The Kenneth Williams Diaries [Paperback]

His love/hate relationship with Louie also extended to his fellow Carry On stars. He respected Sid James enormously as an actor, and yet at the same time bitchily poked fun at Sid when he got pretentious. He was very fond of Joan Sims (he once asked her to marry him, on condition that they had separate bedrooms, rather understandably she turned him down!) but couldn't take it when she told him to pipe down at the lunch table. With Charles Hawtrey he obviously had an awful lot in common and yet was constantly exasperated at Hawtrey's messy private life. (The entry where he and some friends go to see Hawtrey in Gravesend and find him completely drunk and unable to take care of himself is quite upsetting). He also lays into Phil Silvers ruthlessly when he guest-starred in "Carry On Follow That Camel", and was unable to even read the auto-cue. Williams was extremely fond of Barbara Windsor, and her down-to-earth bubbliness was probably just what he needed. He also had great respect for Kenneth Connor and constantly praises him in the most glowing terms.

For anyone who likes showbusiness anecdotes these diaries are an absolute must. In his long career Williams worked with most of the greats of British comedy and theatreland. Williams often yearned to escape from showbusiness, and got quite envious of Ronnie Barker for deciding to retire at the top of his career, and yet at the same time Williams would not have been able to survive without it. He was an incorrigible show-off who needed to be the centre of attention, and yet hated people recognising him in the street. His suicide came at a time when his career seemed to have stalled irretrievably, and he could see no future for himself. It doesn't need me to say that the final months of his life make for very painful reading. I don't think I will ever forget that last line, "oh what's the bloody point?"

Williams was always much too hard on himself. No one can say that the Carry On's are great art, but they have endured and are still immensely popular today, so there must have been something to them. And Williams was an absolutely indispensable part of the team. It's a shame he could never give himself any real credit.

Kenneth is well aware of his own nature. On 20 March 1987 he writes, "Everyone was v. nice to me ... it is extraordinary that I'm so liked because I'm invariably rude & tetchy" and that sums up much of the book. You get a sense of love for the theatre, plays, and poetry and even for some of the work. However he is also offensive to many and seemed to have few good words for much of British Theatre. Much of the hate is due to an inner turmoil over the lack of companionship in his life ("Never to speak of my love for a man") and some from the frustrations of his nature. Obsessed by noise and cleanliness the very act of living seems painful - and in the end his illness and genuine pain appear to get too much for him.

The diaries are very well written and Davies' editing not intrusive. Williams certainly didn't appear to edit himself and the result is a frank and articulate book. Words seem to flow easily which is, perhaps, not surprising for a man who made a living in the final years of his life from his large collection of humorous anecdotes. Spanning over forty years it's hard to keep track of the players in Kenneth's life and at 800 pages it's not a light read. Nevertheless, the diaries are a vivid, malicious and (at times) very funny read into the world of a man who, in his day, was considered outrageous.