Shark Infested Waters

Michael Whitehall contrasts the glamorous image of theatrical life with the mundane realities of the business, while passing on some startling trade secrets along the way.


A laconic raconteur of refreshingly unstar-struck theatrical anecdotes, Whitehall deftly sketches the social comedy of his eccentric background: growing up in suburban London in the 1950s, his schooldays at Ampleforth and his subsequent adventures as a prep schoolmaster – worthy of Evelyn Waugh himself – before becoming an actors’ agent.


Shark-Infested Waters is a charming, funny and piquant view of a world that continues to fascinate.

Praise for Shark Infested Waters:

“The funniest show-business memoir I’ve read since David Niven’s The Moon’s a Balloon.” - Nigel Havers

“One of the year’s funniest memoirs.” – Daily Express