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Mack the Life: The Autobiography
A brilliant, heartfelt and hilarious insight into the life of one of our most popular comedians.
Lee Mack is not just another comedian with a book. He is one of the UK's most recognisable and celebrated stand-ups. His energy, finely crafted one-liners, and lightning quick ad-libs are second to none, and his solo tours sell out wherever he plays.
Autumn 2006 saw the successful launch of Lee's own sitcom Not Going Out on BBC 1 with the first series winning both the Break-Through Award at the RTS Awards and the Gold Rose D'or award for Best Sitcom. This hugely popular show is now on its fifth series with a 6th series scheduled for filming this autumn. It's regularly watched by over 4 million viewers.
So what's the story? Lee's early life after leaving school involved time working in a bingo hall and as a stableboy. After working at the stable for three days he asked if he could try and ride a horse; the trainer, Ginger McCain, agreed and the first horse he ever rode was Red Rum. Lee went on to have various other jobs (including a Bluecoat at Pontins and a dog whisperer), and did his first open mike slot in 1994. So far so good. But as anyone who's seen Lee's stand-up will attest, Lee is a natural story teller.
He is widely loved and his book will be an absolute corker. And you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be at the very top of Xmas present wishlists up and down the country this autumn.
Lee Mack is not just another comedian with a book. He is one of the UK's most recognisable and celebrated stand-ups. His energy, finely crafted one-liners, and lightning quick ad-libs are second to none, and his solo tours sell out wherever he plays.
Autumn 2006 saw the successful launch of Lee's own sitcom Not Going Out on BBC 1 with the first series winning both the Break-Through Award at the RTS Awards and the Gold Rose D'or award for Best Sitcom. This hugely popular show is now on its fifth series with a 6th series scheduled for filming this autumn. It's regularly watched by over 4 million viewers.
So what's the story? Lee's early life after leaving school involved time working in a bingo hall and as a stableboy. After working at the stable for three days he asked if he could try and ride a horse; the trainer, Ginger McCain, agreed and the first horse he ever rode was Red Rum. Lee went on to have various other jobs (including a Bluecoat at Pontins and a dog whisperer), and did his first open mike slot in 1994. So far so good. But as anyone who's seen Lee's stand-up will attest, Lee is a natural story teller.
He is widely loved and his book will be an absolute corker. And you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be at the very top of Xmas present wishlists up and down the country this autumn.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 27, 2012
190 people are currently reading
1148 people want to read
About the author
Lee Mack
13 books28 followersLee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968) is an English stand-up comedian and actor, known by the stage name Lee Mack. He is well known in the United Kingdom for writing and starring in the sitcom Not Going Out, for being a team captain on Would I Lie to You? and for hosting Lee Mack's All Star Cast.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Mack
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Mack
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
September 13, 2023
Lee Mack is a comedian who’s mostly known to me for his work on the hilarious show Would I Lie To You?, the brilliantly funny sitcom Not Going Out and a memorable run on the eleventh season of Taskmaster. With Not Going Out becoming one of the longest running British sitcoms of all time, I wanted to find out a little bit more about the person who’s been at the center of it from the very beginning.
Lee starts by talking about his childhood, growing up in a pub. And how his parents had marriage problems. He does shy away from opening up about his dad. But he does so with style and he says what needed to be said. He touches on the personal stuff without opening up too much, as he says it himself. Because he wants to retain some privacy and because he wants his start in comedy to be the main focus of his autobiography.
Since he’s a comedian, it shouldn’t come as a shock that this is quite a funny read. He doesn’t mind showing that he’s made a lot of stupid mistakes on quite a long and rocky road to fame. For example, he mentions that he put out an advert in the newspapers to look for work, saying that he was open to any legal work whatsoever. Hoping to catch the eye of any future employer that would have him. And because he really needed the money. Unfortunately, the only responses he got from that advert were lots of men looking to pay him for sexual favors.
Another interesting anecdote I’d like to highlight is the American remake of one of Lee’s TV shows. Because he goes into detail about what he considers the biggest difference in British and American mentality, which I think is quite spot on. And why he thinks the remake was doomed to fail from the start, which is something that plagues a lot of American remakes.
What I was looking forward to the most was the start of Lee’s sitcom Not Going Out. And the creation of the show is by far the biggest highlight of the whole book. He goes into great detail about his creative process, how he came up with it in the first place, how much thought and effort went into it, the key element to his character on the show, the obstacles he had to overcome and how much the show has changed from the original concept. And if you know the show a little bit, you know that it’s actually a bit like Doctor Who in that regard. It’s a show that doesn’t survive change, it survives because of change.
The scripted psychiatrist sessions in between the chapters are a bit of a stroke of genius. They’re the kind of psychiatrist sessions you could see in a sitcom. This gives Lee the chance to be his creative, funny and witty self. And it gives him the chance to tell some little anecdotes and truths about himself that wouldn’t really fit the narrative in the actual chapters of the book. So it’s a nice and funny little bonus.
This is a very funny memoir that shines a light on the comedy beginnings of Lee Mack and gives you a lot of inside knowledge about his brilliant sitcom Not Going Out. I also appreciate that there are some nods to his Would I Lie To You? appearances spread throughout the book. Definitely worth a read if you’re a fan of his.
Lee starts by talking about his childhood, growing up in a pub. And how his parents had marriage problems. He does shy away from opening up about his dad. But he does so with style and he says what needed to be said. He touches on the personal stuff without opening up too much, as he says it himself. Because he wants to retain some privacy and because he wants his start in comedy to be the main focus of his autobiography.
Since he’s a comedian, it shouldn’t come as a shock that this is quite a funny read. He doesn’t mind showing that he’s made a lot of stupid mistakes on quite a long and rocky road to fame. For example, he mentions that he put out an advert in the newspapers to look for work, saying that he was open to any legal work whatsoever. Hoping to catch the eye of any future employer that would have him. And because he really needed the money. Unfortunately, the only responses he got from that advert were lots of men looking to pay him for sexual favors.
Another interesting anecdote I’d like to highlight is the American remake of one of Lee’s TV shows. Because he goes into detail about what he considers the biggest difference in British and American mentality, which I think is quite spot on. And why he thinks the remake was doomed to fail from the start, which is something that plagues a lot of American remakes.
What I was looking forward to the most was the start of Lee’s sitcom Not Going Out. And the creation of the show is by far the biggest highlight of the whole book. He goes into great detail about his creative process, how he came up with it in the first place, how much thought and effort went into it, the key element to his character on the show, the obstacles he had to overcome and how much the show has changed from the original concept. And if you know the show a little bit, you know that it’s actually a bit like Doctor Who in that regard. It’s a show that doesn’t survive change, it survives because of change.
The scripted psychiatrist sessions in between the chapters are a bit of a stroke of genius. They’re the kind of psychiatrist sessions you could see in a sitcom. This gives Lee the chance to be his creative, funny and witty self. And it gives him the chance to tell some little anecdotes and truths about himself that wouldn’t really fit the narrative in the actual chapters of the book. So it’s a nice and funny little bonus.
This is a very funny memoir that shines a light on the comedy beginnings of Lee Mack and gives you a lot of inside knowledge about his brilliant sitcom Not Going Out. I also appreciate that there are some nods to his Would I Lie To You? appearances spread throughout the book. Definitely worth a read if you’re a fan of his.
June 11, 2018
"Sooner or later Lee will realize that joking around in class will get him nowhere."
- school report of Lee McKillop
An understated, easy read. Written in a conversational tone, it was like having a chat with a mate down the pub.
I enjoyed reading about how Lee McKillop "morphed" into his comedic persona Lee Mack. Much easier to be someone else on stage... hence the complete change of name (wink).
There's quiet humour throughout the book, and I loved the insights into the world of showbiz, comedy specifically. The grind of playing to half empty theatres, and suddenly becoming famous 'overnight'. It was fun reading about his contemporaries who are now famous in their own right, such as Catherine Tate, Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt to name a few. Ah, to have been one of the four people watching Lee's Edinburgh Fringe show. Kind of like seeing The Beatles play The Cavern Club (you know what I mean).
Northern grit and northern humour. Nice one.
- school report of Lee McKillop
An understated, easy read. Written in a conversational tone, it was like having a chat with a mate down the pub.
I enjoyed reading about how Lee McKillop "morphed" into his comedic persona Lee Mack. Much easier to be someone else on stage... hence the complete change of name (wink).
There's quiet humour throughout the book, and I loved the insights into the world of showbiz, comedy specifically. The grind of playing to half empty theatres, and suddenly becoming famous 'overnight'. It was fun reading about his contemporaries who are now famous in their own right, such as Catherine Tate, Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt to name a few. Ah, to have been one of the four people watching Lee's Edinburgh Fringe show. Kind of like seeing The Beatles play The Cavern Club (you know what I mean).
Northern grit and northern humour. Nice one.
May 3, 2013
Reading this is just like sitting with the man himself over a cuppa. Conversationally brilliant insight in the birth of one of my favorite comedians to date.
I'm lucky enough to have seen Lee Mack treading the boards in Manchester and he makes it look natural and effortless. Interestingly, it's not, for him anyways! There are things in "Mack the life" that I didn't know about comedy in general albeit the book is a biographical account of how he got into comedy rather than the usual dissection of early years and family.
Being a few months older than Lee I was pleasantly surprised to read that as part of his growth and journey into comedy he worked briefly at my local Pontins. Meaning he was only up the road but I missed meeting him and he missed getting me as his wife!*
*though maybe Tara would've had something to say about this!
I do rate the man, the comedy and the book!
I'm lucky enough to have seen Lee Mack treading the boards in Manchester and he makes it look natural and effortless. Interestingly, it's not, for him anyways! There are things in "Mack the life" that I didn't know about comedy in general albeit the book is a biographical account of how he got into comedy rather than the usual dissection of early years and family.
Being a few months older than Lee I was pleasantly surprised to read that as part of his growth and journey into comedy he worked briefly at my local Pontins. Meaning he was only up the road but I missed meeting him and he missed getting me as his wife!*
*though maybe Tara would've had something to say about this!
I do rate the man, the comedy and the book!
November 20, 2012
Enjoyed this. A truthful and very funny look at getting into stand up and writing a successful sit-com. Could have done without the 'psychiatrist's office' dialogue after very chapter, though. Slightly irritating and slowed the whole pace of the book down for me
January 14, 2025
Just a bit dull
June 23, 2020
Brilliantly honest autobiography.
Having read David Mitchell's autobiography several months ago, I was desperate to give his opposing captain from Would I Lie To You, a read. Both biographies were completely different, ( somewhat obviously), excepting one perhaps wonderfully human similarity. As I read both biographies I felt as if both David and Lee, were sitting, relaxing and talking directly too myself. This I believe is the sign of two brilliant writers. Lee was for his part totally honest about his feelings, surrounding being a somewhat "control freak". His story is funny, laugh out loud funny, and would HIGHLY recommend to any would be reader....... As a side note, any up and coming stand up comedian would do well to read, enjoy and learn.😂
Having read David Mitchell's autobiography several months ago, I was desperate to give his opposing captain from Would I Lie To You, a read. Both biographies were completely different, ( somewhat obviously), excepting one perhaps wonderfully human similarity. As I read both biographies I felt as if both David and Lee, were sitting, relaxing and talking directly too myself. This I believe is the sign of two brilliant writers. Lee was for his part totally honest about his feelings, surrounding being a somewhat "control freak". His story is funny, laugh out loud funny, and would HIGHLY recommend to any would be reader....... As a side note, any up and coming stand up comedian would do well to read, enjoy and learn.😂
December 20, 2014
Really enjoyed the book. Lee Mack is totally honest. Shares his thoughts and feelings about taking to the stage as a stand up comedian. The book is well worth a read just to find out how many years it took Lee to finally stand up on a stage and do his comedy routines. I harbour a secret desire to stand up on a stage and make people laugh. But I am now 60 so if I procrastrinated as long as Lee did I would be quite old. Anyone thinking about attempting stand up comedy would gain an insight into how such an attempt would make him/her feel. I forgot about the bit where he was on a horse until I read someone else's review. Hilarious .
.
.
June 11, 2024
Is this brilliant? No. And I don’t love the bits with the therapist, but I love Lee Mack and I am happy to be reading this book. It is bringing me joy, although I do think he’s skipped some essential points of an autobiography like his entire childhood and his age at any point during the entire book. This is definitely a book for aspiring comedians. I’ll give it 3.8 stars because I enjoyed it but it wasn’t much of an autobiography.
July 13, 2021
I know Lee Mack from 'Would I lie to you?' where he's had me weeping with laughter, so this book was an enjoyable enough read. Lots of names I recognised from my comedy going days back in the last century (!!!), so a nice holiday read for moi.
May 19, 2025
It was good but you don’t learn who Lee Mack really is I found or any serious depth
December 23, 2021
I do enjoy reading comedian's autobiographies as they are usually both funny and entertaining. This one delivered on both counts and was a valuable insight into the journey from starting out as a comedian to the success that Lee Mack has now achieved
April 13, 2024
Lee is one of my favourite comedians of all-time, in both Not Going Out and his stand-up. So of course I had to listen to the audiobook of this, read by Lee himself (I recommend doing this on 1.25x speed for a proper Lee Mack experience). I liked the unconventional approach by adding the psychiatrist office chats, and it's full of Lee's one-liners with his unique delivery style. Absolutely loved it!
June 20, 2020
I so, so, so wanted to love this book. I have long adored Lee Mack since the days of The Sketch Show. But, a bit like the warning not to meet your idols, this book revealed (as we, of course know but perhaps don't want to admit to ourselves) that people in the public eye are not one dimensional and that comedy isn't a natural characteristic--though Lee Mack is extraordinarily funny even in unscripted occasions like WILTY; it takes a lot of hard work, as he keeps reminding us. Over and over and over again.
Unfortunately this book had two things against it from the start: 1. I had not long finished Michael McIntyre's autobiography which was both incredibly funny and self deprecating, as well as well paced and full of fascinating stories 2. As I said above, I was a huge fan of the Sketch Show and Lee Mack obviously wasn't. He even goes as far as to imply that the people who enjoyed those jokes weren't particularly clever, because the jokes were quite simple. Well, it's nearly 20 years after The Sketch Show was made and even today someone emailed me a sketch from it so I'd say it can't have been that bad and we can't all be stupid.
He is honest in his admission that as a control freak he can be difficult to work with and I'd love to say that his honesty made me warm to him more, but it actually had the opposite effect. The fact that they kept having to find new actresses for NGO and he briefly mentions that it could be because he put them through the wringer, didn't help my perception that it's more about the destination than the journey for Mack. Ultimately, I concluded that there was a lot between the lines (and some right there on the page, including the fact that he sees a psychiatrist and prints extracts from their sessions, some of which he makes light of) indicating yet another troubled comic. And that would be ok except for the fact that this book appears to be neither a full autobiography where he lets us into his mind (each time he does he counters it with a bit of humour) nor a funny memoir. At most it is a behind-the-scenes glimpse at writing for comedy. In which case it should be required reading for anyone considering a career in TV sitcoms.
Unfortunately this book had two things against it from the start: 1. I had not long finished Michael McIntyre's autobiography which was both incredibly funny and self deprecating, as well as well paced and full of fascinating stories 2. As I said above, I was a huge fan of the Sketch Show and Lee Mack obviously wasn't. He even goes as far as to imply that the people who enjoyed those jokes weren't particularly clever, because the jokes were quite simple. Well, it's nearly 20 years after The Sketch Show was made and even today someone emailed me a sketch from it so I'd say it can't have been that bad and we can't all be stupid.
He is honest in his admission that as a control freak he can be difficult to work with and I'd love to say that his honesty made me warm to him more, but it actually had the opposite effect. The fact that they kept having to find new actresses for NGO and he briefly mentions that it could be because he put them through the wringer, didn't help my perception that it's more about the destination than the journey for Mack. Ultimately, I concluded that there was a lot between the lines (and some right there on the page, including the fact that he sees a psychiatrist and prints extracts from their sessions, some of which he makes light of) indicating yet another troubled comic. And that would be ok except for the fact that this book appears to be neither a full autobiography where he lets us into his mind (each time he does he counters it with a bit of humour) nor a funny memoir. At most it is a behind-the-scenes glimpse at writing for comedy. In which case it should be required reading for anyone considering a career in TV sitcoms.
July 28, 2015
This was never going to be a literary work of art but it was a very entertaining read that I stayed up into the small hours to finish. I am a big fan of Lee Mack's work and throughout the book I could imagine him telling the amusing anecdotes which added to the enjoyment. No real surprises or revelations but lots of fun.
April 13, 2024
This is my favourite audio autobiography to date. I've been a fan of Lee Mack's for years; particularly for Would I Lie to You and Not Going Out. The man is very quick witted and comes across as really down-to-earth as well.
This book was such a pleasure to listen to; in most part due to Mack's conversational tone and witty one-liners. The psychiatrist's office segment at the end of each chapter was an interesting and entertaining choice as well; in those segments, the readers learns more about Lee Mack and how his mind works.
I also love that he included the photo pages of the book as a digital download; it was really cool to see his first set list, I also loved the humourous captions to the photos as well.
My favourite part of the book was his first proper job at Pontins where he had his first taste of stand-up and proceeded to insult the audience. The anecdote is one I'd heard before, but with the added lead up to that moment as well as the aftermath made it even funnier.
I honestly can't say enough good things about Lee Mack; he's a typical Brit in that he's very self deprecating and humble, on the occasions where he does mention award wins, he always finds a way to laugh about the absurdity of it.
It's hard to believe he struggled on the circuit for quite a while and clammed up on tv when he's now known for his lightning wit.
This book was such a pleasure to listen to; in most part due to Mack's conversational tone and witty one-liners. The psychiatrist's office segment at the end of each chapter was an interesting and entertaining choice as well; in those segments, the readers learns more about Lee Mack and how his mind works.
I also love that he included the photo pages of the book as a digital download; it was really cool to see his first set list, I also loved the humourous captions to the photos as well.
My favourite part of the book was his first proper job at Pontins where he had his first taste of stand-up and proceeded to insult the audience. The anecdote is one I'd heard before, but with the added lead up to that moment as well as the aftermath made it even funnier.
I honestly can't say enough good things about Lee Mack; he's a typical Brit in that he's very self deprecating and humble, on the occasions where he does mention award wins, he always finds a way to laugh about the absurdity of it.
It's hard to believe he struggled on the circuit for quite a while and clammed up on tv when he's now known for his lightning wit.
January 14, 2023
It's a DNF for me, nothing wrong with the book, enjoyed the good 60% I read, made me giggle, written exactly how you'd imagine a Lee Mack book wrote, I've only DNFd it because I have what you would call a book tbr collect gotten well out of hand, with 400+ books to get through and an ever growing wish list it's got to come a point where I realise I don't have to read everyone who I like on the tellys autobiography and it's time to start reading books that grip me silly than an alright passing the time kinda book..
July 6, 2024
It's an enjoyable audiobook, but there is a fair bit of repetition. "Comedians aren't special" being the main one. And the self doubt, although humorous at times, gets a little overbearing.
Still... I really do like Lee Mack and he's worked super hard to get where he is.
And this is a well thought out autobiography, too. The inclusion of the psychiatrist adds a lot to what makes Lee tick. A superb addition.
It's a 3.5 but happy to round it up.
Glad I listened to it.
Still... I really do like Lee Mack and he's worked super hard to get where he is.
And this is a well thought out autobiography, too. The inclusion of the psychiatrist adds a lot to what makes Lee tick. A superb addition.
It's a 3.5 but happy to round it up.
Glad I listened to it.
April 14, 2024
I really enjoyed this book - especially as it was read by Lee Mack himself. This man only needs to be on tv for me to immediately find him funny. I just love his sense of humour. Didn’t realise he had had quite such a tough time on the circuit to begin with so enjoyed listening to his story.
November 17, 2018
I loved it! It rang true to Lee Mack’s voice and diction. It was honestly like listening to his stand up or panel appearances. I can’t really think of any more to say since I found it so enjoyable.
October 19, 2022
I loved this book! Funny and thoughtful, it was great to have an insight into Lee Mack. A bit sweary in places but made me laugh out loud in others. WOuld recommend
December 11, 2022
I really enjoyed listening to this. When a person reads their own autobiography it always lends another dimension. Great stuff.
April 7, 2023
I like Lee so this was a fun listen!
November 6, 2023
Loved this especially the psychiatrist office chapters - my only criticism is that the timeline bounces around all over the place
September 28, 2025
Audiobook. 🙈 Somehow has come up in almost every conversation in the past month and I don’t know how
August 17, 2015
To be honest, I haven’t seen much of Lee Mack’s stand-up for some reason. I’ve seen him on Would I Lie To You?, which I love, and in Not Going Out, which is his sitcom, but I didn’t really know what to expect going into this book.
The book follows Lee’s journey to where he is now in the world of comedy and his trials in getting to that level of comedian. This book is full of witty one-liners that, although they sometimes took over a little from the “plot” of the book, really made this a light-hearted, but still informative book about his life and experiences.
The psychiatrist scripts at the end of each chapter were witty and very human, I could relate to many of the things being said. Obviously these aren’t serious passages but I think that they broke the bulk of the text up nicely and gave a break from the first person narration.
I started reading this back at the beginning of March and have taken until now to finish it but don’t take this as a reflection on the book at all. I had a lot of other things that I needed to read and readathons that I was taking part in, and I find non-fiction a little slower to read on the whole so I took a lot of breaks whilst reading this. However, I have to say that once I picked this up to finish the second half of it, I sped through it and thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the people Lee met through the years, his influences and his mistakes. It is nice to read about successful people in such a real situation and I found the book both hilarious and inspiring.
Overall I think that this is a brilliant autobiography for anyone interested in comedy, and I feel that, especially if you are British, you will find this book entertaining and funny, as I did.
The book follows Lee’s journey to where he is now in the world of comedy and his trials in getting to that level of comedian. This book is full of witty one-liners that, although they sometimes took over a little from the “plot” of the book, really made this a light-hearted, but still informative book about his life and experiences.
The psychiatrist scripts at the end of each chapter were witty and very human, I could relate to many of the things being said. Obviously these aren’t serious passages but I think that they broke the bulk of the text up nicely and gave a break from the first person narration.
I started reading this back at the beginning of March and have taken until now to finish it but don’t take this as a reflection on the book at all. I had a lot of other things that I needed to read and readathons that I was taking part in, and I find non-fiction a little slower to read on the whole so I took a lot of breaks whilst reading this. However, I have to say that once I picked this up to finish the second half of it, I sped through it and thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the people Lee met through the years, his influences and his mistakes. It is nice to read about successful people in such a real situation and I found the book both hilarious and inspiring.
Overall I think that this is a brilliant autobiography for anyone interested in comedy, and I feel that, especially if you are British, you will find this book entertaining and funny, as I did.
January 17, 2016
If you're looking for a book on what it's like to get into comedy starting from the stand-up circuit, this is a lovely book with a lot of information (take note, authors writing about stand-up comics gone to TV?). But, if you are like me and bought the book looking for a laugh in the same way you get it from Lee Mack on Would I Lie to You? and the other panel shows that he has been on...you will probably be stuck waiting for it to get funnier and realizing that it...doesn't. You might find yourself having a light chuckle now and again, enough for you to keep reading it in the hope that it will have a nice ending, but...I am here to tell you that Lee Mack really does work well with others. I'm sure he has been found funny because he's great at giving it to people--but if he has no one to give it to? Hm.
I probably stuck with this book longer than I should have just because I do like the gent, but looking at how long it took me to read it (and how often I avoided reading because I knew it would be reading this) I kind of regret that now.
In short, it's not awful; but if you do decide to read it, don't go in expecting to laugh like I did.
I probably stuck with this book longer than I should have just because I do like the gent, but looking at how long it took me to read it (and how often I avoided reading because I knew it would be reading this) I kind of regret that now.
In short, it's not awful; but if you do decide to read it, don't go in expecting to laugh like I did.
January 1, 2015
I bought this book on a whim when I spotted it in the bookshop. I like (auto)biographies and having watched Lee Mack on TV for a long time I was intrigued to know more about how he got into writing and such. I am a frequent listener to a podcast called Comedians comedian (highly recommend it to all lovers and writers of comedy) and he has not appeared on that so I thought this might answer similar questions.
The style in which it was reason was different and in itself entertaining, I actually discovered a lot about Lee Mack that I hadn't expected to.
I loved the humour and his honesty and the fact that he didn't edit out anything that may put him slightly in the shade.
It took half of the book before he stepped on a stage, then when his career as a standup begun and really got going he tends to gloss over those years and is very general and deflects and depth here by joking and ranting on other issues.
All in all a good read, and one that I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy Lee Macks work, I wanted to give it a 3.5/5 but am happy to round up to four as it was much better than a three.
The style in which it was reason was different and in itself entertaining, I actually discovered a lot about Lee Mack that I hadn't expected to.
I loved the humour and his honesty and the fact that he didn't edit out anything that may put him slightly in the shade.
It took half of the book before he stepped on a stage, then when his career as a standup begun and really got going he tends to gloss over those years and is very general and deflects and depth here by joking and ranting on other issues.
All in all a good read, and one that I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy Lee Macks work, I wanted to give it a 3.5/5 but am happy to round up to four as it was much better than a three.
November 3, 2022
I listened to this on audiobook format.
Apart from a role in a Horrible Histories film, I’ve only ever seen Lee Mack on Would I Lie to you. So, needless to say, I don’t know much about his life or his career.
As far as autobiographies go, this one feels very guarded. He’s quite happy to tell us about his career path but when it comes to his childhood and family life, he allows his readers to just have glimpses. His attitude is pretty much that those aspects of his life are ‘not for sale’. That’s his prerogative, I guess, though it makes for pretty patchy reading for his audience.
There’s humour throughout and it’s in his usual flippant style.
Now, to check out his sitcom…
Apart from a role in a Horrible Histories film, I’ve only ever seen Lee Mack on Would I Lie to you. So, needless to say, I don’t know much about his life or his career.
As far as autobiographies go, this one feels very guarded. He’s quite happy to tell us about his career path but when it comes to his childhood and family life, he allows his readers to just have glimpses. His attitude is pretty much that those aspects of his life are ‘not for sale’. That’s his prerogative, I guess, though it makes for pretty patchy reading for his audience.
There’s humour throughout and it’s in his usual flippant style.
Now, to check out his sitcom…
January 8, 2014
Love Lee Mack in pretty much anything. Having said that, I'm not a fan of autobiographies (there have been exceptions) and I was really skeptical coming into this how much I'd enjoy Lee Mack, "the writer". Obviously he writes brilliantly (seeing as he IS a writer, should not have been such a surprise). He manages to balance his personal and public life well, giving us a bit of insight into his head and how he got to where he is but also drawing clear lines as to where we weren't invited to go. And he manages to pull this off without coming across as a prick or a hypocrite.
September 9, 2013
This book describes the early life and comedy career of Lee Mack.
This book is laugh out loud funny in places and is also truthful about the comedian’s early failures. I thought the description of the sheer amount of time and effort required to create something original was refreshingly honest. The description of the “need to just do it” / blind faith required to follow “your dreams” was inspiring.
This book is laugh out loud funny in places and is also truthful about the comedian’s early failures. I thought the description of the sheer amount of time and effort required to create something original was refreshingly honest. The description of the “need to just do it” / blind faith required to follow “your dreams” was inspiring.
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