Said and Done

Roger McGough is one of Britain's best-loved poets, whose humour, distinctive voice, and sharp eye for the idiosyncrasies of everyday life, have made him a household name both as a poet and a broadcaster.

1967 saw not only the publication of The Mersey Sound with Adrian Henri and Brian Patten, which became the biggest selling British book of poetry ever, but also the release of Thank U Very Much, the first hit song for The Scaffold, followed a year later by the group's world-wide number one hit Lily the Pink.

This is his autobiography - and like the best of his poetry it is packed with humour, surreal observations, nostalgic reminiscences and bittersweet tales of love, life and loss. He tells of growing up in Liverpool during the blitz, through the skiffle-crazy days of his adolescence, to his time at university - and his encounters with Larkin.

He explores the ups and downs of being thrust into the limelight with The Scaffold; adrift in Soho writing dialogue for the Beatles film, Yellow Submarine and travelling widely, running into characters such as Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Alan Ginsberg, and Salman Rushdie.