We Had Some Laughs

Description

A warm, funny, sad memoir about the darts commentator Sid Waddell by his son, Dan. As 'the voice of darts', the inimitable Sid Waddell helped transform it from an unfashionable pub game to a massively successful international sport. His uninhibited enthusiasm, classical allusions and memorable one-liners endeared him to millions. His son Dan Waddell grew up in this smoky, boozy world and witnessed Sid's turbulent journey from failed novelist and struggling TV producer to much-loved television personality. We Had Some Laughs is Dan's warm, moving and funny account of Sid's colourful life and career and a son's memories of an unconventional dad. It is also a celebration of a way of life and a story of loss - of people, places and times now gone or changed for ever. But, most of all, it's a story about fathers and sons, and the unshakeable bond between them.

Dan Waddell is a journalist, novelist and author. He covered two seasons of county cricket for the Daily Telegraph and his books include Who Do You Think You Are? and Field of Shadows- The Remarkable True Story of the English Cricket Tour of Nazi Germany, 1937. He captains Acton 2nd XI in the Middlesex County League where he tries and fails to pass on sage advice to young players.

Hootingly funny, deftly structured, a joy to read and highly recommended -- Marcus Berkmann * The Spectator * A touching, funny, warm and readable tribute to a funny, warm and unreadable man! * Stephen Fry * Warm, moving and humorous.... a paean to a way of life that has slowly slipped from view and people and places that linger now only as memories * Yorkshire Post * A touching tribute to a man who transcended his sport * Sunday Times, Sports Books of the Year * Raise a glass to Sid Waddell's wit and warmth! ... An engaging biography of a much-loved tv voice ... packed throughout with little gems about Sid * Telegraph * Touching * The Times * Affectionate, funny * Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year * A touching and laugh-out-loud tribute to the father he adored -- Eithne Farry * Express * Extremely funny... Brilliant. * Birmingham Post * I adored this treble-top memoir of coal miner's son, Cambridge graduate and inimitable darts commentator Sid Waddell by his sportswriter son. By turns fruity, funny and deeply touching, it teems with larger-than-life characters - and I don't just mean the darts players. At its heart it's a celebration of a vanished era, from the pits of County Durham and the early Wild West days of Yorkshire Television, to the boozy, smoky pre-arena spectacle that was darts. But most of all it's a story about a father and a son, and the often tested but never broken bond between them. -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller * An ESSENTIAL book for any fan of darts or, more specifically, the voice of darts, Sid Waddell... reading Dan's book felt like an old friend was being brought to life again in my hands. -- Krispy * pdc-darts.co.uk *