Following the bestselling publication of THE KENNETH WILLIAMS DIARIES, the devastating self-portrait of one of our most loved and complex performers is completed with this marvellous selection of his letters. This is a wonderful treasure trove of correspondence with all manner of people, including Alec Guinness, Maggie Smith, Joe Orton, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and the Stokers' Mess of HMS Leverton. Kenneth Williams took letters very seriously, and he was always disgusted by a morning that failed to provide him with some material to pore over. Letters called forth the performer in Williams in a way that his diaries never did: many of them are virtual comic monologues, and in general they suggest more strongly than the diaries the likeable and constructive side of a man who remains, nevertheless, as outrageous and 'difficult' as ever.

Following the publication of The Kenneth Williams Diaries, this is a collection of his letters. Corresponding with all manner of people, including Alec Guinness, Maggie Smith, Joe Orton, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and the Stokers' Mess of HMS Leverton, the letters call forth the performer in Williams - many are virtual comic monologues. They evoke the likeable and constructive nature of a man who remains, neverthless as outrageous and difficult as ever.

To mark the 20th anniversary of Kenneth Williams’ death, a beautiful coffee table book celebrating his life, including never-before-seen photographs, sketches and personal testimony from Williams’ closest friends, for the very first time.

For more than 40 years broadcaster and comedian Kenneth Williams kept a journal of his experiences - this book is a one-volume selection of these diaries. In addition to offering conclusive evidence as to the nature of Williams' death in 1988, the diaries reveal different sides of his character.

This is Kenneth Williams' collection of his favourite barbed stories and malicious bon mots in an A to Z of unsurpassed cruelty, including cartoons by Graeme Garden and introduced by Gyles Brandreth who knew Williams for many years and is an executor of Williams' estate. Kenneth Williams is regarded as one of the great raconteurs and comedy actors of the century. His bestselling diaries, edited by Russell Davis, reveal a complex, deeply insecure character whose bitter, excoriating wit alienated just about everyone who crossed his path. The brilliantly crafted vitriol in his private diaries found life through his TV interviews and appearances on radio shows such as Just a Minute. These outbursts have made him synonymous with the wicked story and the caustic put down. Since his suicide in 1988, his popularity has grown. A two part Omnibus programme on his life appeared on ITV and a touring one man show of Williams' life has been playing to full houses for the last two years. Terry Johnson's play Cleo, Camping, Emanuelle and Dick, exploring Williams' relationship with Barbara Windsor and Sid James, ran to rave reviews and 'The Diaries' continue to sell.

Kenneth Williams was the stand-out comic actor of his generation. Beloved as the manic star of Carry On films and as a peerless raconteur on TV chat shows, he was also acclaimed for serious stage roles. Born Brilliant will include much previously unseen material from Williams's candid daily journal and also draw on rare in-depth interviews with friends and colleagues. Since the publication of edited extracts from his diaries, much controversy has surrounded Williams's personal and professional lives. This biography traces the complex contradictions that characterised an extraordinary life and presents the first full portrait of a star who was born brilliant.