“I invite you to imagine a time when women didn’t do comedy unless they were fat, or an impressionist, or enabled by a man. Be happy you weren’t around in the ’80s. But I was. I need to write this.”
What was it like as one of a handful of women at the heart of the right-on alternative comedy scene in the 1980s? Piece of cake? Bit of a laugh? Well, yes, and no. It had its ups – but also its downs.
Helen Lederer was a regular on the stand-up circuit and new-wave sketch shows in the decade that launched the careers of today’s comedy household names and national treasures. She shared stages with comedy pioneers like Ben Elton and Rik Mayall, and TV screens with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Harry Enfield, and many others. From the iconic Absolutely Fabulous, to Bottom, Happy Families, Naked Video, French and Saunders, and Girls on Top; it is difficult to think of a comedy show that Helen wasn’t a part of. So, plain sailing then? Well, not really.
Not That I’m Bitter is a powerful, frank, moving and characteristically funny memoir, revealing exactly how choppy the waters could be. Even in those ground-breaking, anti-Thatcher days, there was only room at the top for so many women. For the rest, it was as much a struggle to be seen and heard in the world of comedy as in any boardroom or workplace – and just as difficult to avoid the predators.
But this is more than the story of one decade. The child of a Czech wartime refugee, Helen was never part of the mainstream. How do you make humour from a lifelong battle against problems with weight and low self-esteem? Where are the jokes in addictions to diet pills and steroid injections? How can laughter defeat the darker moments? How do you cope with constant self-sabotage and when, despite enormous success, you still feel like a failure?
A genuinely funny memoir with lots of heart (and just the right amount of bitterness!), there’s something that everyone can relate to. Helen pulls no punches, but every blow is wrapped in a laugh of recognition. Brilliantly written, revealing, and moving, Not That I’m Bitter is a sweet, sour, and unforgettable memoir and a welcome addition to the Funny Women Library.
Available from all good book shops now! Helen Lederer Twitter Instagram Facebook Website.
