Look Who It Is! by Alan Carr

You may know Alan Carr from his hilarious Channel 4 talk show Chatty Man, which can be seen on YouTube if you don't have cable. Or maybe from his live shows Tooth Fairy or Yap! Yap! Yap!. If you know Alan's personal and observational humour, you'll love this autobiography.

Look Who It Is! follows Alan from his humble beginnings as the son of a famous Northampton football coach, including the embarrassment on all sides when his dad tried to get him into sports - even as a kid he was so swish some friends stopped hanging around him as they start acting 'gay' in his presence. He covers his childhood vacations to the seaside and early days as a Drama student before discovering his voice as a stand up comic. In between were monotonous jobs, no money and lots of alcohol. He finally broke through as a warm-up comic for the Jonathan Ross show, which lead to one man shows at the Edinburgh Festival.

Like his stand up, it's very conversational and endearing while also tongue-in-cheek and biting. He's very camp and isn't afraid to say it like he sees it, I haven't burst out laughing so much in a long time. This story ends in 2008, when he was just reaching TV fame - before the solo comedy tours, Chatty Man, and BAFTA awards, so it's odd to hear him joke about how horrible it would be to watch him on his own talk show! Little did he know that the more he talked about himself and let it all hang out, that would be his ticket to fame.

You'll enjoy this if you don't know who he is, but if you do you're in for a treat. The only thing bad about this book is that it ends too soon, there is so much more after 2008 to talk about.

Part Two, please.

2008 / Tradeback / 301 pages