Book Cover

Who can ever forget that wonderful giggle?

Ellott gives readers a  comprehensive survey of Billy T James' life and career as well as including useful mini biographies of co-stars, producers and even foreign comedy influences to set out the context of James' craft. It is also a surprisingly frank survey of the New Zealand entertainment industry not afraid to point out poor performances and failed projects; in the small interconnected world of Kiwi TV most writers steer clear of saying much that might offend folks they'll have to probably end up working down the track.

The Back cover blurb  

Billy t James was a larger-than-life comedian who gave us some of our best belly laughs, creating enduring characters as he poked the borax at race relations in New Zealand. His characters were Kiwi through and through and we loved him for it. When he died in his early forties, of complications following a heart transplant, we were shocked - first by his premature death, and then by one of the first highly publicised interracial body-snatching incidents. His widow, Lynn Matthews, and a number of Billy's closest friends who have kept their silence until now, have cooperated with author Matt Elliott to tell the story behind the cheeky grin. What emerges is the shy, self-doubting man the public never saw, and the death threats and exploitation of his generous nature that placed intolerable strain on the man who only ever wanted to make us laugh. the result is perceptive, poignant, funny and endearing - just like Billy t.

Product Details
ISBN: 9781869507053
ISBN 10: 1869507053
Imprint: HarperCollins NZ