The writer and comedian chooses his favourite biographies and memoirs. His new book, \u201cWhat Have I Done? My Autobiography\u201d is out now; he\u2019ll be speaking at Edinburgh\u2019s Assembly Rooms on 13 October.<\/p>\n
My Autobiography<\/p>\n Charles Chaplin, 1964<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A beautifully written account of the life of the most celebrated comic artist who ever lived, who journeyed from a childhood of unimaginable pain and poverty to fame and fortune without frontiers. Chaplin understood that comedy and tragedy are two sides of the same coin. After reading this book, it\u2019s easy to understand why.<\/p>\n The Week<\/p>\n Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nSUBSCRIBE & SAVE\n<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Sign up for The Week’s Free Newsletters<\/p>\n From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n A Talent to Amuse<\/p>\n Sheridan Morley, 1969<\/strong><\/p>\n A terrific introduction to No\u00ebl Coward, the man once referred to by actors and writers alike as \u201cThe Master\u201d. It\u2019s dated to the modern eye, containing as it does only guarded allusions to Coward\u2019s private life as a gay man, but it\u2019s entertaining and concise on his fabulous life in the theatre. I read it when I was 13 and it made me want to write comic plays myself.<\/p>\n The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill<\/p>\n William Manchester and Paul Reid, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n Anyone in any doubt of the towering genius, awesome courage and deeply inspiring (if flawed) character of Winston Churchill should read this great adventure story. As should anyone who still clings to Marx\u2019s theory of historical materialism \u2013 individuals can make history, and few have made more of it than Churchill.<\/p>\n The Moon\u2019s a Balloon<\/p>\n David Niven, 1971<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the best show-business memoirs ever written. A hilarious, hair-raising and touchingly human story, and also a brilliant introduction to Hollywood\u2019s golden age. Niven was a glorious amateur, falling as effortlessly into the role of movie star as he did of real-life war hero.<\/p>\n