Kenneth Williams: Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams

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In the early 1960s, one would have said he had a promising future - he had done serious stage roles (the Dauphin in St. None of that takes away from the fact that this is the most fabulously interesting book, even if at the end you're left with the overwhelming impression that KW was, essentially, a very sad and lonely man. However, I'm pretty sure that in the diaries Williams refers to Cowboy as one of his favourites in the series [On 9th February 1966 Williams wrote in his diary that Cowboy was ". Williams said finding God got him to confess, writing "I take full responsibility for my actions and whatever consequences my peers see fit. I loved his sharp wit, and felt pain for his constant depression, his hatred of himself and of his sexuality, his love for his mother, his pain over her death, his constant wish for death himself.

The most interesting part of the diaries is when he deals with the great British playwright Joe Orton. Direct from the studio sale these pieces of art/sculpture are collectors pieces and already proven investment acquisitions for the future. Thursday 21st December, 1978 (package holiday in Tenerife with striking hotel workers): Made my own bed. It was a carrier bag picnic meal; they're all taking it with the apathetic calm which many mistake for British phlegm.A diary can just be a record of your daily life but it also is a confidante, something you can turn to when something has annoyed or upset you or just when your thoughts are so overwhelming you have to get them out onto paper or your computer screen. The same themes of snide dismissals of fellow performers, bad scripts, personal illness (chief of which was undoubtedly hypochondria), holidays to Tangier or Tenerife, complaints about his living accommodation, worries about his mother (always referred to as Louie) and which restaurants he visited for his dinner all became immensely wearing and tedious. He was a very unhappy man and, to be fair, was as hard on himself (at times) than he could be on others.

In his descriptions of Tony Hancock, Maggie Smith, Joe Orton and countless others, his waspish sense of humour, love of anecdote and ear for dialogue are given full rein. The volumes sat there in his home and after Williams died it was Russell Davies that took on the job to condense it down to the book that we get to read. But he had a run of flops (Gentle Jack, Loot, The Platinum Cat) and his love/hate relationship with the stage turned into only fear and loathing of a run.His sad end and a mystery around how his life ended (certainly at the time) is there for all to see.