Clara’s Verdict
Count Arthur Strong — showbiz legend, after-dinner speaker, leading authority on Ancient Egypt, only son of a contortionist, and quite possibly the most unreliable narrator in contemporary British comedy — has written a memoir. Or rather, he has written what he believes may be the first of six volumes of his memoirs, a claim that is both characteristic and entirely plausible. Through It All I’ve Always Laughed, published by Faber and Faber in 2014, is a comic masterpiece of a very specific kind: it works because the character is read (or listened to) in his own voice, and Steve Delaney, who created Count Arthur, narrates with the full weight of his creation behind every sentence. Rated 4.4 from 546 reviews, this is one of those audiobooks that divides listeners along entirely predictable lines: either you understand Count Arthur, or you don’t. Those who do will find this essential.
About the audiobook
The memoir traces Count Arthur’s extraordinary journey from his humble early years — the only son of a contortionist in wartime Doncaster — to the dizzy heights and occasional depths of fame as one of the shining lights of popular entertainment. Along the way he offers his personal reflections on friends in the showbiz world (including Barry Cryer, « the white-haired one with glasses off I’m Sorry I Haven’t Got A Clue and Jokers Wild »), his distinguished service in the nation, his status as a leading authority on Ancient Egypt (he was stationed there during his national service), and his ongoing conviction that he is far more celebrated than the evidence would suggest.
The comedy here is structural: Count Arthur’s self-aggrandisement is total and genuinely innocent. He is not cynical. He simply occupies a version of his own history in which everything confirms his importance, and any evidence to the contrary is either misremembered or strategically omitted. The memoir format suits this perfectly — the genre’s inherent claim to authoritative self-knowledge becomes the engine of the joke. Running at 4 hours and 52 minutes, it is the kind of listen that rewards pausing, because you will need moments to recover from laughter.
The narration
Steve Delaney reads this as Count Arthur Strong, which is the only way it could possibly work. The character’s vocal idiosyncrasies — the sticking capital letters, the misremembered names, the magnificent non sequiturs, the absolute certainty of a man who has perpetually misunderstood the situation — are central to the comedy in a way that a conventional narrator could not reproduce. This is as much a performance as it is a narration, and Delaney’s command of the character is complete. At 4 hours and 52 minutes, published by Faber and Faber in January 2014, this is comedy writing and audio performance working in perfect accord.
What readers say
Reviewer Rosie Gamgee chose the audiobook specifically over the print edition: « I wanted to share in the genius of Count Arthur’s delivery. We were not disappointed. » Mike Frederick produced one of the great reviews in the audiobook’s listing, written in the style of the character himself and nearly as funny as the source material. Reviewer Peter Mercer, who came to Count Arthur gradually through the radio and TV series, found the memoir « exceeded expectations. » A more measured view from M. Shuttleworth noted that much of the material overlaps with the radio series — a fair criticism for long-term fans, but one that affects the book’s freshness rather than its quality.
Who should listen?
Die-hard fans of the radio series and the television show will find this essential, though they should be aware that some material is familiar from those sources. Anyone who has never encountered Count Arthur Strong and is willing to be baffled for the first ten minutes before the character locks into place will be amply rewarded. This is British comedy at its most peculiar and most lovable. Not for those who require their humour to be direct.
Listen to Through It All I’ve Always Laughed on Audible UK — get it here.
