To see the depths between how Kenneth thought of himself and how most people perceived him, is an eye opener. It’s somewhat surprising how little he focuses on the work though — particularly the work he is best known for — and it is abundantly clear that more often than not it is just work, pure and simple. My biography of the Carry On star Kenneth Williams, BORN BRILLIANT, was authorised by his estate, and I was lucky enough to be entrusted with all his diaries and his archive of letters, more than five million words of comedy history.

Although loved by much of the public, he didn't relish interaction, and he was often subject to homophobic abuse. By the end of the book, I felt so strongly that KW was a part of my life, so was devastated when I got to the last entry in the book. Kenneth Williams was an English comic actor and comedian, star of 26 Carry On films, numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne. The reader learns little he didn't already know or could easily surmise, especially if he has read the published diaries. These may seem like trivial points, but a lot of people who read Born Brilliant will know the Carry Ons and the diaries as well as I, or better, so they will notice them too.However, I'm pretty sure that in the diaries Williams refers to Cowboy as one of his favourites in the series [On 9th February 1966 Williams wrote in his diary that Cowboy was ". It's an affectionate and detailed picture of Williams as a man and artist and will be of interest to all who enjoyed his work over the years. Originally sentenced to life without parole in Arkansas for killing a cheerleader in 1998, Williams escaped from prison in a 500-gallon barrel of pig slop in 1999. Ray Galton and Alan Simpson helped to invent situation comedy - MASTERS OF SITCOM is a celebration of their careers, and includes many extracts from their lost shows.

i just finished the Kenneth Williams diaries and what is amazing is that he barely acknowledges the 60's pop culture around him. It's more than 10 years since I read the diaries but they made a big impression, and as I read Born Brilliant I continually found myself thinking: "Didn't Williams cover this event more thoroughly in the diaries? He had worked with producers David Croft before on Hugh and I, and Jimmy Perry at the Watford Palace Theatre. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.But the surprise is that the Kenneth Williams of these diaries emerges as erudite, self-critical, tortured and a brilliantly sharp critic. Perhaps the most exciting discovery was the script for the feature film that they wrote for Tony Hancock but which was never made, THE DAY OFF. There is a danger with any book on Williams of just further nailing down the received wisdom: that he was entirely morbid, socially inadequate and consumed by guilt.