Backing into the Spotlight, Michael Whitehall
Backing into the Spotlight, Michael Whitehall
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Backing into the Spotlight
A Memoir

Author: Michael Whitehall

Narrator: Hilary Whitehall, Jack Whitehall, Michael Whitehall

Unabridged: 5 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/09/2017

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Read by Michael Whitehall, featuring Jack Whitehall and Hilary Whitehall.

Standing in front of a full-length mirror in my dressing room at ITV studios, waiting to go on to the set of Backchat, I had a brief conversation with my reflection.

'Michael, what the f*** do you think you're doing?'

Theatrical agent Michael Whitehall spent a career pushing others into the spotlight. He had been involved behind the scenes with the careers of many prominent actors, including Colin Firth, Richard Griffiths, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Courtenay, Ian Ogilvy, Judi Dench, Edward Fox, Michael Fassbender, Angela Thorne and Nigel Havers.

But then, much to his surprise, his son Jack becomes a successful comedian and actor and decides that his new comedy partner should be his father. Whitehall Snr. finds himself reluctantly appearing on stage and then television, cast as the archetypal grumpy old man and thrust, in his early seventies, into a whole new career in front of the camera. Minor fame comes at a sedate pace: one of the highlights being a record £300,000 win for charity with Jack on Channel 4's The Million Pound Drop.

In this enchanting memoir Whitehall looks back on his life, from growing up in suburban London in the 1940s and '50s with his saintly father and social climbing-mother, who coined the phrase 'à la carte' to describe people who were posher than she was and whose company she craved, to falling into a career as a successful theatrical agent and producer. As he says, 'Actors can be egotistical, greedy and vain, but they're not half as bad as agents and producers.'

Charming, gossipy and above all very funny, Backing Into The Spotlight is no ordinary show business memoir.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our desktop site.

About Michael Whitehall

Michael Whitehall was a leading theatrical agent and producer, whose clients included Nigel Havers, Edward Fox, Judi Dench and Colin Firth. He produced The Good Guys, Noah's Ark and Element of Doubt for ITV, as well as numerous theatrical productions around the UK and in the West End. He appeared with Jack on their show Backchat for the BBC and subsequently 5 series of Travels With My Father for Netflix. A regular guest in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's Countdown, he also co hosted Hard To Please OAP's for ITV as well as appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox for Stand Up To Cancer with Jack and Hilary.His books include Shark Infested Waters, Backing Into The Spotlight and Him and Me co-authored with Jack.

About Hilary Whitehall

Hilary Whitehall. Daughter, sister, wife, mother and recent grandmother. When not busy attending to the various needs of members of her family, she occasionally manages to work as an actress (Fierce Creatures, The Bill, Woof, Miranda and Bad Education) and photographer.Her latest endeavour is creating and voicing the character of Miss Petunia in the Warner Brothers children's animation series 'Moley.'

About Jack Whitehall

Jack Whitehall is an award winning actor, comedian, presenter and writer, widely celebrated for 5 series of his hit show Travels with my Father on Netflix, writing and starring in three series of Bad Education for the BBC, playing Paul Pennyfeather in Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall also for the BBC and creating the character of JP in the award winning Fresh Meat for Channel 4.A regular team member on eight series of Sky One's A League Of Their Own, he has appeared three times on the Royal Variety Performance, including becoming the youngest ever host in 2015 and has also hosted the prestigious Brit Awards for the last three years.An acclaimed comedian, in 2019/20 Jack toured his fifth and biggest ever stand up show around arenas in the UK, Australia and Dubai, which was also filmed for Netflix.He can be seen starring in two films this year, Disney's Jungle Cruise with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Emily Blunt and also in Clifford The Big Red Dog for Paramount. He is about to start filming on Robots in which he plays the lead opposite Shailene Woodley.This is his second book collaboration with his father Michael, following on from 'Him and Me.'


Reviews

Goodreads review by Clare on September 01, 2018

Listened to in audio format. I bought this audio book because I enjoy Michael Whitehall's waspish, dry sense of humour. Backing into the Spotlight was a funny memoir about his early years and his successful career as TV agent. My favourite parts of the book were about Michael's parents Jack and his as......more

Goodreads review by Shay on July 21, 2024

Absolutely hilarious, did not disappoint. I must admit that I'm very sad that I've finished the book because it was a joy to get through.......more

Goodreads review by Nina on November 02, 2021

This is such a fun book! I was laughing to the point of having my stomach hurt, and trying to be quiet as my husband was sleeping … I had to leave the room ! Love this book.......more

Goodreads review by Caroline on December 30, 2017

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It took me a while to realise that Michael Whitehall had such s dry sense of humour when I saw him on the television, but when I eventually understood his humour, I knew I liked him a lot. I also felt I would like him if I were to meet him in real life. This book, Backin......more

Goodreads review by Alex on March 01, 2019

Very enjoyable read. The chapter about the haircut had me in stitches.......more


Quotes

Backing into the Spotlight is a hilarious and an unashamedly non-PC memoir . . . Now in his eighth decade, Whitehall is a fine raconteur, gloriously unreconstructed and still deeply suspicious of modernity Daily Mail

Hugely entertaining Mail on Sunday

This excellent memoir stands on its own merits, full of great stories told with Michael's dry wit Choice