Anyone who has watched Channel 4 on a Friday night over the last few years will be aware of comedian Alan Carr. He has co-hosted the ‘Friday Night Project’ with Justin Lee Collins and his own show ‘Celebrity Ding Dong’ as well as being a successful award winning stand-up comedian with sell out shows nationwide. With his waspish and caustic observations, distinctive delivery and camp style he has captivated and enthralled audiences both terrestrial and live. Love him or loathe him he is undeniably a huge contemporary figure in light entertainment and comedy. In this autobiography he tells us his story.

Carr takes us assuredly through all his life experiences: His childhood, school days, family holidays, his Dad’s job as a football manager and especially his relationship with him. As fans of Carr will know it is this relationship as an openly gay comic with a macho football mad Dad that forms the basis for much of his comedy material. In this autobiography we learn how his Dad’s job often took the whole family on the road with him as he moved from team to team and the effect this had on Carr. There are plenty of amusing anecdotes revealing that he was often singled out to play football on the basis of who is Dad was with often hilarious consequences.

He recounts his days as a drama student at University where he enjoys the social scene of London, meeting some lifelong friends along the way. This is what I enjoyed about this book, there is plenty of name dropping but Carr also credits many of his close friends (male and female) who have shared his experiences along the way and the book is all the more richer for it. Many who will read this will be able to relate to his existence of University life, partying at weekends and working in dead-end jobs. But it is all told with great warmth, humour and pathos.

Carr is a great raconteur and his sure-fire story telling is clearly on display here, you can almost hear his voice as he recounts episodes from his life. His experiences in the factories and the call centres would later become part of his stand-up routine. I enjoyed reading about his gap year as he travelled around the world with some friends; again his observations on people and the mundane of life had me laughing out loud. He has a great way of seeing things and puts his own unique spin on them.

Inevitably he turns to stand-up (something we all know) as he finds working dead-end nine to five jobs a drag. A brief stint as a comedian as a drama student being his only experience, it is fascinating to hear how he got started in it again as a profession especially in light of the anxiety he confessed to feeling when appearing in front of live audiences.

He learns his craft in the North West of England in small clubs initially before moving on to performing at the Edinburgh Festival, Montreal and London winning the BBC New Comedian of the Year. Again he is candid in his thoughts on all of these experiences and the people he meets. There is plenty of trade mark vitriol for audiences, especially after a disastrous corporate gig. It is not a straightforward ‘I started stand-up and the rest is history’ account. Carr lets it be known when he struggled and how he felt through good and bad experiences which I found honest and refreshing.

The book closes with his break into television and the mainstream as well as his thoughts on other comics and celebrities that he has rubbed shoulders with. He openly talks about his sexuality and how he has dealt with homophobia rather than glossing over it. The end result is an honest family man who enjoys what he does and who has maintained the same friends over the years. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Carr’s life and his fans will love this book.