Growing Up with Comedians

From the author of the critically acclaimed "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" comes a book about comic geniuses by a comic genius.

Growing up in Caerphilly, Lewis longed to lock himself away and lie on his candlewick bedspread sipping Croft Original and listening to bootleg cassettes of "The Goon Show".

Once he'd reached university, his love and respect for the art of comedy hadn't waned, as he balked against contemporary opinion that comedy was considered trivial, comedians frivolous.

For Lewis, comedy usurps tragedy, the supposed pinnacle of art, for comedy, like life, admits to misrule and suggests that really nothing adds up.

More than just a coming-of-age memoir of one of Britain's greatest writers, "Growing Up With Comedians" is a brilliant assessment of the meaning and qualities of great comedy, and how great performances can mark turning points in the lives of those who watch them.

It's also an incisive portrait of some of our most treasured performers - from Bottom to Barker, via Milligan, Gilliam and Humphries - from a true comedy fan.

What makes these performers tick? What lurks beneath their public face? Where does talent end and ego begin?From pompous control freaks to unpredictable originals, Lewis leaves no stone unturned as he unearths the reality behind the facades.

At turns lyrical, poignant and incisive, "Growing Up With Comedians" is an unforgettable journey through a life in comedy.