Ronnie Barker: The Authorised Biography Book

"Fifty-eight is a funny age for an actor to retire", notes Bob McCabe in this highly enjoyable biography. "They just go on don't they? Nobody really thought he meant it". But Ronnie Barker did mean it and apart from a couple of walk-on appearances the last we saw of this multi- talented man was the Two Ronnies Christmas Show of 1987. Barker had been a leading comic writer and actor for over 30 years and created some of the most memorable characters seen on British television. The man behind Fletcher, Arkwright, and dozens of others comes across as a shy, self-contained and un-showbizzy man, who nevertheless knew the scale of his own talent. David Jason provides a touching introduction--he always called Barker "guv'nor" and was particularly moved that Barker said when he retired, "you're the guv'nor now"--and Ronnie Corbett recalls his sadness at the ending of their partnership. "But I'd done everything I wanted to do", said Barker, "I had no ambition left". And while this gently absorbing book reminds us of what we are missing, it equally depicts a man enjoying a tranquil retirement, a simple pleasure denied to so many other comic heroes.--Nick WroeRead More