King of the Universe . . . Comic genius . . . Entertainment incarnate * Telegraph * Izzard is Wikipedia in heels. He's made his career out of hilarious, dizzying, surreal routines held up by their own daft logic . . . A force of nature * Radio Times * Sheer Comic Genius. His humour reflects the scattershot lunacy of Monty Python, but with a sophisticated silliness that is entirely his own. He is the most brilliant stand-up comedian of his generation * New York Times * A comedy gem * Guardian * Izzard has a knack for reducing centuries' worth of history to just a few exquisite words (the Romans were just 'fascist plumbers', for example) * Time Out * The funniest man in England * John Cleese * The funniest man in, well, pretty much all of the known universe * Los Angeles Times * Izzard is fleet of foot - even in Cuban heels * Independent * Had the Pythons stuck it out, they'd certainly be doing Izzard-like gags * Chicago Tribune * A consistent intelligence underpins Izzard's whimsy * Chortle * True Izzardians are every bit as committed in their fandom as Star Trek or Dr Who fans * Guardian * Eddie Izzard is my favorite stand-up chameleon -- Eric Idle I had never heard of Eddie Izzard before, but judging by this delightful memoir, he has a glittering career ahead of him. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of working in a Vatican slaughterhouse, acting as Deputy Foreign Minister in Gladstone's first administration, his whacky exploits at his uncle's Taxidermy Cafe, and his tragic death at the age of only eight at the Morris Dancing Finals in Bruges -- John Cleese

Eddie Izzard is a world-renowned comedian, actor, writer, runner, and activist. He made his West End debut in 1993 in a one-man show called Live at the Ambassadors, for which he received an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement. He recently appeared on television as Dr Abel Gideon in Hannibal, and he produced and starred in the FX Networks series The Riches. His films include Valkyrie; Ocean's Thirteen and Ocean's Twelve; Across the Universe; Mystery Men; Shadow of the Vampire; The Cat's Meow; Lost Christmas; Castles in the Sky; and Whisky Galore! His stage appearances include David Mamet's Race and The Cryptogram; the title role in Marlowe's Edward II; 900 Oneonta; and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg in London and on Broadway, which garnered him a Tony nomination for Best Actor. Izzard's hit one-man shows include Dress to Kill, Stripped, and Force Majeure. His performance in Dress to Kill earned him two Emmy Awards. In 2010, the documentary Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story received an Emmy nomination. In 2009, Izzard ran forty-three marathons in fifty-one days throughout the United Kingdom, and in 2016, he ran twenty-seven marathons in twenty-seven days across South Africa in honour of Nelson Mandela's twenty-seven years in prison. By running these seventy marathons he has helped raise GBP4.8 million ($6 million) for the UK charity Sport Relief.