'A gleeful glimpse behind the grubby curtain of stand-up'

Ivo Graham has written his first book, exploring his 'professional meltdowns’ and ‘general bedlam of his life’.

Yardsticks For Failure will be published in September and is described as ‘a gleeful glimpse behind the grubby curtain of stand-up comedy’.

The Eton-educated comedian – who came last in the 15th series of Taskmaster ‘by quite some margin’ – said: ‘As much as I enjoy being sent memes of myself in distress, usually clutching my head in a shed, it’s a huge privilege to be able to flesh out my catalogue of professional meltdowns in my own words.  I haven’t made the best of all the privileges in my life, but I fully intend to make the best of this one.’

Publisher Yvonne Jacob from Headline added that Graham ‘brilliantly draws on those aspirations we all have, both big and small, that are slipping away in the face our daily grind. It's the book we all need to help us lean into our dreams, as well as our to do list, and find out a little bit more about ourselves along the way’.

The full blurb for the book says: ‘Yardsticks For Failure is a deep dive into the various facepalms of Ivo's recent past, and a live diary of his unravelling present, where his solution to the general bedlam of his life has been to pile his plate higher than ever before. 

‘Longer-term resolutions of rest and relaxation can wait; in the meantime, he's trying to host the greatest club night of all time, run a Sub-3 marathon while pushing a wheelchair, and put his heart on the line in a show unlike anything he's ever done before.

‘This is a gleeful glimpse behind the grubby curtain of stand-up comedy, via friendship and films, fatherhood and Funkytown. A feast for anyone who's ever been enthralled or appalled by Ivo's cursed politeness, squandered promise, or serial prank-victimhood; for anyone battling to get their own life inbox to zero; for anyone who's ever set fire to a diary, lost their mind over a quiz, or pegged it through a station for the last train home. 

‘Yardsticks For Failure is a unique self-examination from one of the most eloquent writers and worriers of his generation. Ivo almost certainly won't achieve everything he sets out to, but it's going to be a hell of a ride.’

Graham will be unveiling two new shows at this year’s Edinburgh fringe, the stand-up hour Grand Designs, which sets out ‘to prove he's not just Taskmaster's yardstick for failure’ and the nostalgic spoken-word theatre show Carousel.. And on Sunday he is running the London Marathon, while pushing fellow comic Rosie Jones in a buggie.

Subtitled A Journey Down the Sinkhole of Not Getting Stuff Done. Yardsticks For Failure is available to order from Amazon in hardback, ebook or audiobook. It will be released on September 24.

Published: 19 Apr 2024