Bob Mortimer was born in Middlesbrough in 1959, the youngest of
four sons. He trained as a solicitor before a chance encounter with
Vic Reeves in the 1980s led to a successful career in comedy as
half of duo Reeves and Mortimer. His screen credits include
Shooting Stars, Big Night Out, Catterick and most recently BBC2's
Gone Fishing. His memoir, And Away…, published in 2021. It became
the bestselling memoir of the year, was named Times and Sunday
Times Humour Book of the Year, and was shortlisted for Non-fiction
Book of the Year at the National Book Awards. The Satsuma Complex
is his first novel.
He's on Twitter and Instagram as @RealBobMortimer.
‘It’s probably fairer to say that since his brush with mortality,
Mortimer has come into his own. There is this book, which is a
triumph… And Away is as good a celebrity autobiography as
you could hope to read, and enthusiastically recommend.’
*Daily Mail*
‘…(a) fascinating and often poignant memoir.’
*Daily Express & Daily Mirror*
‘The book, too, grows more confident in talking about serious
subjects as it progresses and it’s the honesty and openness that he
allows in Gone Fishing that make And Away…, by the
end, an unexpectedly moving read’
*The Observer*
‘A glorious collection of stories from an extraordinary life. Once
you put it down, you may get the immediate urge to pick it up
again. Yes, you couldn’t let it lie.’
*Yorkshire Magazine*
‘Bob Mortimer is pretty much established as a national treasure…So
it's great to hear his story of how he got there first-hand…In the
end he has become loved for being himself. And maybe that's the
best type of success of all.’
*Beyond the Joke*
‘Bob’s recent reinvention via the …Gone Fishing series means a
whole new audience might indeed be surprised at how many different
things he’s done and will particularly admire the non-showbiz route
to stardom in our age of driven but ultimately vacuous and
content-free superstars.’
*Yorkshire Bylines*
‘It’s a precarious world, but And Away... is a heartfelt
testament to the magic of finding your happy place within it.’
*The Sunday Times*
‘(a) touching, funny autobiography.'
*Observer*
‘(a) comic masterpiece of a memoir: melancholically amusing, warm
and witty’
*Strong Words*
‘Filled with anecdotes from Mortimer’s life, And Away… contrasts
humour with a deeper contemplation of life following his open-heart
surgery’
*Radio Times*
‘…deftly combines all the varied aspects of Mortimer’s eventful,
fascinating life and paints a fully three-dimensional picture of
this much-loved figure’
*Chortle*
‘…it’s everything you would want from the man who is the highlight
of every show you see him on’
*The Independent*
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