Backing into the Limelight: The Biography of Alan Bennett

He was always the shy, retiring one, seemingly most dismissive of his gifts. But Alan Bennett, who came to prominence in the mould-breaking 1960 revue Beyond the Fridge, has carved a reputation for himself which has slowly but surely eclipsed those of his former partners, Jonathan Miller, Peter Cook and Dudly Moore.
An acclaimed writer, whether for TV, stage or screen, Bennet has worked with several generations of our leading actors and directors. He is also one of Britain's best-loved national figures, whose readings of children's classics are still bestsellers. But running parallel with Alan Bennett's evolution as an author, actor and celebrity is the story of his love-hate relationship with the media, a remarkable and at times farcical tale of trust mislaid, and eventually lost.
In this, the first full biography of Alan Bennett, Alexander Games tracks the writer's life from childhood in Leeds through his formative early years at Oxford and onward as he stepped reluctantly into the limelight.

Alex Games is the comedy criitic of the Evening Standard and reviews comedy for GLR and in the Sunday Times. He is the author of an illustrated biography of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.