Biography: Michael McIntyre's spot-on observational comedy and ability to turn everyday situations into masterclasses of human exasperation have struck a chord with millions of fans, making him one of the most successful comedians in the world. We've seen his beginnings and his struggles to become noticed and now we get the story of his rise to fame and fortune. The book is quite interesting though as it charts his progress from regular employment, through the comedy scene and into the mainstream media. Although he means well his desire in chasing fame, wealth and status dominates his life and purpose which was sad to read as he doesn't necessarily present himself that way in his stand up. Michael's Big World Tour saw him sell over 800,000 tickets across the globe, culminating with him recording his Netflix special at the London Palladium.

What charities, how much do they raise, at what point do you know you are established enough to carry such a show? For Michael to bring a character to life so much that in the audio book that you feel you love the guy and you can’t wait to see what he says and does next, is just beautiful. Not to sound like an old woman but I’m not a fan of comedians who swear and joke about crude things just to get laughs. Michael is plagued by self doubt and despite becoming famous didn't have the success that you'd expect.But it seems you can't really have all that 'success' without it tainting your perspective making it bent on revenge, fear or selfish ambition. From a biography perspective, it was interesting to see his rise in showbiz and especially learn about his relationship with his agent, but I felt the book turned into a bit of a cycle of "my agent pushed me to do this new thing, I was uncomfortable but did it anyway, it went great and I made a lot of money then bought xyz with it and won this award".

Regardless, it’s a very well written memoir; funny, of course, but also very poignant in places too. Since then Michael has become one of the most successful comedians in the world, with his tours selling over four million tickets. We see how he and wife cope with starting a family and moving up the property ladder - all delivered with Michael's unique brand of wit and wonder. Waking up the next morning in the tiny rented flat he shared with his wife Kitty and their one-year-old son, he was beyond excited about the new glamorous world of show business. I’m currently making my way through all of Britian’s celeb-memoirs it seems😅 It’s great listening on audible.

Although I find Michael McIntyre rather a visual comedian with his constant leaping around the stage this book still succeeded in giving me the impression he was talking directly to me.

I found myself missing him, and the rest of the book felt like it lost its sparkle, though their was also more weight to it, with Michael having to figure out how to move forward with his career without Addison in his corner. Lots of funny anecdotes that made me laugh out loud and a pleasant way to spend a few hours reading. Perhaps he covered all this in his earlier one, though he says at the start that you don't need to have read that to read this.I’m by no means a super fan but I really enjoyed listening to how he rose from nothing to such highly acclaimed comedy stardom, fortune and fame.