And Away...

A brilliant book that not only communicates Bob’s brilliant comedy and sense of humour but is also moving and real about the challenges he’s faced in his life. Funny, entertaining, informative and deeply honest. Highly recommend.

This book is packed with keen, unflinching observations and brave narrations of life – the unvarnished, pared back (North East) variety. There is an innocence and immense integrity about Bob, who is not coming from a place of ego. He is not trying to construct an image. He has the knack of effortlessly deconstructing what makes him and others tick. Bob has the gift of the eloquent detail – he homes in on the hairstyle, the various cigarette-holding practices, the quirks of speech, the frames and lenses of the glasses, the shirts, trousers and shoes of the denizens of Mortimerland. With every stroke, he paints a picture. The book, like its author, has ‘funny bones’ and, as may be imagined, there is a lot of laughing to be done. The laughter, however, seems all the more powerful and precious in that it derives from Bob’s just talking to us, describing with disconcerting and totally charming honesty the hopes, the fears, the tribulations, the frustrations, the cries from the pit, the moments of life-transforming magic of his life. From the outset of the book, Bob informs us he will be offering neither opinions nor advice. And he is true to his word. Like a gentle philosopher, he tells us his tale, leaving us as free as a bird to reflect, or not, upon what we have heard. With humility and grace, Bob seems to have achieved what is arguably the hardest thing of all. In a business - in a world - obsessed with image and illusion, he has remained wholly, unrepentantly and irresistibly himself. I read the the book and my husband (who, I confess, has provided this review) listened to the audio version. We both enjoyed the experience immensely, but my husband feels there is added value in the audio version as it is read by Bob himself, whose ability to adopt the accent of characters referred to in the narrative, gave him (a linguist) significant pleasure and even more laughter. I confess to possessing added insight into the validity of the Middlesbrough stories, having taught there at secondary/tertiary level for thirteen years (initially, next door to the Speedway Stadium and later in Ormesby). One question remains: can you afford not to read this book?

This is a reflective look at Bob Mortimer's life and an enjoyable one at that. It isn't laugh-out-loud funny, its a nice read and one that I never found myself not wanting to pick up but it lacked something to make it amazing. The book is a non-chronological look at Bob's life covering his illness, his life before meeting Vic Reeves, fame and the fishing show. Normally I'd find the pre-fame bits boring but I actually really enjoyed reading about Bob's law career. One thing that mildly irritated me throughout the book is that Bob puts Vic on a pedestal and it is very much written as though Vic is the talent and Bob is just very lucky to be there and instead I think it would be fairer to say that they are equals. From my small amount of knowledge before reading this book I think that Bob brings his own dynamic to the duo and without him Vic Reeves would not have been as successful, they're a great duo who both bring their own strengths to their work. I'd have liked to have seen Bob not putting his input down so much. Some reviews say that a lot of the anecdotes have been covered elsewhere but I wasn't a fan of Shooting Stars and I've never seen Would I Lie To You? so all the anecdotes in the book were fresh to me. I didn't personally find it funny but I think that links back to their style of humour not being my thing, there are quite a few instances where jokes are written about in detail. It's a nice read for any fans of Bob and Vic or fans of comedy in general. I actually found it a very uplifting account of Bob's life from completely changing his career to battling his ill health.

And Away... is Bob Mortimer's memoir, in which he tells his life story in two alternating strands. The first is typical biographical fare, from childhood to fame with his comedy partner Vic Reeves. The second strand covers his heart surgery and subsequent recovery - an in depth version of the story fans of Gone Fishing will be familiar with. As ever Bob is excellent and genial company, entertaining and self-effacing. He is also painfully honest, in particular about his acting ability (or lack of it), and how stressful he found filming Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). In recent years however, he has found his acting niche in Would I Lie To You?, something he puts down to the "lovely atmosphere generated largely by the friendliness and generosity of its hosts". Bob comes across as a genuinely nice bloke who is truly grateful for the luck and opportunities that have come his way.

Highly recommend this book I’ve always been a huge fan of Bob Mortimer, his honest, funny, heartbreaking read is a must for any fan

Really good read about Bobs life

Excellent read by a complicated but lovley funny man.well worth a go.

Just started reading this book , and so far an excellent read , looking forward to finishing it , which probably won't take me long , funny in parts

I first became aware of Bob Mortimer via British panel shows on YouTube, so I figured if this book was half as entertaining as he is on those shows, it will definitely be good. Well, this book doesn't disappoint! Bob has had such a wonderfully bizarre life. This book contains stories of his life (which was hard at times) with a lightness and joy that makes you want to give him a big hug and keep on reading!

It is as you would expect from Bob Mortimer. Brilliant 👏

then it can only be good.

A great look into a great storyteller.

So many things you would not expect from somebody like Bob Mortimer. Delightful story of his life and his ups and downs. If you have seen him on Would I Lie to You, you will find the stories in the book and then some. A total hoot is the picture from Chris Rea he sent to Bob. Yes, the book contains several photos of Bobs people in his life. Totally recommend reading this book.