Tough Crowd
The celebrated mind behind some of television’s most recognizable sitcoms, Graham Linehan, gives readers a peek into his tumultuous journey in his upcoming memoir, “Tough Crowd: How I Made And Lost A Career In Comedy.”
By shedding light on his most recent struggles with transgender rights activism, the book is billed as a “emotionally charged” rollercoaster that deftly combines humor and poignancy.
Release Date Approaches
“Tough Crowd” was kept a secret until it was printed and is slated to be released on October 12. In a bold move, the independent publisher asserted their readiness to meet demand independently should bookstores choose not to stock the title.
Publisher Dan Hiscocks shared the reasoning behind this decision, stating,
“We’ve deliberately not announced this project until the book was at the printer’s because we wanted people to be able to judge it on its own terms, based on what it actually says, rather than to make snap judgments based purely on speculation.”
A Rollercoaster of Emotions
Linehan’s memoir has received praise from prominent members of the entertainment industry who call it “by turns hilarious and harrowing.” The star of Graham Linehan’s acclaimed sitcom “The IT Crowd,” Richard Ayoade, lauded the book, saying,
“Graham Linehan has long been one of my favorite writers – and this book shows that his brilliance in prose is the equal to his brilliance as a screenwriter.”
Jonathan Ross, another well-known name in the British entertainment world, hailed it as a must-read, saying,
“It’s funny, complicated, and utterly compelling”
Linehan’s Comeback and Controversy
Graham Linehan has been steadily making a comedic comeback through stand-up appearances, especially at Andrew Doyle’s Comedy Unleashed events. His reappearance, meanwhile, hasn’t been without controversy.
When Linehan’s event in an LGBT-friendly venue was abruptly cancelled during last month’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it made headlines.
In The Telegraph, Linehan was open and honest about his Edinburgh performance, saying,
“As a protest, it worked great. But as comedy, meh. And I am so very tired of protesting, and I miss comedy so much.”
A Memoir with a Message
The synopsis for “Tough Crowd” alludes to Linehan’s criticism of the comedy business for ostensibly rejecting him because of his opinions. Bruised but not beaten, he explains why he chose the hill of women and girls’ rights to die on – and why, despite the hardship of cancellation, he’s not coming down from it any time soon.
“He also berates an industry where there was no one to stand by his side when he needed help.”
David Paisley, an advocate for LGBT rights, is currently suing Graham Linehan on grounds of libel and harassment. Linehan has garnered more than £110,000 in donations from supporters as a sign of solidarity for his legal defense.
