On Sunday I met a friend for lunch prior to him attending an event in the Bristol Festival of Ideas. With little persuasion, I agreed to join him to hear Christopher Stevens discuss the life of Kenneth Williams, whom he's written a biography of.
Over the course of around an hour and a half he talked freely about Williams' life, peppering the narrative with anecdotes and quotes from those he interviewed during his research. There were also a number of clips of Williams, including this one of him sing Crêpes Suzette as part of his An Audience With....
The afternoon was entertaining and informative - for example, I wasn't previously aware of Williams' years as a cartographer or in Rep in Newquay. Given the hours of research Stevens had obviously done and his enthusiasm for his subject, I'd be inclined to buy this book (it's now on my Amazon Wishlist) and to recommend it to those interested in finding out more about the man behind the Carry On façade.
My friend has written a fuller review and Christopher Stevens' book "Born Brilliant" is out now.
Andrew
