And Away...
- Downloads：5943
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-23 01:15:59
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Bob Mortimer
- ISBN：B08Y9812HX
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The long-awaited first autobiography by national treasure Bob Mortimer。
Bob Mortimer's life was trundling along happily until suddenly in 2015 he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel an upcoming tour。 The episode unnerved him， but forced him to reflect on his life so far。 This is the framework for his hilarious and moving memoir， And Away。。。
Although his childhood in Middlesbrough was normal on the surface， it was tinged by the loss of his dad， and his own various misadventures （now infamous from his appearances on Would I Lie to You？）， from burning down the family home to starting a short-lived punk band called Dog Dirt。 As an adult， he trained as a solicitor and moved to London。 Though he was doing pretty well （the South London Press once crowned him 'The Cockroach King' after a successful verdict）， a chance encounter in a pub in the 1980s with a young comedian going by the name Vic Reeves set his life on a different track。 And now， six years on， the heart condition that once threatened his career has instead led to new success on BBC2's Gone Fishing。
Warm， profound， and irrepressibly funny， And Away。。。 is Bob's full life story （with a few lies thrown in for good measure）。
Bob Mortimer's life was trundling along happily until suddenly in 2015 he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel an upcoming tour。 The episode unnerved him， but forced him to reflect on his life so far。 This is the framework for his hilarious and moving memoir， And Away。。。
Although his childhood in Middlesbrough was normal on the surface， it was tinged by the loss of his dad， and his own various misadventures （now infamous from his appearances on Would I Lie to You？）， from burning down the family home to starting a short-lived punk band called Dog Dirt。 As an adult， he trained as a solicitor and moved to London。 Though he was doing pretty well （the South London Press once crowned him 'The Cockroach King' after a successful verdict）， a chance encounter in a pub in the 1980s with a young comedian going by the name Vic Reeves set his life on a different track。 And now， six years on， the heart condition that once threatened his career has instead led to new success on BBC2's Gone Fishing。
Warm， profound， and irrepressibly funny， And Away。。。 is Bob's full life story （with a few lies thrown in for good measure）。
Reviews
Matthew
，
Blissful read。
Mike
，
very silly and funny
Hilay Hopkins
，
Such a good book！ I love Bob Mortimer…。my age， northerner， Home Ec teacher！ What’s not to love？ I was surprised by his painful social anxiety but I guess that we can relate a lot more to this in the present situation。 Great writing and great wit。 You’re a star Bob！ 😁
Kelly
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If I could rate this 6 stars then I would。 I think this has been my favourite book of 2021 - and I've read almost 100 with several 5 star ratings。Auto/Biographies can be a bit hit or miss for me。 Sometimes the subject is someone that I really like （obviously why I've picked up their book） but their biography just misses the mark for whatever reason。 I've stopped reading many a biography over the years。 Some have focused on minute details which have bored me， or they've been too polished and a ma If I could rate this 6 stars then I would。 I think this has been my favourite book of 2021 - and I've read almost 100 with several 5 star ratings。Auto/Biographies can be a bit hit or miss for me。 Sometimes the subject is someone that I really like （obviously why I've picked up their book） but their biography just misses the mark for whatever reason。 I've stopped reading many a biography over the years。 Some have focused on minute details which have bored me， or they've been too polished and a marketing tool rather than a genuine biography。 Yet I was sucked into 'And Away。。。' like a crusty crumb up a hoover。It was just written so incredibly well that I haven't stopped reading it。 It is now 4am on the second day of reading and I've just finished and I will hate myself for this later but I fell down the rabbit hole。 It was well paced， following the chronology of Mortimer's life and career but had a great balance between significant and impacting events and/or people and the mundane， which built context and added colour。 It was subtle in its humour and funny throughout。 I loved that whenever I was reading it over night or while holding my sleeping baby I had to suppress quite violent giggles to keep from waking him。 Pocket meats。 I mean。 I thought I was going to suffocate myself trying to keep quiet at that point。I've read a few auto/biographies of comedians or entertainers and they have bordered on being a stand up act in themselves。 Joke after joke because that is clearly what their audience like and it is the reason they have an audience for a book， but 'And Away。。。' just felt like I was sitting down with Mortimer and he was telling me very genuinely about his life。It was emotive and compelling and very open。 I just absolutely ate it up。 It is 4am。 This review probably doesn't make sense and may not be very polished but the take home is: Go and get a copy and read it and enjoy。 。。。more
Scott
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I couldn't bring myself to read the paper copy when I heard he was doing the audiobook。 Mild yet revelatory。 I couldn't bring myself to read the paper copy when I heard he was doing the audiobook。 Mild yet revelatory。 。。。more
Sam
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what a lovely bloke
Robin Temmink
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I would recommend the audiobook version to hear Bob immitate many of the people he's describing。 He also performs some song fragments acapella I would recommend the audiobook version to hear Bob immitate many of the people he's describing。 He also performs some song fragments acapella 。。。more
Georgia
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That was fucking fantastic。 Going to start it again。
Becky Morgan
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I love Bob Mortimer。 I’ve grown up watching him and being floored by the Reeves and Mortimer bizarre sense of humour for years。 Being the sort of person who favours the sidekick as opposed to the main man， I always have been Team Bob。 With this in mind， I felt it almost a duty to buy and read this book， to affirm my Team Bob credentials。 Was I disappointed？ Absolutely not。 Bob writes as he talks; in your head it is Bob that is narrating the book。 He intersperses chapters of his childhood and ear I love Bob Mortimer。 I’ve grown up watching him and being floored by the Reeves and Mortimer bizarre sense of humour for years。 Being the sort of person who favours the sidekick as opposed to the main man， I always have been Team Bob。 With this in mind， I felt it almost a duty to buy and read this book， to affirm my Team Bob credentials。 Was I disappointed？ Absolutely not。 Bob writes as he talks; in your head it is Bob that is narrating the book。 He intersperses chapters of his childhood and early life at home， with the story of how he had emergency surgery and had to reevaluate his life， and then obviously how he met Jim （Vic） and how Robert Mortimer became Bob。 He doesn’t pull any punches， and writes honestly; sometimes it’s funny， sometimes it’s tinged with sadness， but at all times it’s honest and it’s like having a conversation with a mate at the pub。 I didn’t think that it was possible for me to love Bob any more， but after this， I do。 And armed with his advice for life and some pocket meat and cheese， I’m off！ 。。。more
Sheldon
，
Bob Mortimer is a national treasure， and this is a lovely， hilarious and often heartfelt trip down Bob’s memory lane。 The Biography to read in 2021。Full disclosure: I pre-ordered both the audiobook and a signed copy of the hardback so to say I’m in the club [parsnips] would be an understatement。 PS。 Always a good idea to have pocket meat on hand！
Joss Southgate
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A bit of a departure from my reading of late， but well worth it。 Easily my favourite comedian as he stays away from tedious political satire and acerbic mockery and just want to have fun。 It's interesting to learn more about Bob， as the nature of his comedy with Vic Reeves being so apolitical and impersonal， you don't really ever get to know much about him。 However， he comes across as a very shy， but a very genuine， kind and decent man as well as extremely funny。One of the themes of the book is A bit of a departure from my reading of late， but well worth it。 Easily my favourite comedian as he stays away from tedious political satire and acerbic mockery and just want to have fun。 It's interesting to learn more about Bob， as the nature of his comedy with Vic Reeves being so apolitical and impersonal， you don't really ever get to know much about him。 However， he comes across as a very shy， but a very genuine， kind and decent man as well as extremely funny。One of the themes of the book is that is that many of the opportunities and experiences he had were the result of the kindness of strangers （an old friend decided to check on him when he was living alone in London and invited him to a comedy night where a certain Vic Reeves was performing， for example。） So you should always make an effort to do something that can be extremely difficult， reach out a hand to people who are shy and quiet。 It was expounded well without being nauseatingly sentimental， as many other such books would undoubtedly be。 。。。more
Sarah
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I loved listening to Bob reading this and hearing him have a little chuckle at his own stories。
Lynne
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Audiobook review。 Read by the author。 Short， easy listen。 I didn’t know anything about him except he was born where I now live （Middlesbrough）。 Starts with dual timelines: 2015 heart surgery vs his childhood and early career as a solicitor。 His love for Jim is enviable， I have never had （or been） a friend like that。
Gavin
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In 'And Away。。。' Bob Mortimer comes across as a genial， humble man。 A raconteur plagued with shyness but gifted a wonderful sense of humourI hope the story of the Shetland pony watching TV is true。 The fact I think it might be is testament to how engaging Bob's storytelling is。 In 'And Away。。。' Bob Mortimer comes across as a genial， humble man。 A raconteur plagued with shyness but gifted a wonderful sense of humourI hope the story of the Shetland pony watching TV is true。 The fact I think it might be is testament to how engaging Bob's storytelling is。 。。。more
Heather
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If you， like me， annoyed your mother by watching Shooting Stars on the little telly in the kitchen when you were a kid， this is a really warm， surprisingly tender and enjoyable read。
Jo Morley
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Couldn't put it down， quickest book I've finished in a long time， compulsive reading。 Couldn't put it down， quickest book I've finished in a long time， compulsive reading。 。。。more
LizLovesBooks
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If anyone needs me I will be in the corner alternating between sobbing and laughing， eating a Boost bar。 What an autobiography。 Loved the index idea。 And lucky me， 45 mins till the newest episode of Gone Fishing。（Loved that he has overcome his shyness， I may do too。。。。one day）。
Alison Turner
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Just as fantastic as I always knew it would be
Mancman
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I pre-ordered this， and have to confess that I’m a big fan of Bob。 He’s the only person I use as a yardstick。 If you don’t like Bob， then I’m afraid we will never be firm friends。But this book is eminently readable， it’s like you’re having a conversation with him。 It’s full of warmth， joy， appreciation， humour （obviously） and a real sense of well wishing。I sincerely think that even the hardest of hearts could take something from this book， and that may be the biggest compliment I can pay it。
Isla Scott
，
I thought this was a very interesting read - its quite insightful about his life growing up， although， if I were to criticise it at all， I might say it doesn't exactly contain masses of information about his family but then I can understand if he wants to keep some things private， I suppose。 I liked reading about how he encountered Jim Moir （Vic Reeves） and I liked that its separated into five parts。 Don't let the page count put you off too much - there are a couple of blank pages inbetween the I thought this was a very interesting read - its quite insightful about his life growing up， although， if I were to criticise it at all， I might say it doesn't exactly contain masses of information about his family but then I can understand if he wants to keep some things private， I suppose。 I liked reading about how he encountered Jim Moir （Vic Reeves） and I liked that its separated into five parts。 Don't let the page count put you off too much - there are a couple of blank pages inbetween the various parts， so it doesn't take quite as long as you may initially fear， to read it。 I liked the talk about meeting other comedians - it gives a good indication of what it may have been like on the comedy scene in the late 80s and early 90s and it gives you an idea of some of the many interesting jobs Bob had。 I also liked that it explains a bit about the behind the scenes of 'Would I Lie To You'， the popular BBC comedy panel show， of which Bob's appearances on said show are legendary！。 The book itself I thought was both intriguing/revealing and amusing in almost equal measure。I， as an anxious introvert， found the very end （the last couple of pages） particularly moving。 He re-assures other such （i。e。 naturally shy） people and offers some basic advice。 I liked that very much and I'd happily recommend this book to other fans of his comedy work and anyone interested to read about his life， especially any other introverts or socially anxious people。 。。。more
Amy Wright
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Funniest man alive， so of course I was going to enjoy this book， but I really really loved it， laughed， cried and just felt an overall privilege to hear about his life！ Highly recommend
peppersocks
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Reflections and lessons learned:“…a man in a monkey suit walked past， so I saw that as a good omen…”The era？ Early 90s…I’m an early teen looking to pop culture for any inspiration to escape the mundane， and this man， with his huge energy， a natural talent to be amusing， a soft blue suit and an energetic run onto the stage， delivered with his mate Vic and an amazing range of surreal one liners and physical humour - how could I ignore him on the Thursday viewings of this ridiculous channel 4 show… Reflections and lessons learned:“…a man in a monkey suit walked past， so I saw that as a good omen…”The era？ Early 90s…I’m an early teen looking to pop culture for any inspiration to escape the mundane， and this man， with his huge energy， a natural talent to be amusing， a soft blue suit and an energetic run onto the stage， delivered with his mate Vic and an amazing range of surreal one liners and physical humour - how could I ignore him on the Thursday viewings of this ridiculous channel 4 show… man with the stick， judge nutmeg， Greg Mitchell dog （oh no…）， Morrissey the consumer monkey， the Stotts， the ponderers， Les and his spirit level （yay！） and chives （boooooo…）， and taking the trips to novelty island - we all adopted the phrases as though they were completely normal vocabulary （vicabulary？）， wrote them in letters to each other in class， and shouted them around town - still 30 years on we spin spin spin the wheel of justice to see how fast the bastard turns， we fall unexpectedly， and I still don’t think that there’s a better metaphor covering temporarily being thrown in life than putting a knife in the fork section of the drawer （oh vic…）。 This above insight covers only two years of an influential comedy career that is still ongoing - will I ever laugh any harder at live comedy than the time that the seemingly natural response to smashing each other with increasing size foam frying pans was of course to bring on a giant cheese grater， with the necessary vicious up and down action and overdubbed sound effect？ In one way I hope so to keep experiencing new things in life， but I somehow doubt it…This was a book that I was looking forward to all year and inhaled when the magical publishing time arrived， still wanting to savour every moment。 I must admit that it took me a few minutes to get into the audio version as it was delivered in a far less manic pace， despite the huge energy from the cover， but again this matches in with the beauty of Bob as a performer - the total joy is always apparent， even in the melancholic moments， but from a grounded person that turned to the surreal to make life more interesting without it being desperately forced。My husband asks the questions as my son plays the small child’s xylophone （not his） often close at hand to my husband， Greg Mitchell dog sits in my daughters bed， and one day she too will be able to watch to understand why his wife is going to kill him… genius， please never let it lie and thanks for the Boost bars 。。。more
Michael Legge
，
Shame he dies in the end。
Jack Stewart
，
Haven't even started it yet Haven't even started it yet 。。。more
Philip Kelly
，
If you didn't love Bob before reading this you will afterwards。 Took me back to sixth form where we all had a mild obsession with Vic Reeves Big Night Out。 Charming， endearing and obviously funny。 An enjoyable read。 If you didn't love Bob before reading this you will afterwards。 Took me back to sixth form where we all had a mild obsession with Vic Reeves Big Night Out。 Charming， endearing and obviously funny。 An enjoyable read。 。。。more
R J
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A lovely book about the impact that loss and shyness can have， and how a few really good friends can come along at just the right time to change the course of your life。
Marina
，
I need this book in my life right now please。 If you have a bad day go on YouTube and search the best of Bob Mortimer Would I Lie To You and for half an hour everything will be ok。
Jayne Davis
，
I would rate it 5 stars if only i can purchase it in Australia。。 😞😗
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=And Away...
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=And Away...&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,And Away...&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0