Amazing that Jennifer Saunders has managed to cram her life into just one volume – there is material enough for a trilogy at least. And it’s not all Bolly and Baftas, there’s that certificate for 3rd prize at the discus for starters – one of her first intimations of fame. And from the launch night of Channel 4 when the Comic Strip burst upon the nation, there’s been no looking back from appearing as submissive Anne in the Famous Five to over-the-top Edina in Ab Fab she’s a great comedy talent.
Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards RTE Listeners' Choice Award 2013.
Bonkers: My Life in Laughs by Jennifer Saunders - the hilarious, touching life story of the iconic comedian and national treasure Jennifer Saunders' comic creations have brought joy to millions.
From Comic Strip to Comic Relief, from Bolly-swilling Edina in Ab Fab to her takes on Madonna or Mamma Mia, her characters are household names. But it's Jennifer herself who has a place in all our hearts. This is her funny, moving and frankly bonkers memoir, filled with laughter, friends and occasional heartache - but never misery. Bonkers is full of riotous adventures: accidentally enrolling on a teacher training course with a young Dawn French, bluffing her way to each BBC series, shooting Lulu, trading wild faxes with Joanna Lumley, touring India with Ruby Wax and Goldie Hawn. There's cancer, too, when she becomes 'Brave Jen'. But her biggest battle is with the bane of her life: the Laws of Procrastination. As she admits, 'There has never been a Plan. Everything has been fairly random, happened by accident or just fallen into place. I'm off now, to do some sweeping...' Prepare to chuckle, whoop, and go Bonkers. Jennifer Saunders is a comedian, writer and actress. She has won three Baftas (including the Bafta Fellowship), an International Emmy, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or, two Writers' Guild Awards and a People's Choice Award. She also has a certificate for coming third in the discus at the Northwich Area Sports championships, and numerous rosettes for clear round jumping and gymkhana on her pony. She lives in Devon and London with her husband Adrian Edmondson. She has three daughters who are all grown up and have left home. They have been replaced with a whippet called Olive. She has recently been forced to become a grandmother despite only being 55. Bonkers is her first book.
Jennifer Saunders is a comedian, writer and actress. She has won three BAFTAs, an International Emmy, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or, two Writers' Guild Awards and a People's Choice Award. She first found widespread attention in the 1980s when she formed The Comic Strip after graduating from the Central School of Speech and Drama. With Dawn French, she wrote and starred in French & Saunders, the long-running hit sketch show. She won worldwide acclaim in the 1990s for writing Absolutely Fabulous, playing Edina Monsoon.
