The Sound of Laughter - Peter Kay

Like many I am one of those who has developed a soft spot for Peter Kay. His stand up routines are some of the funniest I've seen by a contemporary comedian. His observational and relatively clean humour is refreshing change from the crowd of funny men who can't seem to tell a gag unless it includes at least three F words and a reference to human genitalia (Peter prefers to talk about his dog's lipstick). So the last thing I wanted to do was slag off his autobiography. Unfortunately there sure is a lot of tumbleweed blowing through the pages of 'The Sound of Laughter' and a few too many yawn ... more

Peter Kay is a stand-up comedian from Bolton, whose main appeal is his use of northern charm to bluff his way through any situation. His comedy revolves around his own experiences in life, mostly as a child, which means that writing an autobiography that doesn't simply recycle all of his material must've been a nightmare for him. To his credit, he manages to find a series of entirely new anecdotes to reveal to the reader, one after another, over the course of a light but entertaining book. At the same time, he never gives us any glimpse of the man behind the jokes, and is careful not to say ... more

Having lapped up Peter Kay DVDs over the last few years, and being stuck for an idea what my sister could have got me for my Christmas present, I went on to Amazon to see what was recommended and Peter Kay's autobiography "The Sound of Laughter" popped up. Given its "Sound of Music" styled cover, I was drawn to it, even though I am usually not a fan of autobiographies when they are written when the subject is someone who has had a relatively short period of time in the limelight - I used to associate autobiogs as being practically like a personal obituary when in one's dotage. Nowadays celebs ... more

I am and have been for a few years now a massive fan of Peter Kay, ever since first watching ‘live at the top of the tower’ I could never get enough of his stand up. Being a fan of autobiographies in general I was interested when I heard Peter Kay was writing one and after a few subtle hints was able to open this book on Christmas day. --Peter’s Life-- If you were to say Peter Kay has had a few part time jobs in his time you would definitely be an understatement. The jobs he describes include but aren’t limited to disk jockey, factory worker, working in a petrol station, working in a warehouse ... more

At the end of last year, whilst looking for Christmas presents for my horde of family, I kept noticing the Peter Kay autobiography. It was a massive £18.99, so I put it on my own Christmas List, but to honest, didn’t expect to get it in my stocking. On Christmas Day, I wasn’t disappointed, as I didn’t get it. I bought mine in a supermarket at half price in March, and I felt it was a real bargain for a hard back book with such good quality pages. I think that Peter Kay is someone you love or loathe. I am the former, and watching his live shows, has me crying with laughter, even when I have seen ... more