The Private World of Kenneth Williams cover art

The Private World of Kenneth Williams

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The Private World of Kenneth Williams

By: BBC Audiobooks
Narrated by: Full Cast
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About this listen

 In this documentary portrait of Kenneth Williams, who died in 1988, the much-loved comedy actor's diaries are drawn upon to illustrate his life and career. David Benson, who won acclaim for his one-man show in which he portrayed Kenneth Williams, reads extracts from the diaries, while archive audio clips from such programmes as Round the Horne and Beyond Out Ken illustrate the madcap versatility of Williams the performer. This Radio Collection version features material additional to the original Radio 4 broadcast.©2004 BBC Audiobooks LTD (P)2004 BBC Audiobooks LTD Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Funny

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All stars
Most relevant  
The performance of this is enhanced by clips of Williams at his best , funny bitchy and brilliant

Faultless

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This was a great audio book adaptation of the book, beautifully narrated. So much humour and the stitching together or archive real performances is genius!

An amazing real life experience, behind the curtain of Kenneth’s life

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Excellent listening to David Benson, just not enough of the Diary extracts as it is on CD. This is mainly archive chat show stuff an only about 20 minutes of actual Diary recitation. Shame as David Benson is excellent. So be warned.

Excellent However....

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I kept forgetting it was narrated, he has got the voice down pretty well! Shame it wasn't the full diaries though.

fascinating bloke and well performed

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These extracts from Williams’ diaries are interspersed with clips from his performances, from formal productions to some of his many talk-show appearances. It’s an excellent record of his life and work, and reminds us again of how deeply troubled Williams was in his private life - though frequently funny in his diary entries, and always brutally candid. He was often highly cynical / negative about his work, and dismissive / highly critical of colleagues, and contemporaries. It’s ultimately a tragic story, but there are many laughs in this relatively short audiobook. The central message is that - however much success a celebrity might achieve - there’s always (or very often) a deep-seated paranoia and insecurity.

Diary of a troubled mind

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Hearing how Kenneth recalls the day’s events, then hearing the recording/interviews and how they actually went, really highlights how incredibly self critical he was.

A must listen

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Such a wonderful listen. Well worth a listen for a fan of Kenneth's, you won't be disappointed.

Fabulous.

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Really enjoyable. Extracts from his diary and listenings from some shows he was on.
Such a talent. Shame we don’t have that talent around anymore.

Well presented and has good and variety of diary entries as well as snippets from shows he was in.

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I am intrigued by Williams persona and this audiobook made insightful and easy listening. The excerpts from interviews and radio shows integrate perfectly with the commentary which reveals a lonely but frank and well meaning man with a genius for cynical observation. I wish I had been part of this era and artistic circle. A good account of a very British life, well actually a very London life at that.

brilliant

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a great read with a sad comedian in his personal life but projects the happier side of his identity in the public eye.

excellent great listen in depth and sad out look

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