More Than Likely

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What to expect

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais are the creators of some of British television's most beloved comedies. Essex-born Clement teamed up with Geordie insurance salesman La Frenais in the early 1960s and scripted a series about two young pals from Newcastle, The Likely Lads, which became one of BBC Two's first hits. The duo went on to create the classic sitcoms Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Porridge starring Ronnie Barker, and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

Together and separately they have worked as writers and script editors for some of the most famous TV programmes ever made, and with stellar performers that include Billy Connolly and Tracey Ullman. Clement and La Frenais have been partners for more than five decades: longer than Rodgers and Hammerstein, Gilbert and Sullivan, Laurel and Hardy, and Morecambe and Wise. Their career has covered writing, directing and producing for movies and the theatre as well as for television. They have written comedy set in factories, prisons and building sites; drama set in shabby London streets and the corridors of power; musicals about bands coming together and bands breaking apart. Along the way they have had some memorable encounters with movie stars like Richard Burton, Ava Gardner and Marlon Brando; and with poets, prima donnas, politicians and rock stars. This is their story.

(p) Orion Publishing Group 2019

Critics Review

  • Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais are responsible for making a lot of people laugh a lot. Their writing track record is up there with the very best … riveting …. the book is a tribute to the breadth and range of their impact – and how much fun they have had in the process

    THE SUNDAY TIMES

  • Witty, deft, highly consumable, sporadically revealing … vivid and amusing … It’s good and gossipy, but they sneak in all sorts of smart observations about showbiz … There’s a joy, certainly, to joining them at – or within a short stride from – the high table of television and film … their clarity and understated wit throughout explains why they are still much in demand

    THE TIMES

  • Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais have brought a smile to the face of the nation for the best part of six decades … More Than Likely is a matey stroll down memory lane in which they separately, and jointly, recall past glories and the famous faces who have crossed their paths … More Than Likely is an entertaining read full of sharp-eyed nostalgia, star-studded anecdotes and an affection for the good and bad times of a lifetime in the storytelling business

    SUNDAY EXPRESS

  • Clement and La Frenais’ book will tickle anyone who loves comedy and relishes gossipy stories about cultural icons of yore … The book’s index reads like a who’s who of showbusiness. Over the course of six decades, Clement and La Frenais encountered everyone from Ava Gardner and Richard Burton to Peter Cook an Dudley Moore via the rude and foul-mouthed Michael Winner. Their career has been a crazy ride and it makes for a thoroughly entertaining read

    DAILY EXPRESS

  • The writers of Porridge, The Likely Lads, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, The Commitments and Lovejoy take a stroll down memory lane, recalling past glories and the many famous faces to cross their paths. There are fond tales of Ronnie Barker, Bill Nighy and Hollywood greats from Marlon Brando to Ava Gardner. This is a light-hearted entertaining and nostalgic memoir

    DAILY MIRROR

  • Fascinating insights into some of the actors they have worked with over the years, including Ronnie Barker, Richard Beckinsale and James Bolam

    CHOICE magazine

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