Byfleet to the Bush cover art

Byfleet to the Bush

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About this listen

The actress Jacqueline Pearce is best known to television audiences as the villainous Servalan from the fondly remembered Blake’s Seven (BBC, 1978-1981). But her career has taken her from RADA to Hollywood, via starring roles in international comedy films, Hammer Horror, BBC Shakespeare, and London’s West End. So how did she end up living in the African bush with her belongings in black bin-bags? Find out with this gripping memoir of an extraordinary life - from Byfleet to the Bush.

Jacqueline’s motherless upbringing in suburban Byfleet was unconventional and her education at the hands of nuns left her emotionally scarred. Through the course of her erratic career, she found love, laughter, heartache, breakdowns, fame, obscurity, and sex drugs and rock and roll. On the way, she encountered such stars as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Sammy Davis Jr, Jerry Lewis, Alan Bates, John Hurt, Dervla Kirwan, and Rupert Penry-Jones. Candid, vivid, mordant and funny, this is an unusual and enchanting memoir.

©2012 Fantom (P)2012 Copyright Group Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Celebrity Entertainment Funny Heartfelt Feel-Good Career Memoir
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I couldn't stop listening! What a fascinating life and I bet there was so much more unsaid. What a brave lady to speak up about mental health too. This is so fascinating it should be made into a film. I listened initially due to being a new Blake's 7 fan and whilst there is barely any mention of that it mattered not a jot! Do listen!

Wonderful!

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Jacqueline reads her autobiography very well, she is very well spoken and because of this the book flows very smoothly.
There is no boo-hoo because of the problems that have come her way throughout her life and humour is injected into the anecdotes all along the way.
Please note that this book is not really devoted to Blake's Seven and the chapter that covers the subject is rather thin.... mainly as the author cannot recall much detail about this time of her life!

Funny, sad, interesting and very open!

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Jacqueline's story is heart wrenchingly littered with missed opportunities while being filled with anecdotes of meetings and friendships of huge stars.

I bought this to have alongside my paper copy so that I could listen while doing other things and read when I had time to myself. Sadly it is *not* the unabridged version it claims to be, with sections missing which are sometimes a few paragraphs and sometimes several pages. If anyone from Audible reads these reviews, then please sort out the classification.

Ultimately I read the book to get all of the surprises and then listened to this to get her own inflections on the words.

If you are here because of Blakes 7, then I thoroughly recommend also checking out the tribute piece called Maximum which is in the 2025 remastered Blu-ray set as well as the AppleTV box set - and probably other places - as it covers the lady herself talking about her life and memories from those who worked along side her.

An unexpectedly interesting life

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An intimate and heartfelt account of the life of Jacqueline Pearce. Written and narrated by the late great lady herself. A great listen.

An intimate and heartfelt account of her life.

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Best known for her role as Servalan in Blakes' 7, this amazing book describes her life story with great, disarming honesty. Read by the Jacks herself, it's like sitting across a table with a glass of something nice having a chat.
I've always had a soft spot for her voice, so rich and smooth and, yes, sexy. Spending a couple of hours listening to this is at times shocking, never boring (as some actor's memoirs are) and overall enlightening as to the amazingly complex person Jacqueline Pierce is.

This is an excellent listen and I highly recommend it!

No holds barred honesty

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