Rich Hall has written his memoirs, to be launched at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Nailing It is described ‘a collection of funny and often absurd epiphanies... hilariously self-deprecating, deliciously acerbic and often utterly surreal’.

Hall says: ‘There are only two kinds of good comedy: smart stupid and stupid smart. With Nailing It, I strived for the latter, but I can live with the former.’

Anecdotes in the book include accidentally melting Kraft cheese at his first Edinburgh Fringe, alienating an entire convention of RV holiday-makers in Las Vegas, singing The Who’s You Better You Bet at a charity gig and turning his performance into a legendary rock ‘n’ roll disaster, and attempting to seduce Karen, who is now his wife.

The 320-page hardback will be published by Quercus on August 18, priced £20.

Publisher Katy Follain said: ‘I am so excited for people to read Rich Hall’s book. It’s sharp, it’s witty and it’s extremely funny.

‘Rich is a very talented wordsmith, and he is as hilarious in writing as he is on stage. And while his legendary grouchiness pervades each page of this fantastic book, the stories are ultimately joyful, with a healthy dose of cynicism and darkness that his fans will love.’

Hall originally aspired to be a writer and trained to be a journalist. But after a stint at the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee, he found himself trying to impress a girl by doing a one-man show  armed with a bucket, a loudhailer and some dog biscuits – and found his calling in comedy.