Flaming Nora! I've just returned from honeymoon and had, you know, a little bit of time to fit in some catching up on reading books I've been meaning to read for ages and just didn't have the time.
One of the books I read last week while lazing around in Lanzarote was Bill Tarmey's autobiography, 'Jack Duckworth and Me'. It's not the first Corrie actor autobiography I've read but it was the most odd. Normally, I dive straight in and relish the parts about their time on Coronation Street, hoping for a glimpse of the person behind the character and for some behind-the-scenes secrets from our favourite soap. With Bill Tarmey's book, the first part of his life story, before he joined Corrie was actually the most interesting, for me.
The second part of the book, from when he joined Coronation Street firmly as Jack Duckworth, turns into just that. It's a book about Jack Duckworth, not Bill Tarmey, which I thought rather odd. Jack Duckworth's storylines are outlined, with help from Daran Little's 40th Corrie anniversary book, from which whole sections are lifted in terms of dates and storylines, and to be fair, Bill does credit Daran's book. But I ended up scanning pages, not reading, to find out anything more about Bill Tarmey himself, as it was all about the fictional character of Jack.
When Bill's true persona shone through the Jack storylines, he excelled himself and revealed hilarious snippets (a caper with Kevin Kennedy had me in stitches) and a great deal of moving, emotional depth too especially when detailing his working relationships with Liz Dawn (Vera) and Alan Halsall (Tyrone). But for this fan, there was too much Jack Duckworth and not enough Bill Tarmey in this book. Still, it's a decent enough read and if you're interested in the life story of Jack Duckworth and finding out more about Bill Tarmey's early years, it's worth splashing out on for yourself or for the Corrie fan in your family.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Fan review: Bill Tarmey's autobiography, 'Jack Duckworth and Me'
Labels:
bill tarmey,
jack duckworth
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You might also like...
-
Here are the major storylines for the week ahead on Coronation Street, all wrapped up nicely in 50 words or less. Monday 31 March to Friday ...
-
Wednesday 26 March 2025 WHO WAS IN THE FIRING LINE? In the hospital waiting room, there’s an anxious wait. Who took the gunshot and more imp...
-
Good evening. I never seem to know if I am going to be here or not. And then when I am I was somewhere else. Daisy is fuming that Jenny h...
-
Tuesday 25 March 2025 ROB HOLDS CARLA HOSTAGE On Rob’s orders, Tracy calls Carla and making out she’s got a business proposition, asks her t...
-
Friday 28 March 2025 JENNY TAKES HER EYE OFF THE BALL As Daisy ruminates over Jenny’s recent windfall and wonders how long she intends to ke...
-
Coronation Street’s Dee Dee Bailey is at the centre of dramatic scenes next week when serious complications during the birth of her baby put...
-
The news is finally out - how are you enjoying your time on Coronation Street? It's been so muc...
-
With new producer Kate Brooks' name now appearing in the show's credits, we've entered a new era for Corrie. I travelled to Coro...
-
Monday 31 March 2025 DEE-DEE’S PAIN IS DANGEROUSLY DISMISSED At the hospital, Dee-Dee reassures Lauren that Frankie’s stem cell transplant w...
-
Since becoming a series regular, firm fan favourite, Corrie Copper DS Lisa Swain, has had her character's backstory swiftly fleshed out...
1 comment:
I recently finished reading the book and thought it was great. I was hoping, too, that there would be more about himself in there, but him talking about his partnership with Liz Dawn had me in tears and its jam packed full of details which was so lovely.
Oh and might I add I would LOVE to meet him one day.
Post a Comment