Freak Or Unique?: The Chris Evans Story - Softcover

Jones, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006530176 ISBN 13: 9780006530176

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1997

Synopsis

The first revelationary biography of broadcaster Chris Evans, widely acclaimed as the most original and gifted broadcaster of his generation, a man whose very name precipitates fierce debate. From his youth in Warrington to super stardom in London, no stone is left unturned.

Freak Or Unique? The Chris Evans Story charts the life and times of Chris Evans, from lowly beginnings in the north of England to the big time on British Radio 1 and presenting and producing his own unique brand of television comedy on shows like The Big Breakfast, Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush and TFI Friday. To his millions of followers, Evans is the last word in irreverent, off-the-cuff humour, a folk hero who pulls no punches. Consequently, Evans’s detractors see him in a dim light. In their view his arrogance, lewdness and contempt for authority are dangerously subversive.

So how has this carrot-haired, geeky 30-year-old risen to a position of enormous popularity and influence? What lies behind the facade which varies perplexingly from zany to truculent? By examining his formative years, then charting his later development – both personal and professional – this biography provides some compelling and poignant answers. The real Chris Evans, it emerges, is far more enigmatic than his audience might imagine. Cruelly bullied as a boy, he now bullies those around him; deeply devoted to his mother and late father, he has chosen to freeze his own daughter out of his life; capable of great generosity, loyalty, spontaneous acts of kindness and warmth, he can also be mean-spirited, self-seeking, callous and cold hearted.

David Jones talks to people who have known Evans personally and professionally, including his former PA and the mother of his child.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

DANGEROUS SUBVERSIVE, OR THE VOICE OF THE 90s?
SEX ICON, OR CONTENDER FOR 'TFI Friday''s INFAMOUS UGLY BLOKE COMPETITION?

Channel 4's 'The Big Breakfast' brought Chris Evans stardom, which he has since sealed with the success of his own TV shows, 'Don't Forget Your Toothbrush' and 'TFI Friday'. To his millions of fans he is a comic genius, the essence of popular culture. His trademark off-the-cuff humour and shocking irreverence have established him as the most gifted broadcaster of his day, but to his detractors he is a lewd, arrogant egotist.

How did the bullied child become a notorious bully? How did the devoted son become the father who never sees his own daughter? Full of contradictions, but endlessly fascinating, the name of Chris Evans never fails to spark fierce debate. 'Freak or Unique? The Chris Evans Story' talks to the people who have loved and hated him over the years and tells you everything you want to know about the man behind the glasses.

About the Author:

David Jones is a well respected journalist with over twenty years experience writing for publications which include Today and the Mail. He has won various awards, including Young Journalist of the Year and Environment Journalist of the Year (1990), and has been the New York correspondent for the Sun. He lives in London with his wife and four children. Freak Or Unique? The Chris Evans Story is his first biography.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0006530176
• ISBN 13: 9780006530176
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256