Helen Lederer, Not That I’m Bitter

A hilarious and alarmingly honest memoir by one of Britain’s first female stand-up comedians of the 80s, Helen Lederer is in joyous flow, mixing startling self-revelation with nail-sharp observation.

Occasionally painful, yet unashamedly revealing, this laugh-out-loud account offers a front row seat to Helen’s life and explores how laughter can defeat the darker moments.

This event will include an audience Q&A. After the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by the author.

Thursday 6 June, 7.00pm

Venue: Anglia Ruskin University, Bishop Hall Lane, Chelmsford, CM1 1SQ
Tickets: £10 / £8 concessions (Students, Under 27s and Unwaged)
Box Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948

Not That I’m Bitter: A Truly, Madly Funny Memoir by Helen Lederer

Published 11 April 2024

Order a copy of Not That I’m Bitter at bookshop.org

A hilarious and alarmingly honest memoir by one of Britain’s first female stand-up comedians of the 80s, when Alternative Comedy created a new generation of TV heroes, and when women were seen as ‘high maintenance’.

A regular on the stand-up circuit and new-wave sketch shows that launched the careers of today’s comedy national treasures, Helen performed on stage and TV with other household names from that time.

The child of a Czech wartime refugee, she was never part of the mainstream. Her powerful, frank, moving and characteristically funny memoir, reveals exactly how tough it was for a woman to break through. Even in the ground-breaking 1980s, it was as much a struggle for women to be seen and heard in comedy as in any boardroom or workplace, and just as hard to avoid predators.

Here in her first full account of her life, Helen Lederer is in joyous flow, mixing startling self-revelation with nail-sharp observation. How does humour help to cope with a lifelong battle with weight and low-self-esteem, diet-pill addiction, or dependence on steroid injections? How can laughter defeat the darker moments, despite enormous success, the constant self-sabotage of always feeling a failure?

Occasionally painful, yet unashamedly revealing, this laugh-out-loud account offers a front row seat to Helen’s life as a pioneering female stand-up comedian, who out of anger, is now creating opportunities for other witty women.

“Helen Lederer is the third funniest woman in the world.” – Dawn French

“Dizzy dippy and divinely funny Helen Lederer takes you on an insanely readable tour through her chaotically wonderful life. Under her costume of the madcap and the daft , there ticks a very, very smart brain and their beats a most warm and kindly heart. It’s a wonderful read.” – Stephen Fry

“Helen is an open book, and this is a book you should open. Her progression through the comedy swamp of the eighties is fascinating, poignant and laugh-out-loudy.” – Jo Brand

“Honestly funny, honestly truthful, from one of the pioneers of the 80’s comedy scene, when women on the circuit were as rare as unicorns.” – Jenny Éclair

“This wildly entertaining ride through Helen’s fabulous life is funny, adorable, and thought-provoking in equal measure, rather like the dazzling author herself.” – Joanna Lumley

About the Author

Helen Lederer is a writer, actress, comedian, and presenter. Apart from TV, stage, and radio, she’s best known as Catriona, the dippy journalist in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous – although, her stay in the Big Brother house caused a different kind of notoriety. Her novel, Losing It, was nominated for the PG Wodehouse comedy literary prize. In 2019, Helen set up the Comedy Women in Print Prize (CWIP), to celebrate witty women writers. She lives in London.