Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Frank Skinner cover art

Frank Skinner

By: Frank Skinner
Narrated by: Frank Skinner
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Dispatches from the Sofa cover art
A Comedian's Prayer Book cover art
Rambling Man cover art
Frank Skinner on the Road cover art
Thanks for Nothing cover art
We Need to Talk About Kevin Bridges cover art
From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast (Series 1) cover art
Everybody Died, So I Got a Dog cover art
The Sound of Laughter cover art
And Away... cover art
Mack the Life cover art
James Acaster's Classic Scrapes cover art
How Did All This Happen? cover art
Life and Laughing cover art
Small Man in a Book cover art
May I Have Your Attention Please? cover art

Summary

Frank Skinner is undoubtedly one of the funniest and most successful comedians appearing on British screens. Born Chris Collins in 1957, he grew up in the West Midlands where he inherited his father's passion for football, a West Bromich Albion supporter, along with a liking for alcohol. Expelled from school at 16, Frank held various jobs, later going on to gain an MA in English Literature.

Nurturing a serious drinking problem from the age of 14, Frank eventually turned to Catholicism in 1987 and hasn't had a drink since. He performed his first stand-up gig in December 1987. His first television appearance in 1988 met with fits of laughter from the audience and 131 complaints, including one from cabinet minister Edwina Currie. He met fellow comedian David Baddiel in 1990, and the two went on to share a flat throughout the early 90's and to create the hit TV series Fantasy Football League. Winner of the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival, Skinner's is a unique mixture of laddish and philosophical humour which has won him the prime time ITV show The Frank Skinner Show. Here, for the first time, Frank candidly tells us of the highs and lows of his fascinating life and career.

©2001 Frank Skinner (P)2005 Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"It's his poignant portrait of his working-class youth that makes it a classic of its kind." ( Guardian)

What listeners say about Frank Skinner

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    169
  • 4 Stars
    62
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    15
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    146
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    10
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    126
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    14

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Abridged, what a waste.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

By having it UNABRIDGED.

What was most disappointing about Frank Skinner’s story?

It was like an incoherent highlights package, kind of like watching a movie that cut 80% out randomly.

Any additional comments?

I know this is a great book having read the hardback on release.

I recently read Kevin Bridges book which subliminally makes you want to read or retread Frank skinners book.

I genuinally never noticed it was an abridged version of just over 2 hours. This DOES NOT work for an autobiography.


I can understand abridged for artistic reasons but it really spoils what is a superb book. My rating reflects the fact that a short version like this is near worthless.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

not like the book

I've read frank's book around 4 times and I love it. Frank skinner is awesome and so funny. However the Audible book is massivelg dissapointing. Massive chunks of the book missing and the best bits too. It's a shame.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Ehhh where is the rest of the book! This was just like listening to his podcast!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

This has put me off Frank Skinner!

I like some of Frank Skinner’s comedy but lots of this offensive. Every woman he describes is judged by the size of their ‘t*ts’ and figure. He occasionally says that despite being not very pretty, she was ‘nice’. Lots of lines like ‘so I f**ked her’.
Awful, misogynistic, thoughtless autobiography. I laughed a couple of times at other parts but wish hadn’t bothered with this. This isn’t about being politically correct or even judgemental about promiscuity but more the way he is so dismissive about women.
Michael McIntyre’s autobiography is much better! That is funny, thoughtful and occasionally vulnerable (although lots of judgements about how attractive women are too, what is it about male comedians?) Frank Skinner’s autobiography is sexist lads’ only tosh.

Don’t bother.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story butchered in the abridgement

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

A great story well read but a shame not available at full length. Huge sections hinted at but not covered (eg marrage). No gaps between sections. Obviously squashed to fit on to a CD. If you are a fan do not let this out you off but why is the full length version not available.

What does Frank Skinner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

His honest personality comes across.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointed at the production.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A Life Like Frank's

I'd agree with the review from The Guardian - it's the early years, before he became famous, that are of the most interest here. His heavy drinking in seventies Birmingham are portrayed honestly and unflinchingly, with the feeling coming through that for all its seeming drudgery, he was happiest then. Once he becomes famous I became less interested and felt that the 'Three Lions' story went on a bit. They didn't win, Frank, get over it. I look forward to the next installment because, from what is written here, Skinner still has a lot to say about fame and coming to terms with it, and maybe he'll do this once his star begins to diminish a bit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very entertaining book

Typically crude yet not overlong
Enjoyed the book and the fact that frank had also narrated the book
Worth a listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Funny, but short

Great funny stories, but too much missing to be considered an autobiography. A cd length really. Well worth a listen, but maybe not worth my one credit for the month. Buy the cd instead!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A hilarious listen!

Plenty of laugh out loud moments, I thoroughly enjoyed. It seemed to be over in a flash, which left me a little disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a Goat!!

Brilliantly honest
Stealthy funny
Resonating and vivid memories
Leaves you wanting more.
Too short….. Far too short

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!