Laughing Matters ( Editura: Jonathan Cape/Books Outlet, Autor: Steven Jacobi ISBN 9781844137985 )

From reclusive writer to stand-up comic — in just three months!

What makes people laugh? Where does the urge to make people laugh come from? And just how hard can it be to become a stand-up comic? In pursuit of the answers to these questions — and more — writer and comedy obsessive, Steve Jacobi has set himself a horrifying task: to perform as a stand-up comic in six comedy clubs around Britain.

As he gathers together material for his big adventure, Jacobi will track down his comedy heroes, Ken Dodd and Woody Allen to seek their advice and wisdom. He will take a look at the long tradition of British humour and talk to, among others, a Python, Frank Skinner, Eric Sykes and Steve Coogan to get their take on comedy.

And then Steve embarks on his terrifying ordeal, performing in comedy clubs around Britain, logging — in unsparing detail — the venues, audiences, hecklers and humiliation from Barnsley to Birmingham, and Portsmouth to Great Yarmouth. All the while charting his all-important material, evolving and refining as he travels across the country on his masochistic odyssey.