
‘I don’t know how long I’ve got left … I don’t even buy green bananas anymore’
When the legendary comedian Barry Cryer died in January 2022, there was a vast outpouring of grief, appreciation and anecdotes – from the general public and fellow comics alike. Now, his son, Bob, is doing what Barry’s humility did not allow: revealing the story of the man behind the jokes.
Laced with candour, warmth, and filled with his trademark humour, this is an ode both to Barry’s incredible life and to the lessons he so generously imparted on the art of comedy during his sixty-year career. Stretching from the music halls of the fifties, via working alongside everyone from Morecambe and Wise to Kenny Everett and David Frost, and into more recent times as a stalwart of Radio 4’s long-running I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, where he worked with Rob Brydon and Jack Dee among many others, this book is a hugely entertaining insight into the life of a true comedy legend.
Bob Cryer is an actor and writer best known for Coronation Street and Hollyoaks. He is the youngest child of Barry Cryer. He collaborated with his father on Barry’s book of anecdotes, Butterfly Brain, in 2010. Shortly after, they created the book series Mrs Hudson’s Diaries, which was adapted into a play for Wilton’s Music Hall. Mrs Hudson’s Radio Show soon followed for Radio 4 in 2018. Their joint podcast, Now Where Were We?, launched just before Barry’s death in January 2022.