Michael Palin: A Biography

240 Pages·1997·23.966 MB·English

by  Jonathan Margolis

Michael Palin's transition from self­
conf essed teenage trains potter in
Yorkshire to Hollywood film star is
unrivalled in showbusiness history.
But Palin specialises in doing what is not
expected of him. From being born in
industrial Sheffield - not quite what history
intended for this grandson of n1iddle class
county clergy - to staying happily married
to the same person and living in the same
n1odest house all his adult life, the actor is
a true one-off.
Like most other n1embers of the Monty
Python team, Oxford-educated Palin used
his middle class upbringing relentlessly in his
early comedy. A dreadful stammer had meant
that his father had never quite made it in the
professions, and found himself working, a little
Pythonesquely, in a toilet paper factory.
Palin's passion for journeys has stood him in
good stead. Thanks to his acclain1ed BBC TV
travel adventures, he has risen from celebrity
to fully fledged superstardom. Now a
household name, he has travelled the world
by Arab dhow, balloon, dog sled - and also,
of course, by train. Recently, his series
Full Circle was greatly admired.
In this fascinating first biography of a brilliant
and uniquely English talent, Jonathan Margolis
reveals the man behind the comedy - and
discovers that, despite some tragic aspects to
his personal life, Michael Palin is as funny
a n1an off camera as on it.
£17 .99
IN UK ONLY

Michael
Palin
Also by Jonathan Margolis
Cleese Encounters
The Big Yin
Lenny Henry
Bernard Manning
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IC
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a1n
A BIOGRAPHY
Jonathan Margolis
ORION
ME DIA
Copyright© 1997 Jonathan Margolis
All rights reserved
The right of Jonathan Margolis to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted by him in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in Great Britain in 1997 by
Orion Media
An imprint of Orion Books Ltd
Orion House, 5 Upper St Martin's Lane, London wc2H 9EA
Fourth impression 1997
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available
from. the British Library
ISBN 0 7 5280 504 5
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Butler & Tanner Ltd, Frome and London
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders,
but if any have been inadvertently overlooked,
the publishers will be pleased to make the
necessary arrangement at the
first opportunity.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements Vl.l.
Preface lX
I Whitworth Road I
2 Birkd ale I5
3 Shrewsbury 37
4 Oxford 57
5 London 87
6 Shepherd's Bush 99
7 On Location II2
8 Kyle of Lochalsh I27
9 Hollywood I43
IQ The World I67
II Gospel Oak I89
v