René and Me - Gorden Kaye

Right now I've gotten a taste for autobiographies after reading the amazing Malala Yousafzai book I got for Christmas! I recently bought this book and finished it really quickly, as it kept me engaged all the way through, despite it being an autobiography.

It was written in 1989 and basically out of print, so I ordered it from a second hand bookstore through Amazon. Surprisingly, the book itself only cost a measly penny (which is bad for poor Gorden, the author, but good for buyers), yet the shipping was 2 pound 80, which is still really reasonable for an old book. 

I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. But when I opened the front cover... it was SIGNED by Gorden Kaye!

I'm really excited, as he is the main character from one of my favourite comedies, Allo Allo! Not only that, but through reading this it seems that he's also really lovely, modest and down-to-earth, regardless of being a well-known, talented actor.

In Allo Allo he plays René, who being a lady-magnet-type heterosexual man, comes across as slightly homophobic when the adorable Lieutenant Gruber flirts with him. I bought this because as well as being a big fan of Allo Allo, I heard that Gorden Kaye was actually a closeted homosexual until partway through the show, when his secret was revealed and he felt his world was about to come crashing down, which interested me considering the character he was playing. Me being a lesbian, I would absolutely refuse to take on even slightly prejudiced roles - and perhaps even straight roles, if I'm to be completely truthful - if I were an actress. That aside, I can sympathise with Mr Kaye completely on the tough time he went through, as "coming out" is a very scary situation, especially when you've been forced by another to do so.

I found it really intriguing to know the background of one of my favourite actors, and what I got from this story was very uplifting; if a painfully shy, working-class boy can get through the sadness of life and achieve such success, then everybody should strive to do the same.

Top 5 Favourite Comedies

I need cheering up at the moment as school and life in general is so overwhelming. These programmes are a wonderful escape for me, so it's about time I wrote a little something about them!

1) Jeeves & Wooster
Naturally this is my favourite programme, because a) it takes place in the jazz age (those clothes, people!) b) Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are brilliant, and c) it makes me laugh so much!
Bertie Wooster is perhaps my all-time favourite nincompoop - and that is said in the most loving way possible - and Jeeves is almost too good to be true. I love this comedy, and somewhat I just wish I could magically transform into Wooster and live the life of the idle rich.

2) Black Adder
Most of the time I can't breathe watching this programme, it's that funny! Again, the actors are fantastic and the characters are hilarious, particularly Baldrick, Blackadder's dogsbody. It is another period sitcom, taking place in Medieval times, the Elizabethan period, the Georgian period (or what I like to call the Rococo, even though it's set in England), and the First World War. My favourite is the Georgian series, or Blackadder III, because Hugh Laurie as the dotty Prince of Wales is brilliantly humorous.

3) Allo Allo
This is a quite recent discovery from last summer, and since that day I haven't stopped watching it! Allo Allo takes place in German-occupied France during World War Two, and while that sounds frightening rather than funny, all the near scrapes between lovable cafe-owner Rene, the mostly-friendly Nazis and the crazy French Resistance, never fails for an entertaining story. Plus, Gorden Kaye (the actor of Rene) is so sweet; I'll be reading his autobiography soon, "Rene and Me"!

4) Miranda
I think every British person knows who Miranda Hart is, and I should think that everyone adores her personality; prudish, clumsy, childish and all! I have watched all the series (even the finale that was a bit of a disappointment to me - she should have married Mike in my opinion, as I just can't stand Garry, the man she's in love with) and seen her 'What I call Live show' in Liverpool last year! She is amazingly funny and so easy to relate to.

5) Spaced
This comedy from the 90s is also one of my favourites, as it is so surreal at times! The characters are all so crazy and zany that you can't help but love them, especially the army-obsessed Mike and the insane artist, Brian.