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Whatever Happened to Simon Dee?: The Story of a Sixties Star: The Rise and Fall of Television's Icarus
 
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Whatever Happened to Simon Dee?: The Story of a Sixties Star: The Rise and Fall of Television's Icarus (Hardcover)

by Richard Wiseman (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd (25 Sep 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1845130502
  • ISBN-13: 978-1845130503
  • Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 14.8 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 399,752 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Review

'More than anyone else, Austin Powers is actually based on a man called Simon Dee' - Elizabeth Hurley. 'The most picked-over corpse in show business history' - Bob Monkhouse"


Product Description

In the mid-sixties, Simon Dee had it all. He was Britain's first celebrity chat-show host, with his own prime-time show on the BBC, Dee Time, regularly watched by 15 million people. He interviewed everyone from Sophia Lauren to Sammy Davis Jr, and in the programme's memorable closing credits, he swept away from Television Centre in an open-top E-Type Jaguar as a pert mini-skirted companion jumped aboard. He'd already been the first disc jockeys on the pioneering pirate station Radio Caroline; he had a part in The Italian Job. His show was judged to be so influential by Harold Wilson's government that A.J.P. Taylor's appearance on it to fulminate against going into Europe saw Dee put under surveillance by the Special Branch. Then a move to ITV soon saw his programme dropped, Simon Dee's fortunes sank swiftly even to a brief spell in jail...and suddenly one of the coolest figureheads of the Swinging Sixties was a name no more. But without him, there'd have been no Jonathan Ross, no Frank Skinner, and no Austin Powers. In 2005, Simon Dee turns 70. This is the story of British television's Icarus; of the vicissitudes of fame and how you subsequently make a life without it; of how the media builds people up and then knocks them down; of a man who was once one of the most famous people in Britain, and made a seminal contribution to broadcasting history.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, 7 Nov 2006
By PJP (London, UK) - See all my reviews
This is the perfect book for those interested in showbiz, those who grew up to the strains of Radio Caroline or those simply interested in the rise and fall of the fortunes of the charismatic Simon Dee. A gripping read!
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A sad and compelling story, 23 May 2007
By Jason King (London, England) - See all my reviews
Richard Wiseman's fascinating account of Simon Dee's rise and spectacular fall illuminated a murky gap in my knowledge of 60s/70s pop culture history. Dee comes across as a talented pioneer of television, whose self-destructive tendancies put paid to a briefly stellar career and numerous comeback opportunities. This is classic rags to riches stuff - Dee went from being the nation's favourite chat show host to sleeping on a park bench in just five years.
The publishers have designed and bound the book handsomely, but have let the author down with some careless editing. Despite the repetition, however, the frankly staggering story of the enigmatic Simon Dee is a compelling read. Highly recommended.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Fall of an Ego-maniac!!, 1 Sep 2007
By Chakra "Liz T" (SOUTHERN ENGLAND) - See all my reviews
Having been a Simon Dee fan from the days of Smiths Crisps ads and Radio Luxembourg (too young for Caroline unfortunately), I was eager to get my hands on this book. After a very long wait for publication, it was actually something of a disappointment, much like Simon himself would have been, I am sure, had I met him in the flesh. As the chapters unfolded it became clear that actually here was quite an unpleasant "real-life" man, totally ego led and who apparently had little regard for his wife or family once his so called star rose to dizzy showbiz heights. In fact it seems he scattered offspring far and wide and yet now lives alone,aged 73, car-less and alledgedly virtually penniless in Hampshire. Had he not been so greedy, arrogant and bombastic I feel sure he would still be working today, as there was undoubtedly a talent there, and a unique one too for the times. Simon was subsequently given numerous come-back opportunities but never it seems learned from the past. An interesting often eye-opening read, even a little sad but ultimately, at least to a former loyal fan, leaving a slightly bad taste.
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