Book info

• Title T.V.: Big Adventures on the Small Screen
• Author Peter Kay
• Year 2023
• Genre Memoir

Blockbusters, Baywatch … Mastermind, Moonlighting … Porridge, Parkinson … Peter Kay takes you on a journey into the wonders of TV –back to the days when Dusty Bin was a household name, Robin of Sherwood was a pin-up and the Brookside siege was the event of the year. For a young telly-loving Peter growing up in Bolton, TV meant Sunday bath nights with a black-and-white portable, the unbridled excitement of the new Christmas TV guide and his elderly neighbour’s inconvenient hearing problem. Here, for the first time, he collects his TV memories and adventures together in this brilliant book. Join Peter as he finds success on the small screen, leaving his own unique footprint in the golden age of TV: from making tea at Granada Studios and marching along to ‘(Is This the Way to) Amarillo’ to hanging out in the Rovers Return, having run-ins with Bernard Manning and starring in possibly the worst Doctor Who episode of all time. You’ll go behind the scenes of the legendary Phoenix Nights, take The Road to Nowhere with Max & Paddy and discover how Peter created his BAFTA-winning performance in Car Share. So sit back and enjoy a journey through the wonderful world of television. Endearing, sidesplittingly funny and utterly unforgettable – T.V. sees Peter Kay at his vivid, nostalgic and hilarious best.

Thoughts

Oh, you have to love Peter Kay’s stories, and I always choose the audiobook version when it comes to his books like this, as he goes off-piste and starts chatting sometimes, so it’s often just like listening to a friend. This book focuses on Peter’s relationship with and in television, from early viewing experiences to then making the brilliant content we know. Of course I would have loved more about Car Share but there was so much I didn’t know about previous shows and how a lot of the characters and stories link together… it was really great and very entertaining, a must listen.

Rating: 5 / 5