Becoming Johnny Vegas

· HarperCollins UK
3.7
40 reviews
Ebook
384
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

‘My name is Michael Pennington, and I am not a comic character. I’m often mistaken for one though. You might know him by another name. Johnny Vegas.’

From BBC Dickens adaptations to Benidorm and Ideal to the PG Tips ads, Johnny Vegas has become one of Britain's best-loved comic actors.

But before he'd ever drunk tea with a knitted monkey or made himself the exception that proves the rule in terms of the predictability of TV panel game regulars, Johnny Vegas was perhaps the most fearlessly confessional stand-up comedian this country has ever produced.

How did an eleven-year-old Catholic trainee priest from St Helens grow up to become the North West of England’s answer to Lenny Bruce? That’s just one of the many questions answered by this eye-poppingly frank memoir.

Becoming Johnny Vegas establishes its author as the poet laureate of the Pimblett's pie.

Once you've finished this darkly hilarious tale of family, faith and the creative application of alcohol dependency, you'll never look at a copy of the Catholic men's society newsletter the same way again.

Ratings and reviews

3.7
40 reviews
Steve P
December 19, 2014
I was really impressed by the honesty & lack of pretense. It's easy to see someone else's honesty as the obvious thing to do, but I think for most of us, putting ourself in the situation would have us very tempted to make drastic modifications to the stuff we're not proud of. All through the book however there's a feeling of authenticity & that's a big part of what makes me want to even finish a book. This one I could hardly put down.
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MarkL
June 30, 2017
An enlightening insight into the three minds of a reluctant comic. Sometimes sad, sometimes happy, sometimes sober.
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Emma Stapleton
July 19, 2014
Didnt find this very funny even though i wanted to and found johnnys story bland
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About the author

Comedian and TV star Johnny Vegas started life by the name of Michael Pennington and lived in St Helen's, Lancashire. Growing up he entered (and dropped out of) seminary school, trained as a potter and worked as a barman.

In 1996, Pennington made his TV debut as a contestant on Win, Lose or Draw. On air he stated that he wanted to be a comedian with the stage name ‘Johnny Vegas’. A year later, in 1997, he was nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s prestigious Perrier Award – and the rest is history. Johnny has appeared on panel shows, one-off movies, the hugely popular TV sitcoms Benidorm and Ideal – and crowned these achievements with several non-comedic acting roles, to great critical acclaim.

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