It's Hello from Him

Norman Stanley Fletcher, Arkwright, Lord Rustless, Piggy Malone - for the best part of two decades up to 19 million viewers a week have been taking these characters to their hearts with affection and delight. But the man behind these much-loved creations has hitherto remained a private figure. Now retired from showbusiness, Ronnie Barker is ready to share with his public the story of a career spent entertaining a nation. This book tells of the Oxford bank clerk who graduated from local amateur dramatics, through the rigours of weekly rep, including a disastrous tour bringing mime to an unready Wales, to working for Peter Hall in a variety of West End plays, which he enjoyed, and for Peter Brook, which he enjoyed less, during the long run "Irma la Douce". He explains how his working relationship with Ronnie Corbett produced one of show business's most successful partnerships for 17 years, and describes his delight in family life with his wife Loy and their three children, an equally important aspect of a fascinating and wittily recounted life.