Al Murray has a great new book out in time for Christmas.
It’s called Watching War Films With My Dad
Published by Century
If you’ve ever watched a Second World War film and commented “that plane wasn’t even invented until 1955” then you’ll love this book
So when someone asks you “what would you like for Christmas this year?”
You know what to tell them
I hope his book is better than his comedy 
I never liked Al Murray until I heard him on Radio 4’s “Great Lives” talking about General Montgomery. Turns out he’s a real war history enthusiast. I can imagine this will be a good book.
Yes he is very interested in WW2. He did a program called “The road to Berlin” which gets repeated on the likes of Yesterday.
I was due to see him live in Dumferline and travelled back from weekend leave early to see the show only to arrive and find the show cancelled due to a sore throat. 
I took my old man to see him a few years back for Xmas he was brilliant very very clever and quick. He must off picked out atleast 10 different people at the beginning asked what they did for work and at points in his routine he would go back to these people and remembered exactly what each one did there names and where they where from I have difficulty remembering where I was the morning 
.
The previous post. ’ i have difficulty remembering where i was this morning '. Glad i’m not the only one then !!.
I heard him on Steve Wright promoting the book saying how his Dad ruined " A Bridge too Far" by telling him the German tank couldn’t have been there in the war as those types of tank where not made until the 60’s 
Reckon this is one for my kindle when I am on nights out 
i dont much like al murray as the pub landlord ,but the "road to berlin " was superb.i love anything about ww2 and it was top notch.
IIRC Al Murrays dad was a Lt Col in the Royal Engineers or something.
Murray did a degree in modern history focusinmg on WW2 also if I remember correctly.
He knows his stuff…
BTW it was a Leopard one in A Bridge to Far.
At first I thought this was some kind of guerrilla marketing campaign to sell this authors books to folk who wouldn’t normally buy them.
But then I thought ! That Al Murray chap does actually come across as quite interesting.
If you think Al Murray really is some pishhead who stumbled out of a bar at 4am & somehow found himself a career as a comedian instead of sleeping on a park bench, then you’d be very VERY much mistaken.
You need to read his Wiki : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Murray
He has a ‘common man’ approach, focused on the ‘mockney’, which he does well, his personal passion (beyond earning £money) seems to be modern history with a WWII slant.
If you combine his chosen career of comedy with his obvious passion for history, then I fail to see how this book can be anything other than entertaining.
Unless history, modern history, the history of WWII etc. also happens to be your passion. In that case, reading the views of a lah de dah public schoolboy, pretend mockney Oxford graduate would be like reading ‘The Sun’ newspaper to get your latest fix on current world events.
It’s OK if you want to find out where Cheryl had her latest tattoo, but it does nothing for your understanding of the middle east crisis. IYKWIM.
I’d leave this book well alone until after Xmas, it’ll cost you £10ish this side of Xmas, but Al’s books have a habit of dive bombing in price a few months after the ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ have brought 'em.
Karl86:
I took my old man to see him a few years back for Xmas he was brilliant very very clever and quick. He must off picked out atleast 10 different people at the beginning asked what they did for work and at points in his routine he would go back to these people and remembered exactly what each one did there names and where they where from I have difficulty remembering where I was the morning
^^^ This^^^,saw him at Edinburgh Playhouse a couple of years ago,absolutely hilarious and not afraid to take the" P" out of a roomful of jocks
Drift:
I heard him on Steve Wright promoting the book saying how his Dad ruined " A Bridge too Far" by telling him the German tank couldn’t have been there in the war as those types of tank where not made until the 60’sReckon this is one for my kindle when I am on nights out
The tanks they used in the film ’ a bridge to far’ where American M26 pershing.
GOG47:
^^^ This^^^,saw him at Edinburgh Playhouse a couple of years ago,absolutely hilarious and not afraid to take the" P" out of a roomful of jocks
Was it a room full of Porridgewogs in Edinburgh, or was it the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
IME of comedians, they know how far they can ‘push’ the audience. Sometimes it can go horribly wrong, like Chubby Brown’s act in Cleveland.
Chas:
Sometimes it can go horribly wrong, like Chubby Brown’s act in Cleveland.
And Bradford after the Valley Parade fire.
Ken.
tachograph:
I hope his book is better than his comedy
+1.
Although, I’ve booked my tickets to see Scouser John Bishop at Leeds next year, and I’m 2 rows from the front.
Ken.
We saw John Bishop a couple of years ago, he was brilliant and a lot of ad-lib (I knew stage crew 
) who told us 30% was unplanned, it had snowed very heavily and unexpectedly, he was right on the ball and even spotted us spilling a beer 
On the subject of tv comedians, Harry Hill trained as a doctor.
Chas:
GOG47:
IME of comedians, they know how far they can ‘push’ the audience. Sometimes it can go horribly wrong, like Chubby Brown’s act in Cleveland.
Why, what happened?
robroy:
Chas:
GOG47:
IME of comedians, they know how far they can ‘push’ the audience. Sometimes it can go horribly wrong, like Chubby Brown’s act in Cleveland.Why, what happened?
Well. In Chubby’s case it all went horribly titsup wrong.
In the midst of the Cleveland child abuse scandal, Chubby stood on stage & stated words to the effect of :
“I’m surprised that anyone’s turned up tonight, I thought you’d all be at home ■■■■■■■ your kids”.
The audience grumbled slightly in the pause that comedians leave for the effect, then a few got up & walked out. People being sheep, a few more got up & walked out.
When it seemed that the whole audience was getting up to walk out, Chubby had to open his gob & attempt to justify his particular brand of comedy. That was when the rest of them stood up & walked out.
Some things are funny & some aren’t. Chubby doesn’t know which is which.