'The Sound of Laughter' is comedian Peter Kay

Peter Kay

Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...

's first autobiography

Autobiography

An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...

, released on 5 October 2006.

The book has been a huge success with 278,000 copies sold in its first day (including pre-orders). It went straight in at Number 1 on both the Play.com

Play.com

Play Ltd., trading as Play.com, is a Jersey-based online retailer of DVDs, CDs, books, gadgets, video games, DRM-free MP3 downloads, and other electronic products, as well as clothes and accessories. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rakuten Group....

 and Amazon.co.uk book charts and is the Number 1 highest selling autobiography in the UK, which was recognised with the release of the paperback edition of the book.

Cover

The cover of the book features Kay's head on Julie Andrews

Julie Andrews

Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...

' body from The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music (film)

Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...

. The raised effect on the head is supposed to look as if it has been cut out and stuck on, which ties in with the homely feel of the book.

Promotion

Kay has only done one promotional appearance for the book on The Paul O'Grady Show

The Paul O'Grady Show

The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...

. On the show, Kay came on dressed as a nun, with a mask of his face over his ordinary face - a parody of the cover of the book. In the interview he criticised Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly

William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...

's biography, Billy, as well as making numerous jokes about his education by nuns. He said he had many nuns teaching him:

• Sister Sledge
  Sister Sledge
  Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
  
  
• Sister Scissors
  Scissor Sisters
  Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York" who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism...
  
  
• Sister Act 2
• Sister Matic
  Systematic
  Systematic is an American hard rock band from Oakland, California. They were one of the first signings to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich's record label, The Music Company, via Elektra Records. The band released two studio albums before disbanding in 2004....
  
  
• Sister Zar Doin-it
  Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves
  "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" is a hit duet recorded between British pop duo Eurythmics and American soul/R&B musician Aretha Franklin, released as a single by RCA Records in October 1985...
  
  
• Sister Swingout
• Sister O'Mercy

He added that every year, he sent a Valentine's card to each nun from Jesus.

Follow up book

It was announced by Kay at Jason Manford

Jason Manford

Jason John Manford is an English comedian, television presenter and actor.- Early life :Manford was born to an Irish family in Salford, Greater Manchester, a son of Sharon , who is a Catholic and Ian Manford. He grew up in poverty in a terraced house in Manchester...

's stand-up gig in Salford

City of Salford

The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...

, that he would be releasing another book to follow on from The Sound of Laughter. This was later confirmed by Random House and Saturday Night Peter was released in Autumn 2009.

External links

• Official Site