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So, Anyway...

The Autobiography

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So, Anyway...

By: John Cleese
Narrated by: John Cleese
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About this listen

Read by John Cleese with an introduction by Michael Palin. This is the story of how a tall, shy youth from Weston-super-Mare went on to become a self-confessed legend. En route, John Cleese describes his nerve-racking first public appearance, at St Peter’s Preparatory School at the age of eight and five-sixths; his endlessly peripatetic home life with parents who seemed incapable of staying in any house for longer than six months; his first experiences in the world of work as a teacher who knew nothing about the subjects he was expected to teach; his hamster-owning days at Cambridge; and his first encounter with the man who would be his writing partner for over two decades, Graham Chapman. And so on to his dizzying ascent via scriptwriting for Peter Sellers, David Frost, Marty Feldman and others to the heights of Monty Python. Includes archive clips of many of his most famous moments.

Punctuated from time to time with John Cleese’s thoughts on topics as diverse as the nature of comedy, the relative merits of cricket and waterskiing, and the importance of knowing the dates of all the kings and queens of England, this is a masterly performance by a former schoolmaster.

 Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Funny Celebrity Entertainment Biography Witty Feel-Good Thought-Provoking Comedy

Critic reviews

Vivid, ridiculously entertaining, and, at times, explosively funny... Cleese is a master of crisp comic prose: his elegant syntax and sudden absurdities would have PG Wodehouse raising a martini glass. So, Anyway... glows with fairness, kindness, gentleness and loyalty. (Nicholas Barber)
Told with considerable charm and a refreshing amount of candour, the story is one of a vulnerable soul gradually finding a degree of security from behind a carapace of cutting wit... Remarkably warm and generous. (Graham McCann)
John Cleese’s memoir is just about everything one would expect of its author – smart, thoughtful, provocative and above all funny… A picture, if you will, of the artist as a young man.
So, Anyway… breaks away from the shallow conventions of the famous person's autobiography... The result is a book that is frequently hilarious, occasionally lyrical and always thoughtful. It is a fine and funny achievement.
Like having a long lunch with an amiable, slightly loony uncle. Who also happens to be John Cleese. (Michael Ian Black)
Left me wiping away tears. (Helen Brown)
This is required reading for his fans.
[Cleese's] unrelenting charm and crisp wit make this the hilarious memoir fans expected. The book might as well be coated in glue, as it proves tricky to put down.
An upfront and hilarious account of the comedy legend's early years.
All stars
Most relevant
John Cleese makes this audiobook more of a performance. There are a number of stories that had me laughing so much my eyes were streaming. It makes it even more hilarious because John laughs too. I have already recommended it to a number of people, whom have also found it equally as enjoyable. If you are looking for something to make you smile this is the one for you.

Excellent

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Great listening to John Cleese talking about his time as a child and his early life as a comedian/actor but was really disappointed that he was just finishing his autobiography as he started talking about Monty Python hence the 4 stars for this audio book

Hardly touches on Monty Python and Fawlty Towers

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I found the book to be a bit rambling. There were some really funny bits in the book. The history and time line was quite interesting but a bit too long. (I suppose this couldn’t be avoided with the author being over 70 and therefore having lived a long life).

Quite long, but also quite interesting

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For the first 15/20 minutes of this book I thought I’m not going to enjoy this. I’m glad I persevered as it was enjoyable and it did have some laugh out loud moments, I especially enjoyed it when John would laugh as he tried to tell some of the story.
I’m glad I didn’t read the book as I think it was extremely padded out. Couldn’t believe it didn’t contain any stories or thoughts on Fawlty Towers which to me is John finest work. I did enjoy it overall though

I almost returned it, glad I didn’t

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Brilliant! Fun funny and emotional. Will be listening to John tell me his life story again sometime soon 😊

Thank you Mr Cleese

Cleese is very open and inciteful

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