Frank Skinner Autobiography

Frank Skinner is one of Britain's best-loved and highest paid comedians. Yet his road to these dizzy heights of success has been a long and bumpy one, as he explains in this candid and highly readable autobiography. Despite his superstar status, Skinner still clings, somewhat endearingly, to his working class roots. He was born Christopher Collins in January 1957, the youngest of four children, and grew up in a council house in the West Midlands. From this humble start, he overcame a number of obstacles, including the dole queue, many years of alcohol abuse and a failed marriage. Skinner's chatty style reads like one of his stand-up comedy routines as he talks about his turbulent youth, his lifelong passion for football, his friendship with comedy partner David Baddiel and his television successes. His random outpourings, as he meanders back and forth between the past and the present, can be confusing; even Skinner loses his way at times, and the word 'anyway' pops up rather frequently as he attempts to get himself back on track. But if you can keep up with his mental gymnastics, and cope with the bawdy subject matter - liberally peppered with swear words - you will find this a fascinating insight into this unlikely star. You may despair at his naivety when he admits to voting Labour purely 'out of a sense of working class duty', but you can't help warming to a man who refuses to sit in the back of his chauffeur-driven car because he'd rather be in the front chatting to the driver. This book is shocking, poignant, compelling, outrageously funny and, above all, searingly honest. It is definitely not for the prudish, but fans of Skinner, and anyone else looking for an entertaining read, will find it hard to put down. (Kirkus UK)