Comedy and Error

In 1993 Simon Day was delighted when Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson asked him to join the cast of their new TV sketch show but had little idea that when it aired the following year he'd become a household name almost overnight. It was The Fast Show, now one of Britain's most successful comedy series to date. As part of The Fast Show's eclectic ensemble of fresh comedy talent Day brought to our screens some hugely funny and memorable characters of his own creation: Competitive Dad, Dave Angel the Eco Warrior, Billy Bleach and the much-lauded music-hall legend Tommy Cockles to name but a few.
Throughout the nineties Day continued to enjoy fame and success, with his own spin-off, Grass, various acting roles and popularity on the British stand-up circuit. Life was good and he seemed to be enjoying himself enormously. In fact, behind the scenes he was struggling with addictions - to gambling, food, alcohol and drugs - and a capacity for self-destruction that almost destroyed his life and career.
In Comedy and Error Day recounts his extraordinary journey: from his steady, middle-class childhood in South East London through his time in borstal, his subsequent homelessness and depression, and the remarkable twist of fate that led him to meet a young Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, whose confidence in his natural comedic talent and oddball humour gave him the platform from which to start his career in stand-up. With idiosyncratically sharp wit, charm and candour he describes how his then undiagnosed severe dyslexia and Attention-Deficit Disorder led him to grow up with low self-esteem and lack of focus, talks about his vagabond existence and the addictions that would dog him.
Paul Whitehouse once described him as someone who can come up with a piece of comedy genius 'just like that' but who can also forget a piece of comedy genius 'just like that' - and in every respect Simon Day's story is one step sideways from normality. Besides, in the words of his stalwartcreation