Join author Barbra Paskin for the launch of her new book on Dudley Moore. A celebration of the much-loved comedy legend revealed through letters from his friends, colleagues and peers, Dear Dudley publishes for the first time a hundred of the many kind, comforting, supportive, and often extremely funny letters obtained from leading celebrities to mark Dudley’s sixty-fourth birthday, from the Rolling Stones to Michael Caine, Billy Joel to Alan Bennett, Goldie Hawn to Woody Allen.
It is also a biography of an icon, encapsulating his extraordinary life and career from the ground- breaking Beyond the Fringe followed by his long association with Peter Cook that produced the iconic television series Not Only…But Also (1965-70), their outrageous Derek and Clive recordings and their classic film Bedazzled (1967) to Dudley’s solo Hollywood stardom with landmark films like 10 (1979) and Arthur (1981).
Author Barbra Paskin was Dudley Moore’s official biographer, having known him well for many years. In 1994, knowing he was seriously ill and wanting to cheer him up as he approached his 64th birthday, Barbra approached hundreds of his friends and colleagues from the world of entertainment, telling them only that he was unwell, and asked them to write him letters which she would assemble in an album for his April birthday.
She was blown away by the response. Over the next four months, letters poured in from all over the world. Even from those who hadn’t known Dudley but wanted to be part of this mammoth expression of affection for the star. The letters carried messages of love and devotion, many of them bearing words of comfort.
Barbra says: “This is not a book about sadness. It is a book about triumph and achievement and a cherished legacy we continue to enjoy today. It is above all a celebration of the man who became one of Britain’s national treasures.”
Barbra Paskin is a British journalist who writes arts and entertainment stories for newspapers, magazines and broadcast around the world. She was the BBC’s first Hollywood correspondent in the late 1970s, and at that time was the only female and youngest member of the British press corps in Los Angeles, where she still lives. She also writes books, publishes photo essays, and writes and produces radio programmes for the BBC and American radio. Barbra Paskin was unusually close to Dudley, who entrusted his life story to her, offering us a rare and unique insight into the star’s life.
Among the guests hoping to attend will be Joe McGrath, who directed Pete and Dud on TV.
Doors open at 19.00, for a 19.30 start.
Refreshments will be available in our licensed cafe/bar.
TICKETS & PRICING
Free admission. Places are limited, so please RSVP to events@bonnierbooks.co.uk.
