Book description
The definitive history of a golden age in British show-business,
Sunshine On Putty is based on hundreds of interviews with the leading
comedians of the era, as well as managers, agents, producers, directors,
executives and TV personalities.
In the 1990s, British comedy underwent a renaissance - shows like The
Fast Show, The Day Today, Shooting Stars, The League of Gentlemen, The
Royle Family and The Office were hugely popular with critics and
audiences alike. Just as politics, sport, art, literature and religion
seemed to move towards light entertainment, the comedy on the nation's
televisions not only offered a home to ideas and ideals of community
which could no longer find one elsewhere, but also gave us a clearer
picture of what was happening to our nation than any other form of
artistic endeavour.
From Ricky Gervais' self-destructive love affair with dairy products to
Steve Coogan's suicidal overtaking technique; from the secrets of Vic
Reeves' woodshed, to the stains on Caroline Aherne's sofa; from Victor
Meldrew's prophetic dream to Spike Milligan's final resting place, Ben
Thompson reveals the twisted beauty of British comedy's psyche.
'Brilliantly insightful, warmly appreciative, and chock full of
observations of the most alarmingly accurate kind … Thanks to the
perceptive Mr Thompson, I know now what I've been doing wrong all these
years.' Jonathan Ross
'If you are passionate about comedy you'll want to read this book.'
Time Out
'An awesome compendium'. Arena
'Can't fail to become definitive.' Observer
'A brilliant book'. Jimmy Carr, Radio 4's Loose Ends
'Erudite and funny … Thompson demonstrates both an encyclopaedic
knowledge of his subject matter and an astonishingly broad frame of
reference.' Guardian Ben Thompson's comedy career began in the winter
of 1986-7, reading a photocopied Ronnie Corbett monologue to an audience
of angry students. He never performed again, but later took the
opportunity to parade his ignorance of the basic principles of
stagecraft in front of a national audience as comedy critic of The
Independent On Sunday from 1994-97. He has also written profiles of
Britain's best known comedians for The Face, GQ, The Independent, Night
& Day and The Saturday Telegraph.
