and a RADA education. Sheila was already the star of the TV series The Rag Trade and went on to become the first woman artistic director at the RSC. Theirs was a sometimes turbulent, always passionate relationship, and in this remarkable book Sheila describes their love - weathering overwork and the pressures of celebrity, drink and cancer - with honesty and piercing intelligence, and evokes two lives lived to the utmost.
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First published June 6, 2004
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About the author
Sheila Hancock
39 books41 followersSheila Hancock is one of Britain's most highly regarded and popular actors, and received an OBE for services to drama in 1974 and a CBE in 2011. Since the 1950s she has enjoyed a career across Film, Television, Theatre and Radio. Her first big television role was in the BBC sitcom The Rag Trade in the early 1960s. She has directed and acted for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
Following the death of her husband, John Thaw, she wrote a memoir of their marriage, The Two of Us, which was a no. 1 bestseller and won the British Book Award for Author of the Year. Her memoir of her widowhood, Just Me, also a bestseller, was published in 2007. She lives in London and France.
Following the death of her husband, John Thaw, she wrote a memoir of their marriage, The Two of Us, which was a no. 1 bestseller and won the British Book Award for Author of the Year. Her memoir of her widowhood, Just Me, also a bestseller, was published in 2007. She lives in London and France.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
July 28, 2022
I finished reading a couple of days ago, yet I'm still thinking about this book; the more I do, the more I appreciate it. It's written very well, very skillfully, and I found it interesting and heartbreaking in equal(ish) measure. I initially picked it up as I am a John Thaw fan, but I am now a Sheila Hancock fan too, and will definitely be reading her other memoirs.
September 22, 2016
I can feel in this book written by his wife, also an actor, how much she misses him.
It come out through the pages.
John Thaw was one of my top actors.
I liked him in Kavanagh, Inspector Morse and Uncle Johns Cabin and more.
He played great parts.
He was wasted as a Lorry driver! He came right up through the ranks of life.
He truly was a bright light in the acting profession.
His wife did him proud with this book.
It come out through the pages.
John Thaw was one of my top actors.
I liked him in Kavanagh, Inspector Morse and Uncle Johns Cabin and more.
He played great parts.
He was wasted as a Lorry driver! He came right up through the ranks of life.
He truly was a bright light in the acting profession.
His wife did him proud with this book.
March 27, 2013
The more people I lose in my life, the more I find myself returning to this book. The raw beauty and honesty of the writing, the beautiful poetry, and the blend between her diary entries of the present day and the past make it so easy to read, and so easy to feel like you understand somewhat what she went through.
For anyone who's lost someone who meant the world to you, this book will resonate. Sheila's writing is just so simple, yet so heartbreakingly eloquent, from her description of John's final moments, to shopping with her grandchild, and the poems she includes are so apt.
It's a book about some of the essentials in life, living, loving, and dying-it's a book about life. Well worth a read if you get the chance...
For anyone who's lost someone who meant the world to you, this book will resonate. Sheila's writing is just so simple, yet so heartbreakingly eloquent, from her description of John's final moments, to shopping with her grandchild, and the poems she includes are so apt.
It's a book about some of the essentials in life, living, loving, and dying-it's a book about life. Well worth a read if you get the chance...
July 11, 2020
This is the most beautiful and honestly written double autobiography. Funny and real. Tragic and wholly believable. Written by Sheila Hancock , second wife of John Thaw. The tales of their separate lives up to the point they conjoined are in their different ways a real story of growing into the actors life with its itinerant poverty and fear yet with humour at every turn. The luvvies, the ‘celebrities’ names we know so well are characters in the story each touching either Sheila or John and impacting on their futures. The early years are rawly presented . As well as celebrating their huge love , their huge careers and Sheila’s huge grief at his death in 2002, the section devoted to the desperate depression of John leading to or resultant from his alcoholism, which threatens to destroy everything is terribly heart wrenching and more so knowing that some of the beloved moments from Morse were filmed in the thick of it . Who knew? The whole read felt like the reader was journeying with them. Structurally the history broken up with snippets of the time just before and immediately after his death are a constant reminder of ones mortality . The lasting feeling is to note the impact of the past on the present and the future . How his abandonment by his mother when he was four left scars which never heeled despite the love surrounding him. What an insight...
November 30, 2009
This is an autobiography of Sheila Hancock entwined with a biography of her late husband John Thaw. It is a beautiful book, honest, funny and sad, as interesting about their lives before they met as it is about their lives together.
Not being a celebrity chaser I had not known that this couple had problems. I did not know about Hancock's cancer, or Thaw's drinking. Hancock's honesty about their problems, which lead to a separation, is very moving, and it was uplifting to read that after that bleak time they regained their love and closeness for each other.
I was also very interested in what Hancock said about attending Quaker meetings - interested enough to look the Quakers up online. I was so impressed with what I read that I actually have begun to attend Quaker meetings myself.
You could say this book has had a lasting effect!
Not being a celebrity chaser I had not known that this couple had problems. I did not know about Hancock's cancer, or Thaw's drinking. Hancock's honesty about their problems, which lead to a separation, is very moving, and it was uplifting to read that after that bleak time they regained their love and closeness for each other.
I was also very interested in what Hancock said about attending Quaker meetings - interested enough to look the Quakers up online. I was so impressed with what I read that I actually have begun to attend Quaker meetings myself.
You could say this book has had a lasting effect!
March 16, 2015
Amazing. I always loved the subtle pain Thaw brought to Morse & have massive respect for the intelligent, irreverent, talented Sheila Hancock. I thought this would be a fond read but it was so much more than that. Sheila Hancock is a brilliant writer & I felt like I was hanging out with two incredible people. Loved every moment even if it did make me teary more than once.
February 26, 2019
Don't normally read biographies but recommended this one by a friend. Have to say I quite enjoyed it. It is cleverly structured with each chapter working chronologically through the lives of Sheila and John but interspersed with extracts from Sheila's diary in the year leading up to his death and beyond. Often these extracts linked with the past showing how history repeats itself.
Brought home how poverty stricken these actors were when just starting out in the 50s and 60s and how times changed with the popularity of TV. Lots of name dropping along the way and I suspect my parents may recognise some of the names more than I did.
She also didn't hold back on talking about the less appealing aspects of his personality, aspects that were hidden from public view such as his rudeness and aggressive nature. Plus, his worsening drinking problem and the marital problems and separation that this led to.
Her love for John, anguish over his impending death and her grief after he died was honestly written. Clearly she was heartbroken and had lost the love of her life. It made touching reading as did her diary entries about realising that she was now treated differently because she was perceived as an old woman. A real contract with earlier chapters when she and John were young and just starting out.
I would recommend this book. It is easy to read and would appeal to any fans of John Thaw or Sheila Hancock.
Brought home how poverty stricken these actors were when just starting out in the 50s and 60s and how times changed with the popularity of TV. Lots of name dropping along the way and I suspect my parents may recognise some of the names more than I did.
She also didn't hold back on talking about the less appealing aspects of his personality, aspects that were hidden from public view such as his rudeness and aggressive nature. Plus, his worsening drinking problem and the marital problems and separation that this led to.
Her love for John, anguish over his impending death and her grief after he died was honestly written. Clearly she was heartbroken and had lost the love of her life. It made touching reading as did her diary entries about realising that she was now treated differently because she was perceived as an old woman. A real contract with earlier chapters when she and John were young and just starting out.
I would recommend this book. It is easy to read and would appeal to any fans of John Thaw or Sheila Hancock.
December 20, 2018
I was lucky enough to find this on the bookshelf in an apartment we were staying in on holiday in Italy. I needed a book to read and I liked John Thaw’s characterisations in various TV series. What a good find it was. I only read it in short bursts but every time I picked it up it pulled me back into this delightful story of a troubled but adoring relationship. Ms Hancock’s writing pulls no punches and is disarmingly honest at times, both about her own feelings and her second husband’s failings. It put flesh on the bones of one of my favourite TV actors and made me wonder yet again how it is that so many people who spend most of their lives in the public eye, can have such troubled private lives, and yet are able to be give so much love. A great read. And thank you Carlo for letting me keep the book!
January 22, 2011
I am a huge fan of both John Thaw and Sheila Hancock and I was consumed by this window in on their lives and relationship. I absolutely cried like a baby through quite a lot of this.
It's a very real account of how they grew up, met and then fell in love and lived up until John Thaw passed away in 2002. The emotion and honesty throughout this book is equally breathtaking and heartbreaking. I can guarantee that you will fall even more in love with John Thaw than you already had.
A truly captivating read.
It's a very real account of how they grew up, met and then fell in love and lived up until John Thaw passed away in 2002. The emotion and honesty throughout this book is equally breathtaking and heartbreaking. I can guarantee that you will fall even more in love with John Thaw than you already had.
A truly captivating read.
May 29, 2015
I enjoyed reading this book so interesting that I could not put it down. I finished it within two days. It is about the relationship between Sheila Hancock and her husband the renowned actor John Thaw. I feel that Sheila tells it as it was warts and all. Johns battle with the booze his mothers abandonment of both him and his brother at such a young age. This affected him all his life. And subsequently John's untimely death from cancer and her own dealing with the grieving process. I would recommend this book.
June 23, 2015
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I thoroughly enjoyed this double biography. The diary excerpts throughout the narrative rendered the story even more poignant. I know my mother was devastated by John Thaw's death & could never bring herself to read Remorseful Day, watch the final Morse episode nor read this book, so I have done them all for her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this double biography. The diary excerpts throughout the narrative rendered the story even more poignant. I know my mother was devastated by John Thaw's death & could never bring herself to read Remorseful Day, watch the final Morse episode nor read this book, so I have done them all for her.
September 5, 2016
I loved this book and particularly liked the way Sheila Hancock had interspersed biography with auto-biography, memories and 'warts and all' facts with diary entries and the occasional use of poetry.
July 22, 2024
Originally I read Sheila Hancock’s later book Old Rage. She was such a compelling read, in diary format, that I wanted more. Hence I went back to one of her earlier books to see what I think I knew about her and John Thaw matched reality.
Sheila I knew from many differing plays and TV shows. John really only from The Sweeny and Morse. Vaguely I knew they were married before meeting each other – there had been some form of split and John was deceased. Any more than that was pure speculation.
There are several books by Sheila Hancock but The Two of Us seemed to cover their life together which was the interesting part.
You have to get used to the book format – Old rage was a diary – this book is also longitudinal but a narrative and not a specific diary. There is one big difference to get your mind around. The book starts with their childhood, takes account of John’s death and then Sheila’s life thereafter. Interspersed through about half of the book are paragraphs in italics that cover John Thaw’s final illness and death. This took a bit of getting used to – two timelines at the same time – ne minute they were children and next Sheila and John were in France or a hospital or simply musing on current events. The format is Marmite – either it will annoy or confuse – or after a while you sigh and get on with it. Not sure I buy into this format but the italic paragraphs have important and interesting insights.
Back to the book and what you certainly get is a great story of how they both went from childhood into acting and soaring into the dizzy heights of professionalism they both display. A huge list of things I did not know about either – such as John’s very unusual family life with his mother leaving him and his brother at an early stage. Sheila’s experience of discrimination from simply being female to not a natural beauty. So many times she is up against social constructs and mores that try to pigeon-hole her into only performing particular parts.
With Joh we have a vastly varied set of initial acting with his concentration on getting scenes exactly right to a varied love life. First wife comes and then goes with his first experience of his first child.
They both have rubbed shoulders with a vast range of well-known actors from the past when many were famous and others just starting their careers. Enjoy these meetings and friendships some of which last whilst others pass by. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes rationales for certain acting parts and friendships plus the fascinating vignettes of the well-known actors they rubbed shoulders with. Add in Sheila and John getting together and it all makes a fascinating read across decades of performance. Many TV programmes are mentioned I never knew they acted within whilst others are discussed as to how they became great…. Or in some cases just flopped somewhat.
John Thaw’s illness and eventual death is detailed and brings a lump to the throat even when you know the inevitable outcome. But the book trundles on with Sheila trying to manage afterwards with family and friends (how did Derek Nimmo become such a great friend – read what he does).
Sheila’s activities after John’s death still make a great read. This includes her research into what happened to John’s mother – which kind of squares the circle in the book.
A strange format, which may kind of work, but a fascinating insight to two acting greats.
Sheila I knew from many differing plays and TV shows. John really only from The Sweeny and Morse. Vaguely I knew they were married before meeting each other – there had been some form of split and John was deceased. Any more than that was pure speculation.
There are several books by Sheila Hancock but The Two of Us seemed to cover their life together which was the interesting part.
You have to get used to the book format – Old rage was a diary – this book is also longitudinal but a narrative and not a specific diary. There is one big difference to get your mind around. The book starts with their childhood, takes account of John’s death and then Sheila’s life thereafter. Interspersed through about half of the book are paragraphs in italics that cover John Thaw’s final illness and death. This took a bit of getting used to – two timelines at the same time – ne minute they were children and next Sheila and John were in France or a hospital or simply musing on current events. The format is Marmite – either it will annoy or confuse – or after a while you sigh and get on with it. Not sure I buy into this format but the italic paragraphs have important and interesting insights.
Back to the book and what you certainly get is a great story of how they both went from childhood into acting and soaring into the dizzy heights of professionalism they both display. A huge list of things I did not know about either – such as John’s very unusual family life with his mother leaving him and his brother at an early stage. Sheila’s experience of discrimination from simply being female to not a natural beauty. So many times she is up against social constructs and mores that try to pigeon-hole her into only performing particular parts.
With Joh we have a vastly varied set of initial acting with his concentration on getting scenes exactly right to a varied love life. First wife comes and then goes with his first experience of his first child.
They both have rubbed shoulders with a vast range of well-known actors from the past when many were famous and others just starting their careers. Enjoy these meetings and friendships some of which last whilst others pass by. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes rationales for certain acting parts and friendships plus the fascinating vignettes of the well-known actors they rubbed shoulders with. Add in Sheila and John getting together and it all makes a fascinating read across decades of performance. Many TV programmes are mentioned I never knew they acted within whilst others are discussed as to how they became great…. Or in some cases just flopped somewhat.
John Thaw’s illness and eventual death is detailed and brings a lump to the throat even when you know the inevitable outcome. But the book trundles on with Sheila trying to manage afterwards with family and friends (how did Derek Nimmo become such a great friend – read what he does).
Sheila’s activities after John’s death still make a great read. This includes her research into what happened to John’s mother – which kind of squares the circle in the book.
A strange format, which may kind of work, but a fascinating insight to two acting greats.
June 6, 2019
Hancock’s book is a kind of double biography: the story of her life with John Thaw - to whom she was married for a number of years - and a rather more selective look at her own beginnings and career.
Both actors came from impoverished backgrounds and were fortunate to arrive in the acting world at a time when the influence of the RADA style was waning, and ‘real’ people were beginning to appear on stage and screen.
Thaw was a man who fitted television acting like a glove. Yet the more successful he became, the less he seemed to be able to handle it, struggling with alcoholism in the latter part of his life. Hancock, on the other hand, had been very successful in her own career before she met Thaw, and found herself taking second place as time went on.
The format of the book is unusual: the biographies are separate sometimes and intertwined at others, and there are also ‘entries’ from Hancock’s diary scattered throughout, increasingly so as it comes to the end. Curiously, Thaw’s death in the diary entries occurs about two-thirds of the way through the book, while his biography continues on unabated until the end.
In spite of these oddities, the book is immensely readable.
Both actors came from impoverished backgrounds and were fortunate to arrive in the acting world at a time when the influence of the RADA style was waning, and ‘real’ people were beginning to appear on stage and screen.
Thaw was a man who fitted television acting like a glove. Yet the more successful he became, the less he seemed to be able to handle it, struggling with alcoholism in the latter part of his life. Hancock, on the other hand, had been very successful in her own career before she met Thaw, and found herself taking second place as time went on.
The format of the book is unusual: the biographies are separate sometimes and intertwined at others, and there are also ‘entries’ from Hancock’s diary scattered throughout, increasingly so as it comes to the end. Curiously, Thaw’s death in the diary entries occurs about two-thirds of the way through the book, while his biography continues on unabated until the end.
In spite of these oddities, the book is immensely readable.
April 30, 2019
This book, I bought it at the airport of Vanuatu, second hand. I did not know anything about Sheila Hancock, but I adored Inspector Morse (played by John Thaw). Well, the book was not at all what I expected, and I was initially disappointed since Sheila did not say much about Inspector Morse, only that John Thaw became a drunk while performing, but nonetheless, I kept on reading. When finishing, I adored the book. Well done.
December 27, 2018
Not sure if 'enjoyable' is the right word, but I found Sheila Hancock's openness refreshing.
I like the way she recounts her life before, during and after being married to John Thaw. Her early struggle to become an actress was an insight on a profession that often seems to be glamorous and the so-called stars overpaid for what they do. People like Sheila Hancock and John Thaw worked hard to achieve their fame and fortune. It seems they got through their various problems with ill health and Thaw's alcoholism with difficulty and good friends and family. Life can be hard enough for those of us not in the public eye, but to overcome life's difficulties in public takes a lot of courage and determination.
John Thaw's untimely death sixteen years ago hit Sheila Hancock and their children very badly, as he was such a well loved actor. The way Sheila Hancock describes how she got through that time was a very emotional read, as were her snippets about how they coped with Thaw's cancer.
This book made me laugh and cry in equal measure.
I like the way she recounts her life before, during and after being married to John Thaw. Her early struggle to become an actress was an insight on a profession that often seems to be glamorous and the so-called stars overpaid for what they do. People like Sheila Hancock and John Thaw worked hard to achieve their fame and fortune. It seems they got through their various problems with ill health and Thaw's alcoholism with difficulty and good friends and family. Life can be hard enough for those of us not in the public eye, but to overcome life's difficulties in public takes a lot of courage and determination.
John Thaw's untimely death sixteen years ago hit Sheila Hancock and their children very badly, as he was such a well loved actor. The way Sheila Hancock describes how she got through that time was a very emotional read, as were her snippets about how they coped with Thaw's cancer.
This book made me laugh and cry in equal measure.
Read
June 29, 2022As a fan of John Thaw in Inspector morse and in kavanaugh, I was intrigued to find out more about his life with Sheila Hancock. What a fascinating life they had together.
As a widow of an alcoholic, I could understand the challenges that Johns behaviour had on his family. I was happy for them all, that he was able to recover, and lead a happier married life thereafter.
While happy for them, it made me feel sad, that my late husband was unable to overcome his dependency on alcohol, and the tragic outcome of that.
One of the things that is so wonderful in this book is the depth of love that each had for the other, and the wealth of friends and family. Oh to experience that depth of love in a lifetime :-)
As a widow of an alcoholic, I could understand the challenges that Johns behaviour had on his family. I was happy for them all, that he was able to recover, and lead a happier married life thereafter.
While happy for them, it made me feel sad, that my late husband was unable to overcome his dependency on alcohol, and the tragic outcome of that.
One of the things that is so wonderful in this book is the depth of love that each had for the other, and the wealth of friends and family. Oh to experience that depth of love in a lifetime :-)
October 15, 2020
I happened to find this in a Charity Shop when I was reading Sheila Hancock's memoir.
This book talks about the upbringings of both Sheila Hancock and John Thaw and is interspersed with diary entries leading up to his illness. I enjoyed learning about both Thaw and Hancock and you can see why both of them have had their own demons to contend with. After reading this my admiration of Hancock has increased as she had to cope with so much living with Thaw at one point as well as her father.
A must read if you are a fan of John Thaw or Sheila Hancock.
This book talks about the upbringings of both Sheila Hancock and John Thaw and is interspersed with diary entries leading up to his illness. I enjoyed learning about both Thaw and Hancock and you can see why both of them have had their own demons to contend with. After reading this my admiration of Hancock has increased as she had to cope with so much living with Thaw at one point as well as her father.
A must read if you are a fan of John Thaw or Sheila Hancock.
July 4, 2015
i really enjoyed this book two and a bit autobiographies about people who i,ve heard of but didnt know much about didnt even know they were married till the book came out and i can just about remember sheila hancock from the rag trade must of been from the 70s as i was only born in 71. Well written and tries to understand johns mom as well who abandoned him as a child really but could be just fantasy only they will know the truth, must watch an old episode of the sweeney
January 16, 2017
I really, really enjoyed this autobiography/biography. Hancock writes well, and her life was fascinating. I loved John Thaw in Morse and Kavanagh so it was interesting to read a bit "behind the scenes." They had a bit of a tempestuous relationship at times - due in part to Thaw's drinking - but you could "see" the love they had for each other. I do feel for Hancock - to lose one husband to cancer is terrible, but TWO... From the SAME cancer... Heartbreaking.
June 30, 2019
Great Comfort
Sheilas journey has helped me feel I'm not going crazy. Just 8 weeks from I lost my John. Can't seem to function but trying hard. Empathised with every word. Thankyou Sheila 💔💕
Sheilas journey has helped me feel I'm not going crazy. Just 8 weeks from I lost my John. Can't seem to function but trying hard. Empathised with every word. Thankyou Sheila 💔💕
June 9, 2010
Great... and more so if you are acquainted w/ plays and the theater.... very interesting reading how Hancock deals w/ so much adversity in her life... too bad Frfx Co Library does not have this book!
March 4, 2018
Such a truly personal double biography and written in a manner that keeps the reader enthralled. Two wonderful actors, sharing their best -and worst. A must read.
January 12, 2019
Better written and far more touching than I was expecting. Funny and honest and moving.
January 25, 2023
Disappointing - didn't feel I really found out what made the real John Thaw
tick. How a person appears to their loved ones is often not how they are perceived
by the world at large. And agree, there was just too much cross cutting between
telling his story and those final months of his illness and beyond. Just depressing.
And like a lot of bios told by those closest, there is a lot of glossing over. There was a
brief scene involving Sheila taking her daughter shopping for a school uniform -
daughter had a tantrum and Sheila wrote "I popped a purple heart, that's how I was
coping back then" - I would so loved to have read a bit of truth and revelation
about her first marriage. Also "The Rag Trade" a show along the "nudge, nudge,
wink, wink" style that still holds up today - it only got a paragraph but whether
Hancock would have liked to have forgotten her unforgettable Carole, whether it was
not high falutin' enough lol, it would have been a real career defining moment. Tremendously
popular world wide, it would have given her career a huge boost. I haven't read any of her
other books, maybe they went into her career more fully.
The thing I liked about the book was the bit of detective work at the end when Sheila
tries to solve the mystery of John's mother who walked out on him and his brother when
they were small and apart from a couple of attempts by John, never saw them again.
Yes, there may have been a bit of embellishing but Hancock, by researching Dolly's
poverty stricken background gives a good reason why she may well have looked at a
life of drudgery and childbearing (as was her mother's lot) as a hopeless situation and
clutched at a man with big ideas as her salvation.
tick. How a person appears to their loved ones is often not how they are perceived
by the world at large. And agree, there was just too much cross cutting between
telling his story and those final months of his illness and beyond. Just depressing.
And like a lot of bios told by those closest, there is a lot of glossing over. There was a
brief scene involving Sheila taking her daughter shopping for a school uniform -
daughter had a tantrum and Sheila wrote "I popped a purple heart, that's how I was
coping back then" - I would so loved to have read a bit of truth and revelation
about her first marriage. Also "The Rag Trade" a show along the "nudge, nudge,
wink, wink" style that still holds up today - it only got a paragraph but whether
Hancock would have liked to have forgotten her unforgettable Carole, whether it was
not high falutin' enough lol, it would have been a real career defining moment. Tremendously
popular world wide, it would have given her career a huge boost. I haven't read any of her
other books, maybe they went into her career more fully.
The thing I liked about the book was the bit of detective work at the end when Sheila
tries to solve the mystery of John's mother who walked out on him and his brother when
they were small and apart from a couple of attempts by John, never saw them again.
Yes, there may have been a bit of embellishing but Hancock, by researching Dolly's
poverty stricken background gives a good reason why she may well have looked at a
life of drudgery and childbearing (as was her mother's lot) as a hopeless situation and
clutched at a man with big ideas as her salvation.
January 31, 2023
In this dual autobiography/biography Sheila Hancock writes about her life and her relationship with John Thaw. It is a “warts and all” story which traces both their lives, from their humble origins to their careers as successful actors. Interspersed with the biographical detail are moving excerpts from her personal diary; these include accounts of how she coped with her own experience of cancer, John’s terminal cancer, his subsequent death, and her struggles as she faced life without him. The diary excerpts also offered insights into her strongly held left-wing views on politics, the state of the nation, pacifism and religion. This is an intensely personal and revealing story about two very complex people whose relationship survived despite many dramas and crises. It is told with humour, passion and apparent honesty, with many painful emotions laid bare.
Although I am not attracted by “celebrity biography” this was, at least, a well written book which wasn’t a chore, or bore, to read. However, having discovered what an intensely (even ferociously) private man John Thaw was, I did find myself wondering what he would have felt about this exposure – I can imagine his disapproval and irritation. So, I ended up feeling rather uneasy, as though I had discovered things I shouldn’t have, and that I had, in some ways, crossed an ethical boundary.
Although I am not attracted by “celebrity biography” this was, at least, a well written book which wasn’t a chore, or bore, to read. However, having discovered what an intensely (even ferociously) private man John Thaw was, I did find myself wondering what he would have felt about this exposure – I can imagine his disapproval and irritation. So, I ended up feeling rather uneasy, as though I had discovered things I shouldn’t have, and that I had, in some ways, crossed an ethical boundary.
June 20, 2021
I gave this full stars because it is very well written, edited, and as honest as an autobiography can be. That doesn't mean I enjoyed everything I learned about Mr. Thaw and Ms. Hancock and others.
Simply put, I came to realize even more than I already thought, that:
- Acting us an unhealthy profession for the actor, the fans, and especially for the actor's family
- Britain has a seriously unhealthy relationship with alcohol
- The quit smoking message doesn't seem to have been made very strongly in Britain
- Autobiographies are people sharing their distorted view of their lives and the lives of those around them, so read them with lots of grains of salt
- Generational pain is real, transmitted unthinkingly, causing acute and lasting damage
- Class divisions are so ingrained and so damaging in Britain, and elsewhere, holding back talented people, limiting their success and happiness
Overall, this book made me sad. Please take that as a warning to those already feeling a bit down. This book will not make you feel better. There are so many tragedies described within, the first being that Mr. Thaw died at the age of 60! Alcohol and cigarettes stole at least 20 years from him and his loved ones.
Simply put, I came to realize even more than I already thought, that:
- Acting us an unhealthy profession for the actor, the fans, and especially for the actor's family
- Britain has a seriously unhealthy relationship with alcohol
- The quit smoking message doesn't seem to have been made very strongly in Britain
- Autobiographies are people sharing their distorted view of their lives and the lives of those around them, so read them with lots of grains of salt
- Generational pain is real, transmitted unthinkingly, causing acute and lasting damage
- Class divisions are so ingrained and so damaging in Britain, and elsewhere, holding back talented people, limiting their success and happiness
Overall, this book made me sad. Please take that as a warning to those already feeling a bit down. This book will not make you feel better. There are so many tragedies described within, the first being that Mr. Thaw died at the age of 60! Alcohol and cigarettes stole at least 20 years from him and his loved ones.
May 2, 2024
I simply loved this book. First of all because I liked the voice of the narrator so much; Sheila comes across as unpretentious, witty, engaged, assertive ánd sweet. A person I would like to get to know better, have I met her in my daily life. Full of stories. Moreover, she writes in a witty, accessible and compelling way that made me get through this book with ease and lots of enjoyment, even though it isn't always a happy book and made me pretty sad at times (maybe because I have some experience with some of the difficult stuff she writes about). However, I loved to get to know Sheila and get more insight in her late husband John Thaw. He was the reason I started reading this book in the first place because I wanted to know more about his life. I was delighted to find out that his partner turned out to write it and it turned out exactly what I was looking for. Down to earth, honest and sweet. Would recommend it.
Ps: the only difficult thing for me were all the different actors mentioned. As I am not in the slightest familiar with the (British) theatre and telavision acting world, I didn't always figure out who was who.
Ps: the only difficult thing for me were all the different actors mentioned. As I am not in the slightest familiar with the (British) theatre and telavision acting world, I didn't always figure out who was who.
April 29, 2023
This is an unusual and exceptionally well-written joint autobiography/ biography. Its clever structure alternates between the past (childhood, respective careers, family life) and the near present (pre-illness, diagnosis, death bereavement), an approach which adds a dramatic tension to both timelines, which is only increased by the superb narration. It's written with such great honesty about the downs as well as the ups in Sheila Hancock's and John Thaw's incredibly strong relationship, that it had me repeatedly both laughing out loud and crying throughout the book. Finally, if the writing is exceptional, Sheila Hancock's narration is on an even higher level, since her account gives her ample opportunity to perform. I absolutely loved the book and look forward to reading "Just Me' and "Old Rage".
June 18, 2020
For those who have seen the UK television series "The Sweeney" and later "Inspector Morse", you will be familiar with the characters played by the actor, John Thaw. Shelia Hancock was his second wife and quietly goes about detailing John Thaw's whole life, even though she didn't really know of him in his earlier days. To counter that she did her own research after John died and so built up a picture of his life as a boy and teenager.
The relationship between John and Shelia was wildly variable, from total love, to fearful arguments, through to John's drinking and depression and periods of separation.
An interesting read, but if you had not seen John Thaw as an actor the book would most probably not hold appeal.
The relationship between John and Shelia was wildly variable, from total love, to fearful arguments, through to John's drinking and depression and periods of separation.
An interesting read, but if you had not seen John Thaw as an actor the book would most probably not hold appeal.
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