Synopsis
Michael Barrymore is one of Britain's favourite entertainers. His appearances on Saturday night TV in the 1980s and 90s were unforgettable and the relationship he built with the audience unique. However, following the tragic death of Stuart Lubbock in Michael's swimming pool in 2001, his career ground to a halt. AWIGHT NOW is Michael's story. He takes us through his rollercoaster life, from his poor London childhood, his work as a Butlin's Redcoat, through to TV and tabloid fame. At the height of his popularity, he suffered increasing alcohol problems and split from his wife of twenty years, Cheryl. In the fall-out, he admitted that he was homosexual and endured horrendous press intrusion into his private life. Then in 2001, came the terrible death of Stuart Lubbock. Michael tells of his despair following the tragedy and how his world fell apart. Despite tabloid rumours, Michael had no involvement with the death and has never been arrested or charged. Since 2001, Michael has endured some dark moments but through determination and the love of his friends, he is now picking up the pieces. His remarkable TV comeback on Celebrity Big Brother has catapulted him back into the spotlight and assured him that the British public want him back. Michael is touring the UK in autumn 2006 as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.
Revue de presse
'I read Michael Barrymore's book all in one go. He describes his life as if watching himself in a car crash, and it's riveting. As compelling a study as any of showbusiness Babylon. The book is something he can be proud of'
Observer
'A really big rollercoaster ride'
Sharon Osbourne
'It is hard to imagine a more dramatic fall from showbiz grace. The litany of Michael Barrymore's disgraces makes for compelling reading: his clumsy 'self-outing,' messy divorce, drink and drug addictions, accusations of rape... oh, and the corpse, according to the pathologist's report, with 'severe wounding around its anus', found floating in his swimming pool. With materila like this, a memoir was never going to be dull.
Awight Now is pretty much what you would expect. At its best, it is as morbidly fascinating as the decline of his career. The account of his public persona growing out of control is arfully told. At its worst, it's a self-indulgent and lightly embarrassing outpouring - a 300-page transcription of one of the AA confessions Barrymore documents. However, this is one of the rare books of its genre actually written by its subject, a fact we are reminded of by repeeated references to the healing powers of writing. As such, its strength lies in an engaging sincerity that acts as a counterpoint to the hyper-active comedian we know so well'
Observer 12/11
'A grimly compelling trip to hell and back that begins in Bermondsey, south London, and ends in New Zealand'
Sunday Telegraph 26/11
'Has all the ingredients you need for a celebrity memoir. The crises keep coming: he discovers that he's gay in good time, but marries anyway; his wife is an extraordinary character in her own right; the situation leads him to drink and drugs; he has to win his public back after this; and then one night Stuart Lubbock, a man he'd never met before, is found dead in his swimming pool....as Barrymore said to Galloway in the Big Brother house, "I've been called everything. But whatever you say, you can't hurt me any more than I've been hurt." I believe him'
Daily Telegraph 9/12
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