Third volume on the way

Lenny Henry is working on a third volume of his memoirs.

The second volume, Rising To The Surface, was released last summer and took the comedian up to 2001, when he won the Golden Rose of Montreux, Europe's most prestigious television award, for his In Pieces sketch show.

Speaking to Graham Norton on his BBC One chat show tomorrow night, Henry confirmed that another book is on the way, charting the way his career expanded beyond comedy.

‘There is stuff about Comic Relief and stuff about acting to talk about,’ he said. ‘Acting properly changed my life.  And when you are talking about life changes and things that make you think in a whole different way, they are worth writing about.’

Of Rising To The Surface, he said: ‘It really covers the 20 years to 2000 and the rise and fall of grafting in showbiz and how when things go wrong you have to bounce back.’

It followed  the acclaimed Who Am I Again?, released in 2001, which charted his early life, including winning the New Faces talent show as a teenager and working in the Black And White Minstrel Show.

Henry also tells Norton about  his new children’s book The Book of Legends, saying: ‘I always wanted to write a book for someone who looked like me, someone who liked the idea of adventure but didn’t see themselves in stories.

Jack Whitehall is also on tonight’s show, speaking about how he spends much of his time in America now, but missing about home: The apathy.

‘I like it but I miss England if I am there for too long,’ he said. I miss the apathy and disinterest of Brits, it’s all a bit too enthusiastic in the States.

‘I was at a party in LA and I met a guy who had a man bun and a plunging neckline and when I asked where he lived he responded, "In the moment." I almost threw up

He also spoke about the upcoming reunion episode of Bad Education, in which his character Alfie Wickers bows out. ‘It’s a bit like Avatar,’ Whitehall joked, ‘in that it is 10 years later but with a slightly smaller budget.’

• The Graham Norton Show is on BBC One at 10.55pm tomorrow, then on iPlayer.

Published: 9 Dec 2022