Nicholas Parsons: With Just a Touch of Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation

Sep 30, 2024 9:24 AM

Author:Nicholas Parsons

Nicholas Parsons enjoyed a long and varied career encompassing theatre, television, film and radio. He was perhaps best known as the straight man to Arthur Haynes in the '60s, as the presenter of Sale of the Century in the '70s and as the chairman of the long-running Radio 4 panel game Just a Minute.

Along the way, he performed impersonations in the lavatories of a Clydebank engineering yard during the war, was the voice of a Gerry Anderson Texan sheriff, roller-skated in Charlie Girl at the Victoria Palace and appeared in a series of Doctor Who. His comedy chat show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival ran for eighteen consecutive years.

In My Life In Comedy, Nicholas recalls an extraordinary career that led him to star on the West End stage, work with some of Britain's finest comedians, including Kenneth Williams, Tony Hancock, Benny Hill and Paul Merton, and appear in stockings and suspenders in The Rocky Horror Show.

Funny, thoughtful and at times moving, Nicholas Parsons: With Just a Touch of Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation celebrates a fascinating life in comedy.

Reviews

Much more macabre and even a little more risqué than the opening chapter, The Demon of Paris is another little Magrstian jewel. Those with a fondness for Baker or Magrs are sure to lap up the delicious fusion of humour and horror on offer, and those who champion both are in for an even greater treat.

—— doctorwhoreviews.co.uk

A beautifully written and very funny account of how a normal but very talented bloke who loves TV, comedy and films ended up a huge TV, comedy and film star. Truly heartwarming stuff

—— heat

An enjoyable romp through Pegg's first stabs at comedy and theatre. And for fans of Spaced, his rant at George Lucas for messing up his Star Wars legacy will be worth the cover price alone

—— News of the World

Extremely funny ... As charming as the man himself!

—— Grazia

Fascinating ... an enjoyable read

—— Observer

A gleeful autobiography written with real wit and verve

—— Shortlist

Definitive.

—— Under the Radar

The myth-making that surrounds the memory of Bob Marley has largely obscured the contribution of his fellow Wailers, Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later Bunny Wailer) and Peter Tosh. I and I restores these two to their rightful position

—— New Statesman

Grant...is skilled at peeling away layers of history

—— Observer

There are illuminating details and fresh revelations

—— Independent

This intelligent study...offers something more than the usual story of rags-to-riches and ganja-fuelled Rasta-speak. This book is full of...insights and revelations

—— James Ferguson , Times Literary Supplement

The three pillars - Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer - occupy equal roles in this illuminating study from the cross-roads of music and society

—— Boyd Tonkin , Independent, Books of the Year

Utterly riveting

—— Rob Fitzpatrick , Sunday Times

Vivid biography...This brilliant book is not just about Jamaica, but also about ourselves, no longer the country of The King's Speech but a post-imperial nation, many of whose citizens have a buried history of slavery

—— Maggie Gee , Guardian

Masterful biography...It is utterly riveting, taking in, as it does, true crime, West African folk magic and deeply corrupt politics

—— Rob Fitzpatrick , Sunday Times

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