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Tom Allen is Actually Not Very Nice
Tom Allen is Actually Not Very Nice
Oct 10, 2024 4:21 AM

Author:Tom Allen,Tom Allen

Tom Allen is Actually Not Very Nice

All four episodes of Tom Allen's brilliant BBC Radio 4 show - plus two series of The Correspondent

Award-winning comedian Tom Allen is one of Britain's best and brightest stand-ups. He's appeared on Mock the Week, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice and Live at the Apollo, toured several sell-out solo shows, starred in his own TV pilot and even written an autobiography.

He's always seemed pleasant and polite on the surface: but the truth is, he's a monster - or so he says. In Tom Allen's Actually Not Very Nice, he stages a stand-up intervention to find out what turned him from sweet to naughty, and how he can get back on the straight and narrow. With help from his friend Gabby Best, and the studio audience, Tom works out how best to navigate some tricky social situations - like sacking your personal trainer, dealing with other people's children, sitting through an entire play and being set up on a date. Can he learn how to keep a lid on his fury in the face of life's small injustices?

Also included in this collection are Series 1 and 2 of The Correspondent - eight bittersweet comic monologues charting Tom's professional and domestic misadventures. From handling the frustrations of his horrible job to coping with his family at Aunt Leslie's funeral, Tom's life is just one long round of miserable mundanity. But there are welcome distractions with the discovery of a new mystery friend in the workplace, and the possibility of finding love online.

And in a bonus programme from Radio 5 Live's in-depth interview show, Headliners, Tom chats to Nihal Arthanayake about growing up in '90s suburbia, coming out and his hilarious memoir No Shame - as well as revealing what he thinks of Nihal's newest dessert recipe...

Tom Allen Is Actually Not Very Nice

Written by Tom Allen

Featuring Gabby Best

Produced by Richard Morris

A BBC Studios Production

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5-26 December 2019

The Correspondent

Written by Tom Allen and Jon Hoggarth

Produced by Victoria Lloyd

First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 26 March-16 April 2007 (Series 1), and BBC Radio 4, 21 January-11 February 2009 (Series 2)

Headliners: Tom Allen

Presented by Nihal Arthanayake

With Tom Allen

First broadcast BBC Radio 5Live, 12 November 2020

Photo credit: Aemen Sukkar

(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Reviews

It's no mystery or secret how much I enjoy Lawrence Chaney.

—— RuPaul

Lawrence Chaney is queen of the one-liner and the funniest queen by a country mile. She has delivered the laughs a locked down nation needed in abundance. But there's much more to Chaney than her quick wit. Her vulnerability is also part of her natural gift.

—— Vogue

Gorgeous, hugely talented, funny, charismatic, adorable, Chaney is a goddess and brings us joy.

—— Lorraine Kelly

If you were obsessed with Lawrence when they were competing on Drag Race (and who wasn't?), you'll want to get yourself a copy asap

—— Cosmopolitan

Hilarious... gives a fresh perspective on the autobiographical drag queen format. Lawrence shares some of her most intricate and personal stories, as well as her extremely professional opinion on various subjects such as concocting a drag name, mental health and dating.

—— Gay Times

Our fabulous queen has arrived. Go Lawrence!

—— Douglas Scott, author of Shuggie Bain

A candid look back at Lawrence's journey so far - their difficult childhood, marred by bullying; their painfully relatable coming out story; their journey towards better mental health. It's not all serious - there are hilarious, NSFW sex stories, insights into the Drag Race UK werk room, and a practical guide on how to become - as the title suggests - a drag superstar.

—— Pink News

Tackles everything from gender identity, the thrill of a wig and why Scottish talent is often overlooked.

—— i News

Fantastic... feisty, opinionated and honest.

—— Daily Record

Full of one-liners and charm, this cheery memoir comes complete with valuable life lessons and tricks of the trade. Absolutely fabulous fun.

—— Best Magazine

With sky-high wigs and pin-sharp wit, Lawrence is one of the UK's most loved drag acts. Here the season two winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK explains how humour is a lifesaver.

—— Daily Express

A beautifully touching and thought provoking novel interspersed with Jenkins Reid's trademark wit and humour.

—— Essential Marbella Magazine

Malibu Rising is as much an impressionistic whirl of neon sunsets, acid-wash denim and high-cut bikinis as it is a grand set piece about a glamorous party ... Jenkins Reid has an easy, breezy style that serves melodrama on a daring scale . . . Never has so much sex, tragedy, celebrity and tanned skin been crammed into one thinking person's beach read. It's 365 pages of pure exhilaration.

—— The Times

Perfect for whatever holiday you hopefully get to take this summer.

—— Irish Independent

A riveting, propulsive bookwith characters that stayed with me, not because they are complicated but because they are so vivid ... Full of warmth and tenderness ... Deliciously escapist, conjuring the sun and the sand.

—— i paper

A gorgeous, sun-soaked novel that delves into the glamour and desperate hope of 1980s Malibu.

—— The Skinny

Fast-paced and addictive, Reid's vivid world-building provides the ultimate in summer escapism. With touches of 1980s glamour and scandal, Malibu Rising is another thrilling read from a talented writer, sure to delight old fans, as well as winning her new ones.

—— Independent

Perfectly evoking the sun-drenched and debauched backdrop that made Daisy Jones and The Six so immersive ... Addictive and fun, it's an essential addition to your summer reading list.

—— Stylist

Hot off the success of the immensely enjoyable 1970s band story Daisy Jones & The Six comes Taylor Jenkins Reid's latest, a superfun foray into the 1980s ... Delicious.

—— Sunday Telegraph, Novel of the Week

Simmering with sexual tension, this hugely enjoyable ensemble narrative turns on a raucous party.

—— Mail on Sunday

Malibu Rising is finely crafted commercial fiction, escapism in high definition, a quintessential beach read... If Nina Riva's party is the hottest ticket of the summer, then Malibu Rising is a front-row seat at the main event.

—— Irish Times

A gorgeous, sun-soaked novel that delves into the glamour and desperate hope of 1980s Malibu, and the saga of a family that will never be the same again.

—— The Skinny

The perfect summer novel, a vibrant story filled with sun, surfing, and flawed but lovable characters.

—— Daily Beast

After a year where most people stayed home, it's a great time to escape to the beach, even if only through Reid's writing.

—— Independent

This glamourous, compulsive novel is best enjoyed from your sun lounger with a cocktail in hand.

—— Good Housekeeping

A deliciously decadent tale of sex, tragedy, celebrity, surfboards and tanned skin in 1980s Malibu.

—— The Times

I absolutely loved her book.... It's an absolute blast to read

—— Alice- Azania Jarvis

JACKIE COLLINS, BUT BETTER Sacrilege to say "better", I know, but there we are. Set in the 1980s, Taylor Jenkins Reid's Malibu Rising is wonderfully written, intensely evocative and concerns the model/ surfer children of a rock star. Tons of glamour, tons of sharply observed insights about sibling relationships, plus a massive party. Beach read par excellence. See also her brilliant Daisy Jones & the Six, which is heaven (more rock stars).

—— Anonymous

When we picked up Malibu Rising, the new novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, we could barely put it down

—— That's Life

You'll never want this book to end, it will suck you in and spit you out!

—— Muddy Stilettos
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