Product Description

A British Comedy Award for Lifetime Achievement, A 'South Bank Show' retrospective, a C.B.E. (she insists it means 'Caught Before Expiry'), twice the recipient of a red book on 'This Is Your Life' and with every major comedy star of the last half-century amongst her most ardent admirers, June Whitfield is a legend, a legend who in her 80's still gets up at dawn to prepare for yet another day in front of the cameras. In her long and rich career she has kept meticulous scrapbooks and these form the backbone to this highly illustrated account of her life and times. It is peppered with hilarious anecdotes and sage reflections on the cast of stars she has worked with as well as recounting some of the most iconic moments in comedy history. To no one else has the description 'National Treasure' been more appropriate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1383 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
'Having assidously kept scrapbooks throughout her life, these now provide the foundation for a highly diverting, pictorial biography that is richly anedoctal in flavour, celebrating a long and diverse career' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )

'On the subject of national treasures, June Whitfield shows how to make biographies fun again...by providing us with an annotated scrapbook of her career. The key word here is "trooper" as June, once described as the English Lucille Ball, tackles everything from South Pacific to adverts for frozen peas with patience, talent and endless good nature. It's a charmingly unpretentious approach that other stars would do well to imitate' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )

About the Author
After from graduating from RADA, June Whitfield has been a 'with', and then most decidedly an 'and' to all the comic greats since the late 1940s: Arthur Askey, Tony Hancock, Wilfrid Pickles, Jimmy Edwards, Bob Monkhouse, Ronnie Barker, Benny Hill, Dick Emery, Terry Scott, Frankie Howerd, Roy Hudd, Kenneth Williams, Julian Clary, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders. Her range has encompassed Shakespeare and the CARRY ON. .. films, OSCAR WILDE and ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS but she is best known for an iconic run of television comedies starring alongside a galaxy of leading men and for the many parts on radio and television she has made her own: as Eth Glum, wife to Ron, in TAKE IT FROM HERE in the 1950s to Jennifer Saunders' Mother' in ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS in the 1990s.

Customer Reviews

A marvellous tribute to one of our greatest comediennes
June Whitfield is among a very few truly great British comediennes and her autobiography is a thoroughly entertaining tribute to her glittering career. From playing the nurse in Hancock's famous blood donor episode through Terry & June, The News Huddlines, Ab Fab and now Last of the Summer Wine, June has been keeping us in stitches for years.
A great read and a great lady.

great book ,about time!!
Well what can one say about this lovely actress but what a superb actor , lovely person and she's still going, this is a great book with lovely colour photo's in every page nearly, it tell's you all about her life and career and how's she's kept going over all these years.
you have to buy this book to take in all her great work, for TV, Radio, Theatre,stand up, everything.well worth the money ' A GREAT READ!

Absolute Wonderful Photos
I have not bought any earlier autobiographies by Ms Whitfield but found this book complete enough for somebody who wants to know something abot her without needing to know too much. There are photos a plenty and a lot of text. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of hers. The only regret I had was there was not much on her Carry On films and there was a picture which stated showed Sally Geeson from the Bless This House film which was not her at all.