I Didn't Get Where I Am Today

(Paperback)

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A small boy at the time the Second World War broke out, David Nobbs has the distinction of being covered in his bedroom ceiling when the last bomb to be dropped on Britain by the Germans landed in his street. It was the nearest he came to the war but conscription was to bring him into close contact with the army. The experience was unforgettable. Later, as a struggling writer, David was catapulted into the thrilling world of satire at the BBC when he rang That Was The Week That Was with a joke and got through to David Frost, who sent a taxi for the joke, and later one for Nobbs himself. He never looked back. His greatness as a modern comic writer was confirmed by the publication of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, which he adapted for the immensely successful television series which has entered the fabric of British cultural life, through phrases, images and brilliant humour. A mesmerising, beautifully told tale of a life in writing and comedy, I Didn't Get Where I Am Today is David Nobbs' story: hilarious, poignant, capturing a golden age of British television and describing some of the most famous comedians of the last century.

Reviews

"He got where he is today by being very funny over a very long period of time" Observer "This book demonstrates his success at finding humour in the little things in life, a power that most underestimate and fewer still possess" Glasgow Herald "Nobbs reminds us that creation is composite, that there is no one inspiration, and his evocations of the process of writing justify this book all on their own. In utterly English fashion, he turned to the banal and the seemingly hapless as his sources; he emerges from the coal-mine, smeared with black dust, holding a diamond" Independent on Sunday "I Didn't Get Where I Am Today is anecdotal, angry, heartfelt and laugh-out-loud funny" Time Out "He perfectly encapsulates the British sense of humour in all its many guises. Nobbs has a matchless ear for the rich absurdities of human life - His love of finding "comedy in the little things of life" is positively inspiring" Daily Telegraph

Author Bio

David Nobbs was born in Kent. After university, he entered the army, then tried his hand at journalism and advertising before becoming a writer. A distinguished novelist and comedy writer best known for The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, David Nobbs was acknowledged by his peers as a comic genius. He died in August 2015.