David Mitchell: Back Story

By: David Mitchell

Narrated by: David Mitchell

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

David Mitchell, who you may know for his inappropriate anger on every TV panel show except Never Mind the Buzzcocks, his look of permanent discomfort on C4 sex comedy Peep Show, his online commenter-baiting in The Observer or just for wearing a stick-on moustache in That Mitchell and Webb Look, has written a book about his life.

As well as giving a specific account of every single time he's scored some smack, this disgusting memoir also details:

• The singular, pit bull-infested charm of the FRP (‘Flat Roofed Pub’)
• The curious French habit of injecting everyone in the arse rather than the arm
• Why, by the time he got to Cambridge, he really, really needed a drink
• The pain of being denied a childhood birthday party at McDonalds
• The satisfaction of writing jokes about suicide
• How doing quite a lot of walking around London helps with his sciatica
• Trying to pretend he isn’t a total **** at Robert Webb’s wedding
• That he has fallen in love a LOT, but rarely done anything about it
• Why it would be worse to bump into Michael Palin than Hitler on holiday
• That he’s not David Mitchell the novelist, despite what David Miliband might think

©2012 David Mitchell (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

‘One of the best celebrity memoirs of last year…his outsider geek personality translates just as well on the page as it does on TV.’ Metro

‘It livened up about half way through with the appearance of me. But enough of David's life. The book is wonderful from beginning to end.’ Robert Webb

'David Mitchell is an extremely funny man on screen, in person, in print and very probably underwater.' Sam Bain, co-writer of Peep Show

‘He can write’ Evening Standard

‘Fluent, discursive, intelligent.’ Evening Standard

‘If you like Mitchell on television, you will like him in this book.’ Shortlist

Well balanced

This is a great funny book but serious enough to be interesting. Makes you laugh and think as well.

bloody great

so I'm a bit of a captive audience and I admit I went in liking David Michell and the works he produces. to my pleasant surprise however I finished feeling like i genuinely understood the bloke and would be mates with him if we ever crossed paths. couldn't have done a better job of a memoir. nice one mate!

Fun listen

Wonderful, and fun, an everyman kind of story, one which most can relate too. Funny.

Very smart guy, brilliant political and social critic

I’m not sure that here in the states we have anyone quite this sharp! Mostly I read his political columns and there is nothing like them. This book is an excellent memoir, with a lot of great lines and some good insights. I hope he lives to be a hundred.

Burst out laughing on public transport 10/10

David Mitchell is one of my favourite comedians. Witty, insightful, entertaining, and bloody hilarious. Highly recommend!

I found out he was a comedy writer.

There was a fair bit about people and shows I've never heard of. I enjoyed hearing about his thought process.

Would He Lie to You?

I adore David Mitchell and this insight into his life and career is delightful and fascinating. I especially enjoyed his university years when he talks about his experience with The Footlights and his many trips to Edinburgh in an attempt to get an agent and become professionally funny. It's full of his charmingly self-deprecating humor and many fascinating stories about the processes of comedy. Wonderfully addictive.

I like David Mitchell

What was one of the most memorable moments of David Mitchell: Back Story?

The lobster story. It was both hilarious and awful.

What does David Mitchell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He says things in certain ways, and when he read the Robert Webb bit it did not sound like the way Robert Webb would have said that at all. Which is fine, but a perfect example of why it's fun to have the author also read the book to you. You get their intention and emphasis that you wouldn't necessarily get with a professional voice actor.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I thought it was extremely funny. Especially his childhood. I love British humour.

Any additional comments?

I was actually surprised at what a regular guy David Mitchell is. I thought he would be very fussy and very conservative, and maybe that's because I watched a lot of Peep Show and got him confused with his character Mark, but I really wasn't expecting to relate to him so much. His explanation of why he's agnostic, for example, rings true for me.

Brilliant

Where does David Mitchell: Back Story rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Of the few audiobooks I have listened to, I have found this to be by far the greatest.Mitchell's honestly and openess, in combination with his dry humour makes this book an treat to listen to.For the price of a round of drinks you would do well to take on the life lessons of people like Mitchell.

David Mitchell's Back Story

I loved this audiobook....but I'll admit that I'm biased, because I love David Mitchell in every exposure that I've had to him. He's witty, clever, engaging and has a turn of phrase in his book that make the entire audiobook compelling. The last chapter in particular made me tear-up and restored some of my faith in life and love. There is still hope for all of us.