Celeb memoir spoof by Norfolk's finest DJ.

I'd read reviews of this which were universally positive and was very much looking forward to it. I don't think I've read any real autobiographes which this books supposedly takes the mickey out of, so perhaps this meant I missed out: the reviews made the point how well this book sends up the genre and borrows many of the standard tropes.

But it was a bit of a disappointment really. It was all fairly amusing, but rarely more than that: I think I laughed out loud a few times, but not nearly so much as I'd been expecting.

The book covers all of Alan's life from birth to present day, so there were some sections that contained all new material, and some which were pretty much straight taken from bits of the tv shows. The last section, where he talks about "Mid Morning Matters" felt like a plug for his latest show of the same name (which is being shown on Sky AFAIK) so lent weight to the feel that the book was a bit of a commercial exercise.

Something that does seem quite funny is the way that Partridge manages to name-check people or things which are just slightly naff or un-cool. So when he talks about his personal hygeine as a schoolboy, it's "Matey" that he smells of; when he wants someone to special guest at a presentation he's doing, it's Sue Cooke he thinks of. But these are more smile-funny than belly-laugh.

It was good having the audio-book: I think it would be even less funny on the page.

Completed : 13-Feb-2012 (audiobook)