Introduction

This is the remarkable, and sometimes shocking, life story of one of the most famous faces of British television. Born with a rare disease called Poland Syndrome, which meant he spent most of his first two years in and out of hospital, Jeremy Beadle was brought up in a poor, single-parent family.

He was repeatedly expelled from school for his practical jokes before taking on a variety of jobs while writing for shows in his spare time. His big break came when Bob Monkhouse took him on to write for Celebrity Squares.

Career Highlights

His first show, Game for a Laugh, although being branded as "vulgar" and subsequently rejected by the BBC, spent five years at the top of the ratings and turned him into a household name. The internationally acclaimed Beadle's About and You’ve Been Framed took the TV ratings by storm and here he reveals the secret techniques employed and recalls the hilarious disasters from behind the scenes.

Personal Insights

He breaks his silence over his encounters with the Royals, including the prank he played on Prince Charles and also frankly discusses the nature of "fame" and the British media, after being branded Britain’s second most hated man by Punch.

Usually fiercely protective of his family, he talks openly about them for the first time, and of the absent father he never knew.