Ronnie Barker: The Authorised Biography

Barker had been a leading comic writer and actor for over 30 years and created some of the most memorable characters seen on British television. The man behind Fletcher, Arkwright, and dozens of others comes across as a shy, self-contained and un-showbizzy man, who nevertheless knew the scale of his own talent. David Jason provides a touching introduction--he always called Barker "guv'nor" and was particularly moved that Barker said when he retired, "you're the guv'nor now"--and Ronnie Corbett recalls his sadness at the ending of their partnership. "But I'd done everything I wanted to do", said Barker, "I had no ambition left". And while this gently absorbing book reminds us of what we are missing, it equally depicts a man enjoying a tranquil retirement, a simple pleasure denied to so many other comic heroes.--Nick Wroe

Reader Reviews:

A good read (0/0 people found this helpful)

Reading this book makes you realise that Ronnie retired too early, even though he did retire early he still packed a lot into a career that didn't really have any low points, he did come out of retirement for the odd project but there was so much more he could have done, that said you can't begrudge him the work free days of retirement as he more than earned them.

A great comedy actor...a poor read (4/4 people found this helpful)

Having bought this book a little while ago, I started to read it about 1 week before the legendary Ronnie Barker died. I have always been a fan of his and was keen to know more about his career. The book certainly does explain about Ronnie's upbringing and career, but the writer (Bob McCabe) has a thankfully unique writing style. He repeats lines over and over again (I lost count of the number of times he told us that Clarence was the last sit com Ronnie wrote) and his general style is quite painful at times, especially when describing dialogue. If you want to remember Ronnie - watch some of his old TV programmes or films...don't rely on this biography.

Not recommended (20/22 people found this helpful)

Badly written and badly edited. The book teaches us nothing about Ronnie Barker except that he's a gifted actor and a lovely fellow; but these things we already knew or we wouldn't be buying the book. There are no interviews with his family so as to protect his private life and most of the lauded contributors comment only on his career, not the man. Indeed, the book as a whole is merely a chronology of his career and more of a biography of each project than of Ronnie himself. The author contradicts himself (his ambition was to be in movies/he was never bothered with movies, he didn't really learn from other actors, just enjoyed being entertained/he watched them and learned from them); the content is jumbled and out of sequence; and many (albeit amusing) anecdotes are squashed in with no point to them. At one point the author lifted a whole block of text from one chapter and repeated it a couple of chapters later (when telling us that the Ronnies upped and offed to Australia for a year). I can, at a stretch, forgive the writer for repeating himself, but this, and many other flaws, should have been picked up and resolved in the editing process.

I've given it an extra star because it included the text of the "Four Candles/Fork Handles sketch" otherwise it's only worthy of one star.

Hark at Barker (2/2 people found this helpful)

This biography of one of Britain's best loved comic institutions is actually a revised repeat of a glossy, larger-print "coffee table" style book published in 1998, extended to include the various attempts to coax Ronnie out of retirement, his belated success on film, in more serious roles, and the preparations to resurrect The Two Ronnies, after nearly 18 years.

The traditional book format this time means that there are fewer photographs, but apart from that nothing has been left out. Anyone expecting lots of Barker wit and colleagues' anecdotes will be disappointed; this is a fairly straightforward account of his career, from backstage hand in rep in the 50s to retirement in '87 and beyond. It does include words of wisdom, technique and experience from the man himself, and does have a sprinkling of excerpts from songs and sketches that he wrote (including the complete "Fork Handles"). It does also include quotes from his partners from time to time, all generally complimentary.

So there are no revelations of a deprived childhood, or guerilla warfare with landladies, or life-threatening illnesses or accidents, or salacious love affairs to excite a public used to tabloid journalism. Ronnie Barker was and still is a consumate professional with a natural gift to make people laugh and a disinclination to seek unnecessary publicity. This biography reflects all that, and it is the more refreshing for it.

Ronnie (4/4 people found this helpful)

I've been a great fan of Ronnie Barker for years and admired his work. The book contains fascinating insights into the man behind the comedy from himself and the people around him. Of course, you always expect contributors to be nice about people in an authorised biography, but you get the feeling that here these comments are genuine. I'm really looking forward to the return of the Two Ronnies next year especially now my perception of him remains a good one!

Ronnie Barker: The Authorised Biography

Bob McCabe

Editorial Review: