Andrea Smith

Compelling, 25 April 2013

Having bought this before I saw Michael live in concert last year (which I found slightly disappointing compared to his earlier material), I didn't have high hopes for this book. I was even more dubious when he devoted the first few pages to describing his office at home where he was writing the book in far too much detail.

Thankfully the book improves, and to give Michael credit this book is a very good read: we get a glimpse into the life of Michael McIntyre, with all its ups and downs. It's no holds barred and emotional. Although funny in parts, what makes this book special is that it shows how tough it is to be a stand-up comedian, and his struggle to make it in this field. I… Read more

Disappointing, 22 April 2013

After a slightly bizarre and very flowery start, I settled into this book and found it fairly engrossing for the first 100 pages or so. However, after that things started to go downhill fast.

Firstly, I didn't particularly like either Beatrice (the narrator) or her missing sister Tess. They couldn't have been more stereotypical really: Bea the responsible, sensible sister and Tess the free spirited one. They both started to annoy me by mid way through the novel. The only characters I liked were Bea's mum, who seemed a little more three dimensional than the others, and the Polish girl, Kasia, who played a relatively interesting supporting role.

Secondly, the more you… Read more

Great boxset, 16 April 2013

A fantastic box set, which although far fetched, is often very easy to relate to. Harry and Paul have a natural talent of taking a situation most people wouldn't think twice about and making comedy out of it.

My personal favourites (to name a few) are the American tourists, Peskovich and Arragantio, Dragons Den, and the South African personal trainer. One of the clips of The Benefits, where they are on a game show host, had me crying with laughter. Oh and let's not forget good old Parking Patawayo!

Some of the sketches aren't as good, or even remotely funny - but everyone's sense of humour is different and I'm sure there are people out there who would enjoy the things… Read more