My Name Is Daphne Fairfax,
By Arthur Smith
The grumpy old man of comedy surveys his career
Reviewed by Julian Hall
Arthur Smith once helped me to promote a book I wrote by taking a BBC reporter for a wander around his self-proclaimed fiefdom of Balham. That he did more for my book than its publishers might theoretically make reviewing his biography onerous. Yet I've not always fallen for the wiles of this charming man and in between time have been lukewarm, at best, about his recent live shows. There is, however, nothing lukewarm about Smith's autobiography; it radiates a glow of whimsy and invention.
Of course, as his comedy bête noire Jimmy Carr knows, Smith is not all warmth. He is a "grumpy old man", after all, or at least he is "if you pay me". Now best known for that very role on television, Smith graduated from student revues in Edinburgh to be one of the originators of the "new comedy" and one of the most willing to swallow its PC regimen. He was one of the most sought-after comperes before TV burnt him, then came back hot enough to pen some successful plays – notably An Evening With Gary Lineker, which had both critics and, thanks to its revised ending of England vs West Germany in the 1990 World Cup, Stuart Pearce, jumping for joy.
To read the rest of this book review go to: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/my-name-is-daphne-fairfax-by-arthur-smith-1689025.html
