A Class Act: Life as a working-class man in a middle-class world

Written by Rob Beckett

Narrated by Rob Beckett

‘Pacy, witty and affectionate’ Guardian

Rob Beckett never seems to fit in. At work, in the middle-class world of television and comedy, he’s the laddie, cockney geezer, but to his mates down the pub in south-east London, he’s the theatrical one, a media luvvie. Even at home, his wife and kids are posher than him.

In this hilarious exploration of class, Rob compares his life growing up as a working-class kid to the life he lives now, trying to understand where he truly belongs.

Will he always be that fat kid who was told he’d never be a high-flyer? Why does he feel ashamed if he does anything vaguely middle class? Will he ever favour craft beer over lager? What happens if you eat 50 olives and drink two bottles of champagne? Why is ‘boner’ such a funny word?

In search of answers, Rob relives the moments in his life when the class divide couldn’t be more obvious. Whether it’s the gig for rich bankers that was worse than Matt Hancock hosting the GQ Men of the Year Awards, turning up at a swanky celebrity house party with a blue bag of cans from the offy or identifying the root of his ambition as a childhood incident involving soiled pants and Jurassic Park, Rob digs deep.

A Class Act is his funny, candid and often moving account of what it feels like to be an outsider and the valuable (sometimes humiliating) life lessons he’s learned along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9780008468200

Rob Beckett

Rob Beckett started performing stand-up in 2009 and quickly enjoyed success in all of the new comedian competitions, winning four competitions in his first year. Consistently impressive performances led to him finishing as a runner up in So You Think You’re Funny and winning the Amused Moose Laugh Off, which earned him an invite to perform at comedy festivals in Australia. He made his debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012 with his solo show Rob Beckett’s Summer Holiday.

Reviews for A Class Act

[sarah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely brilliant!! Your podcast saved me in lockdown & I’m so pleased I got to listen to this on my dog walks, well done

[Penny Hams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. Such an entertaining, brave & honest account of one comedian's working class journey. Related a lot despite being a middle aged single female teacher working abroad ! ?