Book description
On the surface it may seem slightly surprising that a master of
verbal humour should also be a devotee of silent comedy, but Paul
Merton is completely passionate about the early days of Hollywood
comedy and the comic geniuses who dominated it. His knowledge is
awesome - as anyone who watched his BBC 4 series Silent Clowns
or attended the events he has staged nationwide will agree - his
enthusiasm is infectious, and these qualities are to be found in
abundance in his book.
Starting with the very earliest pioneering short films, he traces
the evolution of silent comedy through the 1900s and considers the
works of the genre's greatest exponents - Buster Keaton, Charlie
Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Harold Lloyd - showing not only how each
developed in the course of their career but also the extent to which
they influenced each other. At the same time, Paul brings a comedian's
insight to bear on the art of making people laugh, and explores just
how the great comic ideas, routines, gags and pratfalls worked and
evolved. His first book for ten years, this is destined to be a classic.
After a spell as a civil servant Paul Merton began his stand-up
career in 1982 at London's Comedy Store and still regularly performs
both there and at the Edinburgh Festival. For many years he has been
team captain on BBC1's
Have I Got News For You
, for which he won a BAFTA in 2003, and he has hosted
Room 101
on BBC2. Some of Paul's other television credits include
Paul Merton
- The Series I &
II,
Paul Merton in China
and
Paul Merton in India
and he has published two previous books:
Paul Merton's History of
the Twentieth Century
and a spoof autobiography,
Paul Merton - My Struggle
. Paul is also a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's
Just A Minute
. He has been a lifelong fan of silent comedy, and his much-acclaimed
series
Silent Clowns
was first broadcast in 2006 on BBC4.
