Alexei Sayle – författare

Kelvin is a 33-year-old property developer living in a small Lancashire town.He has five close friends, all in well-paid jobs. Having bought their lovely houses cheaply in the early 1990s, they are free to spend money on their own pleasures - particularly clothes, meals and cars. Most of all, their life revolves around going to see things - art exhibitions, comedians, live music, plays...When we first meet the six friends they are on their way to see a new kind of circus. Once there Kelvin does something unforgivable to a clown, has a strange snack and meets the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.It's the beginning of the end of the good life.

The acclaimed BARCELONA PLATES revealed Alexei Sayle as a writer with an outstanding ability to describe contemporary life in an unusual way. Now, in his new collection THE DOG CATCHER, he brilliantly captures the morals and absurdities of our so-called 'cool' culture, populated by characters as recognizable as they are memorable. THE DOG CATCHER will confirm Alexei Sayle's reputation as not only one of the great exponents of the short story genre, but also as a profound commentator on the way we live now.

'A funny, frightening book that is also refreshingly bonkers' Guardian 'A brilliant writer...a great novelist' Richard and JudyNorthern girl Harriet lives and works on a London estate which is a battleground between the white working class plus the immigrants versus the newly arrived middle class focaccia-eaters. Unhappy and overweight, she hires a personal trainer who lures her into joining the martial arts class he runs. There she learns the regime of the completely phoney martial arts master and embarks on a spiritual and literal journey which leads her to a hotel opposite the railway station at Crewe, the Weeping Women Hotel. 'If you like your weirdness with warmth and wit, Sayle's your man' Metro

'Fascinating and hugely entertaining' Daily Telegraph'It's not like other comedians' memoirs. It's funny' GuardianThe Sayles might not have been the only Jewish atheist communist family in Liverpool, but Alexei knew from an early age that they were one of the more eccentric.Born on the day egg rationing came to an end, Alexei was the only child of Joe, an affable trade unionist who led the family on railway expeditions across eastern Europe, and Molly, a hot-tempered red-head who terrified teachers and insisted Alexei see the Red Army Choir instead of the Beatles.Perceptive and hilarious, this is a portrait of a family, a city, a country and a continent going through enormous changes.'Sayle's book has charm and substance, both as memoir and history' Times Literary Supplement

A septuagenarian contract killer, a chronic hypochondriac, two zombie-creating comedians, a good Samaritan and a man called Barnaby whose holiday takes an unexpected turn. In these sleek and witty tales, described by Loaded as 'an excellent collection of dark, funny and bizarre short stories', Alexei Sayle's characters are vividly, wryly - and occasionally disturbingly - portrayed. Their voices, and the stories they have to tell will remain in the mind for a long, long time.

Above a small village in Spain, an English costume designer sees a bright shining star lurch abruptly across the sky.On Christmas Day a strong, silent man with blank eyes enters Bar Noche Azul.Only a thirteen year old boy could have guessed that there was any connection between the two.Wonderfully inventive, darkly funny and thoughtful, MISTER ROBERTS is both an original coming-of-age story and an unusual take on the corrupting influence of power.

PRE-ORDER the new book from Alexei Sayle: lifelong socialist, '80s comedy legend, bestselling writer and TikTok's favourite Marxist ExplainerSo, this is the story I wish to tell, the story of the Left and the world it tried and is trying to change, a struggle that I have been involved in my whole lifetime. . .'For years, we have wondered where exactly did Alexei Sayle's outbursts come from. Finally, right here, he reveals the secret to his exploding brain' - Michael RosenBorn in working-class Liverpool in 1952 to devoted members of the British Communist Party, Alexei Sayle has spent a lifetime walking down the middle of the street shouting.How I've Tried to Change the World is a memoir of his life on the Left, covering seven decades of social history told through key marches and rallies. From the demonstrations against the Vietnam War in 1969 and the first Miners' strike in 1974, to the demonstration against the 2003 Iraq invasion and the recent marches in support of Gaza, Sayle traces the enduring struggle for a better, fairer world. He explores Left ideas, why they matter and why it's still worth taking them seriously.Along the way, we encounter The Other Alexei (a bitter, retired media studies lecturer from Clitheroe Polytechnic), his imaginary daughter Tanita, and learn how a Samurai philosophy called Bushidō can teach us how to behave at an all-you-can-eat buffet.Eye-wateringly funny, unexpectedly moving and unashamedly polemical, this is a one-of-a-kind chronicle of defiance and belief: a story of one man's refusal to stay on the pavement.

'Enlightening … Funny, smart, original and provocative ... It is hard to imagine the stalwarts of Mock the Week recognising the Druze militia leader Walid Jumblatt in a London cinema' NEW STATESMAN'Few standups have come close to capturing a fraction of this creative energy in a book … Alexei Sayle is an exception' GUARDIAN"What I brought to comedy was an authentic working-class voice plus a threat of genuine violence - nobody in Monty Python looked like a hard case who’d kick your head in."In 1971, comedians on the working men's club circuit imagined that they would be free to continue telling their tired, racist, misogynistic gags forever. But their nemesis, a nineteen-year-old Marxist art student, was slowly coming to meet them…Thatcher Stole My Trousers chronicles a time when comedy and politics united in electrifying ways. Recounting the founding of the Comedy Store, the Comic Strip and the Young Ones, and Alexei’s friendships with the comedians who – like him – would soon become household names, this is a unique and beguiling blend of social history and memoir. Fascinating, funny, angry and entertaining, it is a story of class and comedy, politics and love, fast cars and why it’s difficult to foul a dwarf in a game of football.

''Enlightening … Funny, smart, original and provocative ... It is hard to imagine the stalwarts of Mock the Week recognising the Druze militia leader Walid Jumblatt in a London cinema'' NEW STATESMAN''Few standups have come close to capturing a fraction of this creative energy in a book … Alexei Sayle is an exception'' GUARDIAN"What I brought to comedy was an authentic working-class voice plus a threat of genuine violence - nobody in Monty Python looked like a hard case who''d kick your head in."In 1971, comedians on the working men''s club circuit imagined that they would be free to continue telling their tired, racist, misogynistic gags forever. But their nemesis, a nineteen-year-old Marxist art student, was slowly coming to meet them…Thatcher Stole My Trousers chronicles a time when comedy and politics united in electrifying ways. Recounting the founding of the Comedy Store, the Comic Strip and the Young Ones, and Alexei''s friendships with the comedians who – like him – would soon become household names, this is a unique and beguiling blend of social history and memoir. Fascinating, funny, angry and entertaining, it is a story of class and comedy, politics and love, fast cars and why it''s difficult to foul a dwarf in a game of football.

Alexei Sayle reveals his true vocation: proprietor of an imaginary sandwich shop. Blending politics, comedy, philosophy and memoir, this is the Godfather of Alternative Comedy at his most anarchic and irresistibly entertainingAlexei Sayle has been telling people he runs a sandwich bar on Gray''s Inn Road that doesn''t exist since the mid-1970s. From behind this imaginary counter Alexei dispenses wisdom and focaccia to his famous customers as he explores his love of pretending, reveals why he disappeared from our TV screens in the 1990''s, lobbies for eleven-hour long episodes of Newsnight and discusses rampant nepotism in coveted careers. And from drawing striking comparisons between capitalism and all-you-can-eat buffets to discussing the hidden depths of Taylor Swift, this flight of fancy packs a surprising punch and will leave you hungry for more.

The Godfather of Alternative Comedy returns with eight more shows blending stand-up, memoir and philosophyAlexei Sayle's two favourite things are pretending and places that sell sandwiches, and in his hit BBC radio series he mixes both to hilarious effect. As he welcomes made-up customers to buy notional snacks, he dispenses outlandish monologues, fantastical flights of fancy and a bumper helping of hilarity.There's plenty of politics on the menu, as Alexei makes a case for becoming the UK's defence minister, considers the motivations of the rich, debuts a new slam poem entitled 'I Hate Keir Starmer' and reflects on changes of government and global power struggles. But Alexei has other topics on his mind too, from his own involvement in the 'spy cops' scandal and the time he made up gossip for a living, to his unorthodox upbringing in Liverpool, our ultimate life quests, and a strange house plant that refused to die...Also included at the end of this release are the collected songs from the series, including bonus material in the form of some extra verses that were not included in the original broadcast episodes.Winner of a BBC Audio Drama Award for Best Scripted Comedy (Sketch Show), this side-splitting series is a satirical smorgasbord of jokes, music, sketches and surreal streams-of-consciousness. If you're hungry for anarchic comedy, give it a listen - you're sure to find it deliciously moreish...ContentsThe Episodes:1. Series 4 Episode 1: A Monopoly of Violence2. Series 4 Episode 2: The Revolving Door3. Series 4 Episode 3: The Way We Live Now4. Series 4 Episode 4: Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.5. Series 5 Episode 1: The Sense of an Abrupt Ending6. Series 5 Episode 2: What is this place you have brought me to Roger?7. Series 5 Episode 3: Jumping the Shark8. Series 5 Episode 4: Unsweet CharityThe Songs:9. Opening Credits song10. The Ballad of Pirate Alexei (full version)11. Chanson d'Alexei12. Utopias13. Midtown Baps14. Corbyn!15. What is This Place That You've Brought Me to, Roger? (full version)16. Closing CreditsCast and creditsWritten and performed by Alexei SayleAdditional material by Tom WhymanWith original music and lyrics from Tim SuttonMusicians in Series 5, Episode 2: Sophie Creaner (clarinet and sax), Tom Ellis (acoustic guitar),Matt Sharp (cello)Produced by Joe Nunnery and Richard MorrisProduction Co-ordinator: Jodie CharmanA BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 20 October-10 November 2022 (Series 4), 1-22 March 2025 (Series 5)(c) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd