The Sound of Laughter [Hardcover]

The autobiography of Britain's most popular comedian

Peter Kay's unerring gift for observing the absurdities and eccentricities of family life has earned himself a widespread, everyman appeal. These vivid observations coupled with a kind of nostalgia that never fails to grab his audience's shared understanding, have earned him comparisons with Alan Bennett and Ronnie Barker. In his award winning TV series' he creates worlds populated by degenerate, bitter, useless, endearing and always recognisable characters which have attracted a huge and loyal following. In many ways he's an old fashioned kind of comedian and the scope and enormity of his fanbase reflects this. He doesn't tell jokes about politics or sex, but rather rejoices in the far funnier areas of life: elderly relatives and answering machines, dads dancing badly at weddings, garlic bread and cheesecake, your mum's HRT... His autobiography is full of this kind of humour and nostalgia, beginning with Kay's first ever driving lesson, taking him back through his Bolton childhood, the numerous jobs he held after school and leading up until the time he passed his driving test and found fame.

Peter Kay is, without doubt, one of Britain’s funniest and best loved comedians. And for the first time in his own words, he tells us how he came to achieve his extraordinary success and the hilarious journey that got him there Growing up in his beloved Bolton, Peter spent his school days spent under the watchful eyes of the Nuns who taught him, whilst he whiled away the years trying to amuse the children around him. Peter dreamed of being a comedian from an early age and never had any doubt as to his true calling, whether it was performing impressions of Jimmy Saville and Frank Spencer for his family around the tea table or playing the role of the Lion in the school production of The Wizard of Oz, everybody knew what Peter destiny would be. Whilst struggling to break into the world of comedy Peter held down a variety of part time jobs, all of which proving essential in providing him with an assortment of comedic material and eccentric characters, that would later appear in both his stand up and his award winning TV series. Working in a factory packing toilet rolls, as a garage attendant, in a bingo hall, as a cinema usher and mobile disc jockey, they all helped shape his vivid, funny, endearing observations of everyday life, along with his unerring gift for finding the comedy in family life with all it’s tragic and hilarious elements. Elderly relatives and dvd players, dads dancing at weddings, pet cremations, Right Said Fred, learning to drive and Jim Morrison haircuts all share their place in the world of Peter Kay. Within a year of launching himself onto the comedy circuit, Peter Kay had won the 1997 Channel 4 ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ competition and was later nominated for the Perrier Award. From there on his rise to the top has been a meteoric one. Eagerly anticipated, The Sound of Laughter is unpretentious, warmly nostalgic and brilliantly funny look into the life of Peter Kay.

I tried it again, shocked and stunned the audience just stared at me in silence...

Peter Kay was born in Bolton in 1973. After leaving school with a GCSE in art, he held a series of jobs including working as a cinema usher, mobile disc jockey, in a factory packing toilet rolls, garage attendant and in a bingo hall. After a Btec in Performance Studies, he went on to win the 1997 So You Think You're Funny contest at the Edinburgh Festival and was nominated for the Perrier Award the following year. Peter Kay's first TV series was That Peter Kay Thing, followed by Phoenix Nights series 1 snd 2. The series Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere was a spin off from Phoenix Nights. Peter Kay has played a cameo role in Coronation Street and has appeared in the recent series of Doctor Who.