Becoming Johnny Vegas

By: Johnny Vegas

Narrated by: Johnny Vegas

‘My name is Michael Pennington, and I am not a comic character. I’m often mistaken for one though. You might know him by another name. Johnny Vegas.’

From BBC Dickens adaptations to Benidorm and Ideal to the PG Tips ads, Johnny Vegas has become one of Britain's best-loved comic actors.

But before he'd ever drunk tea with a knitted monkey or made himself the exception that proves the rule in terms of the predictability of TV panel game regulars, Johnny Vegas was perhaps the most fearlessly confessional stand-up comedian this country has ever produced.

How did an eleven-year-old Catholic trainee priest from St Helens grow up to become the North West of England’s answer to Lenny Bruce? That’s just one of the many questions answered by this eye-poppingly frank memoir.

Becoming Johnny Vegas establishes its author as the poet laureate of the Pimblett's pie.

Once you've finished this darkly hilarious tale of family, faith and the creative application of alcohol dependency, you'll never look at a copy of the Catholic men's society newsletter the same way again.

©2013 Johnny Vegas (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

‘…book’s fabulous, buy it!’ Paul O’Grady

‘Extraordinary. A truly unusual showbiz memoir.’ Mark Lawson, Front Row, BBC Radio 4

‘A compelling tale of self-loathing, bristling with anger and bitterness, it still manages to be very funny and hold out hope of redemption.’ Daily Telegraph

'It's funny and a bit horrifying – with, at its best in the early sections, an almost Alan Bennettish feel for bathos.' The Best Memoirs of 2013, The Guardian

‘A characteristically in-yer-face narrative of how Michael Pennington became Johnny Vegas.’ The Independent

‘Michael Pennington – his real name – proves there’s more to Mr Vegas than meets the eye in this frank memoir.’ 100 Best Books For Christmas, The Telegraph

‘Altogether unique… as elegantly constructed as the finest literary novel.’ Catholic Herald

‘Reads like a novel.’ The Guardian

‘Eloquent, witty and perceptive, a fascinating study of creative catharsis.’ Metro

‘Rare is the celebrity memoir that’s as honest, insightful, revelatory and compelling as Becoming Johnny Vegas.’ Chortle

Top listen!!

Funny, sad, intriguing, excellent!

Definitely worth getting to know the real man behind the madness of Johnny Vegas.