Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) has been on a downward spiral since she was assaulted at the Battle of the Bands competition at the beginning of June. The story of Mortimer’s 30-year showbiz career is remarkable not least because it hinges almost entirely on a chance meeting in a south London pub in 1988. Unlike most of the artists who later became his friends and colleagues, young Robert had never harboured ambitions to perform; he was a desperately shy boy who suffered such crippling social anxiety that he endured three years of university barely speaking to another soul. By the age of 30, he was growing increasingly disillusioned with his work as a council solicitor, a career he had embarked on after studying welfare law in a desire to make a difference. His only previous brush with the limelight was an abortive attempt at pub karaoke, but when an old schoolfriend invited him along to a local comedy show and he saw the first chaotic iteration of Vic Reeves Big Night Out, it was an epiphany: “What is he? Where am I? Who sanctioned this? I have been transported, in an instant, to a world of entertainment far, far away from anything I have ever witnessed before.” Tane explains that he’s been missing home and his connection to the country, and Felicity cautiously agrees to give it some thought. He finally reveals that his grand plan is actually a move to New Zealand, and Felicity is stunned – what about the life they’ve been building in Summer Bay?

It was just written so incredibly well that I haven't stopped reading it. It is now 4am on the second day of reading and I've just finished and I will hate myself for this later but I fell down the rabbit hole. This above insight covers only two years of an influential comedy career that is still ongoing - will I ever laugh any harder at live comedy than the time that the seemingly natural response to smashing each other with increasing size foam frying pans was of course to bring on a giant cheese grater, with the necessary vicious up and down action and overdubbed sound effect? In one way I hope so to keep experiencing new things in life, but I somehow doubt it… I also enjoyed hearing about his TV shows with Vic Reeves, especially when about the revamp of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), as it’s a family favourite. There was lots of silly stories off and on set and also some embarrassing ones too!I found that I no longer felt the need to just be the funny guy,” he says of his career since the heart operation. “I was actually better at just being myself.” The book, too, grows more confident in talking about serious subjects as it progresses and it’s the honesty and openness that he allows in Gone Fishing that make And Away…, by the end, an unexpectedly moving read. This was a book that I was looking forward to all year and inhaled when the magical publishing time arrived, still wanting to savour every moment. I must admit that it took me a few minutes to get into the audio version as it was delivered in a far less manic pace, despite the huge energy from the cover, but again this matches in with the beauty of Bob as a performer - the total joy is always apparent, even in the melancholic moments, but from a grounded person that turned to the surreal to make life more interesting without it being desperately forced. At the end of the book, he tells the reader that if there's a shy person at their office or school or social gathering, they should try to include that person in conversations, outings, and so on. And he advises shy readers to try to come out of their shells, even if it seems scary. Bob Mortimer's life was trundling along happily until suddenly in 2015 he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel an upcoming tour. The episode unnerved him, but forced him to reflect on his life so far. This is the framework for his hilarious and moving memoir, And Away... Eden and Remi are lost for inspiration. Marilyn fears she’s lost a friend. Rose defines her parents’ separation.

Can an extremely shy person who has never once dreamed of a life in show business in his approximately 30 years on Earth become a beloved comedian with many stage and TV shows to his credit? Yes! This memoir alternates chapters between descriptions of Bob Mortimer's emergency triple bypass and his childhood, adulthood, and show business success. I suggest getting the audiobook version, which includes enthusiastic singing and about two dozen different accents. They returned to Summer Bay the following week where Felicity offered them a regular gig. Bob was against the idea and encouraged Kirby to ditch Eden and Remi so they could set up on their own. Kirby tried to broker peace between the others but Bob decided to quit the band. Kirby refused to go with him, breaking up with him. They had to arrange emergency auditions for a new lead singer and ended up choosing Theo. She helped Theo learn how to balance his work with the band with his apprenticeship at the garage, recalling how her family wanted her to study medicine and she went to uni but realised she liked music more. In recent years Bob has become a popular contestant on Would I Lie To You for the incredible stories from his life, and Bob's first book is filled with more of the hilariously unbelievable misadventures that fans love him for. From burning down the family home to starting a short-lived punk band, Bob shares tales from his life with the warmth and good-natured humour that have made him a national treasure.Before listening to this the only thing I really knew about Bob Mortimer was his comedy career with Vic Reeves and more recently his Gone Fishing TV series with Paul Whitehouse. I’d listened to their audiobook last year and discovered he’d had a heart bypass and also that he’d been a solicitor before he became a comedian. Other than that I really didn’t know much about him, or where his comedy roots had come from. And Away? is the eagerly-awaited first autobiography by comedian Bob Mortimer. Known and loved as part of the comedy duo - Vic and Bob - with Vic Reeves, Bob has been making us laugh on our TV screens for over 30 years. I loved the stories from his childhood and adolescence, so many had me crying with laughter, even making me smile now as I think about them. The story about the Greyhound called ‘The Wedge’ and Brian his workmate doing the bins was brilliant! As were the interview at Cambridge University and some of his probation service stories. I loved the witch’s house story, with the tiny pony, old lady and the toilet seat and makeup club at school was hilarious! I’ve absolutely no idea if any of them they were lies or true stories, which is typical Bob Mortimer! 😹