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Tommy Cooper: Always Leave Them Laughing: The Definitive Biography of a Comedy Legend
The first ever intimate portrait of Britain’s best-loved, but little known, comedy entertainer. Fully authorised, and written by Cooper’s friend and colleague John Fisher. More than just a comedian, Tommy Cooper was a born entertainer. Working in a golden age of British comedy, Cooper stood – literally – head and shoulders above the crowd, and had a magical talent for humour that defied description. But there was a man behind the laughter that few people saw. John Fisher was Cooper's friend and colleague and witnessed first-hand the moments of self-doubt and inadequacy that contrasted with the genial exterior. Until his tragic death on live television in 1984, Tommy Cooper lived in constant fear of the day he would be found out by his audience. He could never accept the accolades that came so thick and fast from every direction, and died to the sounds of laughter that he never really believed. Supplementing his own intimate knowledge with material accessed for the first time from the archives of Cooper's agent and manager, Miff Ferrie, and with the full co-operation of the Cooper family, John Fisher's warm, honest and insightful writing skilfully brings alive the man behind the comedic mask in this definitive biography of a comedy legend.
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
John Fisher
13 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 18, 2020
At times I laughed out loud, other times I grimaced and towards the end I felt a certain sadness. An in depth with no details spared, with limited personal opinion given, this a must-read biography of one of the UK's most revered comics, Tommy Cooper. Can it answer the question was he a genius, just very lucky or an idiot? Only you can decide.
A book that is much better than at face value, as it reveals the workings of the 20th century UK variety circuit, how the independent TV stations shook up the BBC monopoly and most essentially, how the more male orientated and dominated world impacted on Cooper and how he saw, and portrayed himself. Fisher is fair, so also covers the negatives, Cooper's illnesses, domestic abuse of his partner, his alcoholism, and even his anger issues and meanness. This warts and all biography of this one-of-a-kind comedian works so well because nothing is hidden, which in itself is a feat as Cooper was 'on' all the time and always seemed to hide his true self from everyone. 8 out of 12
A book that is much better than at face value, as it reveals the workings of the 20th century UK variety circuit, how the independent TV stations shook up the BBC monopoly and most essentially, how the more male orientated and dominated world impacted on Cooper and how he saw, and portrayed himself. Fisher is fair, so also covers the negatives, Cooper's illnesses, domestic abuse of his partner, his alcoholism, and even his anger issues and meanness. This warts and all biography of this one-of-a-kind comedian works so well because nothing is hidden, which in itself is a feat as Cooper was 'on' all the time and always seemed to hide his true self from everyone. 8 out of 12
March 29, 2022
Well let's start with a reference to the author John Fisher, what a detailed book, a reference/accounts and knowledge of everything Tommy Cooper did. He had a great advantage, he all the documents from Tommy Cooper and his widow and estate.
Tommy Cooper was unique, not your usual comic, magician or actor but a great success. he made a career of failing his magician act, but believe he was good at looking bad.
Ironically a failure doing his magic act as a teenager helped his whole career. He left a show in tears but realised the audience where laughing because he failed with his magic tricks, he learnt.
In this fully detailed book we read of a perfectionist magician trying to look good at failing, he worked hard his whole career to look bad.
A tormented character, addicted to his work, travelling for years to find success, suffering health problems, drinking to much, making friends along the way, but also making enemies with his addiction to get everything right.
The book is full of interesting roles, jobs over the years of hard work, working in America all over Europe, doing shows in the day, doing theatre in the evenings , live television, in later years doing so much on television.
The hard work to gain fame, television success was damaging his body, his health, his desire to make sure everything was perfect. The last twenty years having a mistress as well as a wife did not help.
We learn of how close he was to film stardom, close to winning roles in major films, timing was never right, but he could have been in The Lavender Hill Mob, would have been a great start.
The book is filled with a who's who of British television, bring back some many memories of great British comedy, many sadly long gone names like Sir Bruce Forsythe, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellars, Bob Monkhouse, Eric Sykes (Tommy Cooper's best friend)Norman Wisdom, Roy Hudd, Ken Dodd, Mike Yarwood, Jimmy Tarbuck, Michael Bentine, Charlie Drake, Max Miller and many more.
A book filled with memories, names, shows and above all laughter.
Tommy Cooper was unique, not your usual comic, magician or actor but a great success. he made a career of failing his magician act, but believe he was good at looking bad.
Ironically a failure doing his magic act as a teenager helped his whole career. He left a show in tears but realised the audience where laughing because he failed with his magic tricks, he learnt.
In this fully detailed book we read of a perfectionist magician trying to look good at failing, he worked hard his whole career to look bad.
A tormented character, addicted to his work, travelling for years to find success, suffering health problems, drinking to much, making friends along the way, but also making enemies with his addiction to get everything right.
The book is full of interesting roles, jobs over the years of hard work, working in America all over Europe, doing shows in the day, doing theatre in the evenings , live television, in later years doing so much on television.
The hard work to gain fame, television success was damaging his body, his health, his desire to make sure everything was perfect. The last twenty years having a mistress as well as a wife did not help.
We learn of how close he was to film stardom, close to winning roles in major films, timing was never right, but he could have been in The Lavender Hill Mob, would have been a great start.
The book is filled with a who's who of British television, bring back some many memories of great British comedy, many sadly long gone names like Sir Bruce Forsythe, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellars, Bob Monkhouse, Eric Sykes (Tommy Cooper's best friend)Norman Wisdom, Roy Hudd, Ken Dodd, Mike Yarwood, Jimmy Tarbuck, Michael Bentine, Charlie Drake, Max Miller and many more.
A book filled with memories, names, shows and above all laughter.
May 9, 2020
A good biography, I always find, should put the subject front and centre and make their story the star of every page.
It's not an unreasonable approach. You're writing a book about X. It's reasonable to assume people want to read about X.
Or you can take the John Fisher approach and just chat about your mate. Making sure in the process that we know he was your mate. Along with all the other people who get name-dropped en route.
Not that there's anything wrong with his approach per se, but when you've spent several pages banging on about how you were friends with the family and given unfettered access to Cooper's past it just comes across as someone thinking they already knew that stuff and so didn't need it.
The play gets a few mentions too. Not a massive part of Cooper's life, to be fair, but certainly a bit part of Fisher's - a man clearly bored of not being known for what he did behind the scenes.
I guess I'm just old fashioned. I like my biographies like I like my pandemic science - factual, not anecdotal.
It's not an unreasonable approach. You're writing a book about X. It's reasonable to assume people want to read about X.
Or you can take the John Fisher approach and just chat about your mate. Making sure in the process that we know he was your mate. Along with all the other people who get name-dropped en route.
Not that there's anything wrong with his approach per se, but when you've spent several pages banging on about how you were friends with the family and given unfettered access to Cooper's past it just comes across as someone thinking they already knew that stuff and so didn't need it.
The play gets a few mentions too. Not a massive part of Cooper's life, to be fair, but certainly a bit part of Fisher's - a man clearly bored of not being known for what he did behind the scenes.
I guess I'm just old fashioned. I like my biographies like I like my pandemic science - factual, not anecdotal.
January 23, 2009
Oh dear - I had high hopes, but the author seems to have no sense of perspective. For all his great qualities, Tommy wasn't the best of all possible worlds (as John Fisher would like to believe), and he certainly doesn't appear to have been so in person - quite a complex man (which is what they say when they mean 'total '*******' of course).
Tommy Cooper was very funny - watch the videos even today and I defy you not to laugh - but this book was written by a man too close to his subject and not able to give us a more balanced picture.
Tommy Cooper was very funny - watch the videos even today and I defy you not to laugh - but this book was written by a man too close to his subject and not able to give us a more balanced picture.
August 12, 2021
Tommy Cooper was a very funny, loveable family man about whom only good things should be said. I wanted more from this book, however, because there was mainly a listing and recounting of Cooper's stage appearances. For me, the performances should have been a part of a bigger picture. But what was written was seemingly accurate and a real tribute to Tommy Cooper, a fascinating man with a loopy sense of humor. He is missed.
June 22, 2022
A look into a very strange man by someone close enough to him
Very interesting to read about his life offstage, even to hear how mean and ungrateful he could be while still being the Well loved person he truly was.
Very interesting to read about his life offstage, even to hear how mean and ungrateful he could be while still being the Well loved person he truly was.
September 6, 2022
well a very different type of autobiography dont feel as if i know about tommy cooper as most biographies and quite focused on finance details and quite difficult to read
January 23, 2025
This is truly a complete in depth look at the life and character of Tommy Cooper. Well worth a read, laughter on every turn of the page. Once you start reading you just keep going…. Just like that !
October 6, 2011
The one British comedian who was so funny, he would have my Dad in tears of laughter from the moment he walked on stage - for Dad, Tommy Cooper didn't even have to DO anything funny ... though merely by his appearance, fluffed magic tricks, jokes, and other 'silly' antics ... he was funny, hysterically funny! And its all captured in glorious detail in this wonderful biographical account of Tommy Cooper - "a Comedy Legend." A terrific read, and great happy memories - certainly for anyone who, like my Dad and I, had the good fortune to see Tommy perform many 'televised' times. This will have anyone with similarly fond memories smiling throughout.
May 31, 2015
I guess you can only ever be saddened by the biography of a comedian.
Sure there are laughs but they get lost in there somehow.
Great detail about his hate campaign against his agent which lasted his entire career and ended only with Tommy’s death. Lots of stuff that maybe you really didn’t want to know but then again this is biography not a hagiography, which is what we really want.
I’m glad I read it and I bet you would be too.
Sure there are laughs but they get lost in there somehow.
Great detail about his hate campaign against his agent which lasted his entire career and ended only with Tommy’s death. Lots of stuff that maybe you really didn’t want to know but then again this is biography not a hagiography, which is what we really want.
I’m glad I read it and I bet you would be too.
Read
January 16, 2016Like a number of his contemparies this autobiography charts Tommy's life from humble beginnings to the household name he became. Generous for the most part in the portrayl of such a funny man there is however an underlying selfish streak that taints the character. Undoubtedly well researched by an author who knew his subject personally it doesn't leave you with the same impression as you started. While this should be a good thing you somehow can't help coming away feeling slightly disappointed.
June 4, 2008
I loved Tommy Cooper... I still recall watching him collapse on stage and realising - unlike a lot of the audience - that something was drastically wrong.
This biography unravels tha man that was Tommy Cooper... his fame... his dreams... his insecurity.
It is well written and I am certain the big man would have approved...
Just like that!
This biography unravels tha man that was Tommy Cooper... his fame... his dreams... his insecurity.
It is well written and I am certain the big man would have approved...
Just like that!
February 27, 2011
I think this was a gift, from someone who knows I love Tommy Cooper. It was easy to read and gave some insight into TC, without digging too deeply. It's interesting to read about the deals his agent made for live shows and TV appearances, and how the workload affected his personal life. Worth reading if you enjoy biographies or are a fan of TC.
March 1, 2017
I laugh over and over again at Tommy Cooper's stuff, but this did not do him justice. It is written by someone who obviously had access to Cooper, but it is poorly written, and I found it hard to read. The author writes about comedians and magicians that may have influenced Cooper, yet for pages on end doesn't seem to mention Tommy. It could have been much shorter.
August 16, 2013
Strangely disappointing, the author's prose style seemed very stilted and unapproachable which made the book hard going. That said it does provide a detailed view of Cooper's career though perhaps just a tad sycophantic.
January 1, 2013
Great book written about a comic genius. Give a interesting insite into the man under the fez.
August 4, 2012
Amazing funny man
April 14, 2014
An insight into the life of Tommy Cooper through the eyes of someone who knew him. Good anecdotes and an even better choice of jokes that were used.
December 19, 2014
The sections containing parts of the comedian’s routine were very funny, but the rest of the book was a bit disappointing – having a stodgy writing style.
Read
April 25, 2015An informative and affectionate portrait of the legend that was Tommy Cooper
August 6, 2013
More an academic treatise that autobiography. Didn't finish it.
April 27, 2017
Great to be reminded of just how funny Tommy was, it's a really honest and affectionate biography, a little too concerned about how much the great man earned, I'd have preferred a bit more from Tommy and a bit less on emphasis on earnings but a fascinating read. I'll add one of my favourite Cooper jokes which still makes me cry with laughter - if it makes you laugh and you don't know about him, look him up and enjoy how great he was...
"My wife came in the other day and she said, 'What's different about me?' And I said, 'I don't know. What's different about you? Have you had your hair done?' She said, 'No.' I said, 'Have you got a new dress on?' She said, 'No.' I said, 'Have you got a new pair of shoes?' She said. 'No.' I said, 'Well, I don't know. What is different about you?'
"She said, 'I'm wearing a gas mask'."
"My wife came in the other day and she said, 'What's different about me?' And I said, 'I don't know. What's different about you? Have you had your hair done?' She said, 'No.' I said, 'Have you got a new dress on?' She said, 'No.' I said, 'Have you got a new pair of shoes?' She said. 'No.' I said, 'Well, I don't know. What is different about you?'
"She said, 'I'm wearing a gas mask'."
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews