Alan Davies' memoir, Just Ignore Him, is a brave, insightful, and funny exploration of his life, from his boyhood to the present day. He vividly recalls his 1970s upbringing and the absurdities of his childhood, as well as the pain of his lifelong grief and betrayal. The book is a testament to a survivor's resilience and courage.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 03 June 2021
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

A Simply Astonishing Achievement

The quality, depth, emotional power, and terrifying honesty of Alan Davies's story-telling take the breath away. Stephen Fry

This hugely affecting book is brave, insightful, and, at times, funny about things it is hard to be funny about. Jo Brand

The Story of a Life Built on Sand

In this compelling memoir, comedian and actor Alan Davies recalls his boyhood with vivid insight and devastating humour. Shifting between his 1970s upbringing and his life today, Davies moves poignantly from innocence to experience to the clarity of hindsight, always with a keen sense of the absurd.

From sibling dynamics, to his voiceless, misunderstood progression through school, sexuality, and humiliating accidents, Davies inhabits his younger mind with spectacular accuracy, sharply evoking an era when Green Shield Stamps, Bob-a-Job week, and Whizzer & Chips loomed large, a bus fare was 2p, and children had little power in the face of adult motivation. Here, there are often exquisitely tender recollections of the mother he lost at six years old, of a bereaved family struggling to find its way, and the kicks and confusion of adolescence.

Through even the joyous and innocent memories, the pain of Davies's lifelong grief and profound betrayal is unfiltered, searing, and beautifully articulated.

Just Ignore Him

Just Ignore Him is not only an autobiography, it is a testament to a survivor's resilience and courage.

Featured on the BBC Two Between the Covers programme on 6 November 2020

Weight: 230g
Dimension: 127 x 198 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780349144368