Tough Crowd
How I Made and Lost a Career in Comedy
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5.0 • 11 Ratings
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- £11.99
Publisher Description
'A must-read. Funny and utterly compelling' Jonathan Ross
Having cut his teeth in music journalism, Graham Linehan became the finest sitcom writer of his generation. He captured the comedy zeitgeist not just as the co-creator of Father Ted but also with The IT Crowd and Black Books, winning five Baftas and a lifetime achievement award.
Then his life took an unexpected turn. When he championed an unfashionable cause, TV commissioners no longer returned his emails, showbiz pals lost his number and his marriage collapsed.
In an emotionally charged memoir that is by turns hilarious and harrowing, he lets us into the secrets of the writing room and colourfully describes the high-octane atmosphere of a sitcom set. But he also berates an industry where there was no one to stand by his side when he needed help.
Bruised but not beaten, he explains why he chose the hill of women and girls' rights to die on – and why, despite the hardship of cancellation, he's not coming down from it any time soon.
Customer Reviews
Terrific read
What can I say about a man that wrote my favourite shows, Father Ted and Count Arthur. This was an interesting read and a terrific insight into a comedy genius.
A wonderful read
A fascinating insight into the life of a writer I really admire, and full of interesting stories behind the scenes of some great Tv shows I grew up watching. I was gripped the whole way through, and really pleased he took the time to explain his thinking behind his positions on the ‘gender issue’ - really honestly and clearly outlined (even if you disagree, you should be listening to everyone in the debate to understand where they are coming from). I do hope to one day see the Father Ted musical!
Funny, unflinching, yet ultimately hopeful
A wonderful insight into the development of Father Ted and The IT Crowd, beautifully written with great humour. Graham is now on a mission to protect the rights of women and has clearly suffered as a consequence (he’s very honest about his own failings) but this book ends on a hopeful note, and is most definitely not the literary equivalent of Father Ted’s ‘Priest of the Year’ acceptance speech.