BOOKS
BE FUNNY OR DIE
HOW COMEDY WORKS AND WHY IT MATTERS
OUT IN THE UK NOW
PUBLISHED IN THE US & CANADA SEPTEMBER 3rd 2024
"Gets to the heart of comedy."
-- RICHARD CURTIS
"The ultimate Ted Talk on comedy. Joel Morris has finally invented 'being funny whilst talking about being funny."
-- CAITLIN MORAN
"If you have any interest in either what it is to be humorous or what it is to be human you need to read this book."
-- ROBIN INCE
"Clever, kind, generous and so gloriously nerdy. It's made me a better writer. It's probably made me a better human too."
-- DAISY BUCHANAN
HOW COMEDY WORKS AND WHY IT MATTERS
OUT IN THE UK NOW
PUBLISHED IN THE US & CANADA SEPTEMBER 3rd 2024
"Gets to the heart of comedy."
-- RICHARD CURTIS
"The ultimate Ted Talk on comedy. Joel Morris has finally invented 'being funny whilst talking about being funny."
-- CAITLIN MORAN
"If you have any interest in either what it is to be humorous or what it is to be human you need to read this book."
-- ROBIN INCE
"Clever, kind, generous and so gloriously nerdy. It's made me a better writer. It's probably made me a better human too."
-- DAISY BUCHANAN
Comedy is a game that all humans play. There are big social prizes if you win, but it is easy to end up with custard pie on your face... or worse.
Comedy can soothe our pain, vent our anger, make us feel less alone and provide the answer to life’s most difficult questions, such as, ‘What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?’* It’s a social glue but it can also be divisive, and the joke is on us if we don’t understand how it works.
So, what are the rules? How does comedy do its magic and why does it matter? Be Funny or Die is a fascinating investigation into how our species has developed and mastered this essential art form where laughter is the universal language and only the funniest survive.
*Cliff.
Comedy can soothe our pain, vent our anger, make us feel less alone and provide the answer to life’s most difficult questions, such as, ‘What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?’* It’s a social glue but it can also be divisive, and the joke is on us if we don’t understand how it works.
So, what are the rules? How does comedy do its magic and why does it matter? Be Funny or Die is a fascinating investigation into how our species has developed and mastered this essential art form where laughter is the universal language and only the funniest survive.
*Cliff.
THE INCOMPLETE FRAMLEY EXAMINER
THE BOOK OF THE WEBSITE OF THE NEWSPAPER
with Robin Halstead Jason Hazeley and Alex Morris
"Packed with hard laughs."
-- BOB ODENKIRK
"The funniest book ever written."
-- ROBERT POPPER
"The funniest book ever written."
-- JOSH WEINSTEIN (SHOWRUNNER, THE SIMPSONS)
THE BOOK OF THE WEBSITE OF THE NEWSPAPER
with Robin Halstead Jason Hazeley and Alex Morris
"Packed with hard laughs."
-- BOB ODENKIRK
"The funniest book ever written."
-- ROBERT POPPER
"The funniest book ever written."
-- JOSH WEINSTEIN (SHOWRUNNER, THE SIMPSONS)
In 2001, fans of the internet were introduced to scanned pages from spoof local newspaper The Framley Examiner. Packed with humdrum and preposterous news stories, classified ads, local business features and headlines that seemed to have been typed while asleep, it skewered the banal madness of small-town existence, perfectly encapsulating the British national character.
Framley’s strange yet familiar community – stuffed with its own cast, insane geography and rich local history – struck a chord with those who recognised their own home towns in its reflection. The website was loved and shared by an eager public as well as famous fans from Little Britain, The Simpsons and the Cambridge Centre for Theoretical Cosmology (Professor Stephen Hawking was a Framley enthusiast).
Framley’s strange yet familiar community – stuffed with its own cast, insane geography and rich local history – struck a chord with those who recognised their own home towns in its reflection. The website was loved and shared by an eager public as well as famous fans from Little Britain, The Simpsons and the Cambridge Centre for Theoretical Cosmology (Professor Stephen Hawking was a Framley enthusiast).
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BOLLOCKS TO ALTON TOWERS
UNCOMMONLY BRITISH DAYS OUT
with Robin Halstead Jason Hazeley and Alex Morris
"One of the best guidebooks ever written." THE GUARDIAN
SUNDAY TIMES number one bestselling travel book of the year
UNCOMMONLY BRITISH DAYS OUT
with Robin Halstead Jason Hazeley and Alex Morris
"One of the best guidebooks ever written." THE GUARDIAN
SUNDAY TIMES number one bestselling travel book of the year
"On the one hand, you have an extremely useful ... guide book for those who want to take themselves, and possibly their children, somewhere mind-expanding; and on the other hand, you have something you could read for pleasure without the slightest intention of getting out of your armchair... The book itself is like one of the places it describes: a mad but lovingly tended area with hundreds of hidden surprises... You will find yourself chuckling on almost every page: the authors have devised a droll tone of voice which never tips into facetiousness, partly because they know what they're doing, and partly because of the genuine affection and wonder they feel for such places as the Clarks Shoe Museum, the Hundred Acre Wood, the Yelverton Paperweight Centre and the 40-odd other offbeat attractions that they describe."
-- NICHOLAS LEZARD, THE GUARDIAN
-- NICHOLAS LEZARD, THE GUARDIAN
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LADYBIRD BOOKS FOR GROWN-UPS
with Jason Hazeley
Over 5 MILLION COPIES sold of these hit vintage Ladybird pastiches.
Unprecedented SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERS, occupying eight slots in the Top 10.
The wildly popular books changed the look of the nation's toilets, and made the perfect gifts for people who you weren't sure what to buy, but you did know that they were single, or a Mum, or a cat, or hiding in a shed.
The series was capped by a luxurious hardback coffee table book THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF LADYBIRD BOOKS FOR GROWN-UPS, featuring excerpts from hundreds of never-before-seen Ladybird books, as a gift for the comedy book nerd in your life who enjoys giggling. Truly something for everyone.
with Jason Hazeley
Over 5 MILLION COPIES sold of these hit vintage Ladybird pastiches.
Unprecedented SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERS, occupying eight slots in the Top 10.
The wildly popular books changed the look of the nation's toilets, and made the perfect gifts for people who you weren't sure what to buy, but you did know that they were single, or a Mum, or a cat, or hiding in a shed.
The series was capped by a luxurious hardback coffee table book THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF LADYBIRD BOOKS FOR GROWN-UPS, featuring excerpts from hundreds of never-before-seen Ladybird books, as a gift for the comedy book nerd in your life who enjoys giggling. Truly something for everyone.
There were 32 TITLES in the orignal series of Grown-Ups Ladybirds, covering everything from DATING to the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.
Look at them, all laid out like the back of an old Tintin or Mister Men book. Maybe you should get some of the missing ones for your loo.
Look at them, all laid out like the back of an old Tintin or Mister Men book. Maybe you should get some of the missing ones for your loo.
There were also TWO bonus 'comeback' books on BREXIT and DONALD TRUMP, to celebrate our terrible, terrible times.
(There wasn't a COVID one, due to COVID. Or something.)
(There wasn't a COVID one, due to COVID. Or something.)
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CUNK ON EVERYTHING
with Jason Hazeley and Charlie Brooker
Once in a blue moon, a book comes along that changes the world. The Origin of Species. War and Peace. 1984. The World According to Danny Dyer. And now, Cunk on Everything by Philomena Cunk.
Philomena Cunk is one of the greatest thinkers of the 21st century, and in Cunk on Everything she turns her attention to our biggest issue: why are there so many books? Wouldn't it be better if there was just one? This is that book - an encyclopedia of all human knowledge, from sausages to Henry of Eight to Brush Strokes to vegetarian sausages.
Read it, and you'll never have to read another book again.
with Jason Hazeley and Charlie Brooker
Once in a blue moon, a book comes along that changes the world. The Origin of Species. War and Peace. 1984. The World According to Danny Dyer. And now, Cunk on Everything by Philomena Cunk.
Philomena Cunk is one of the greatest thinkers of the 21st century, and in Cunk on Everything she turns her attention to our biggest issue: why are there so many books? Wouldn't it be better if there was just one? This is that book - an encyclopedia of all human knowledge, from sausages to Henry of Eight to Brush Strokes to vegetarian sausages.
Read it, and you'll never have to read another book again.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO CUNK
with Charlie Brooker, Ben Caudell & Jason Hazeley
The sensational follow up volume to the bestselling Cunk On Everything, covering all world events ever, space permitting, and lavishly illustrated by the author (in biro). Contains everything from madrigals and Romans to the Dark Ages and the oranges of the First World War.
(Accompanies a major TV series, but it's not entirely clear which one.)
(Accompanies a major TV series, but it's not entirely clear which one.)
DIP MY BRAIN IN JOY
A LIFE WITH NEIL INNES by YVONNE INNES
with Joel Morris
Few individuals have had such an impact on British culture over the past fifty years as the comedy and music icon Neil Innes. He was the songwriting powerhouse of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band. Beatles muse and collaborator. Injector of art college surrealism into 1960s TV comedy. Instigator of a revolution that led directly to Monty Python, the group he repeatedly joined on screen and stage. He was Ron Nasty, co-founder of the much-loved Rutles, the 'pre-fab four'. Accidental inventor of the phrase 'Cool Britannia'. Much-loved children's TV storyteller, thinker, maker, creator, undisputed national treasure and Britain's sweet idiot laureate.
I had the honour and pleasure of helping Yvonne Innes craft her memories of Neil into this charming and inspiting tribute to one of my comedy and musical heroes. Not so much a life story, as a story about how to live.
A LIFE WITH NEIL INNES by YVONNE INNES
with Joel Morris
Few individuals have had such an impact on British culture over the past fifty years as the comedy and music icon Neil Innes. He was the songwriting powerhouse of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band. Beatles muse and collaborator. Injector of art college surrealism into 1960s TV comedy. Instigator of a revolution that led directly to Monty Python, the group he repeatedly joined on screen and stage. He was Ron Nasty, co-founder of the much-loved Rutles, the 'pre-fab four'. Accidental inventor of the phrase 'Cool Britannia'. Much-loved children's TV storyteller, thinker, maker, creator, undisputed national treasure and Britain's sweet idiot laureate.
I had the honour and pleasure of helping Yvonne Innes craft her memories of Neil into this charming and inspiting tribute to one of my comedy and musical heroes. Not so much a life story, as a story about how to live.