Beyond A Joke, written by Bruce Dessau, is a celebration of comedy - one of the modern world's most dominant and compelling art forms - but it is also the story of comedy's dark side, the scandals that have surrounded some of light entertainment's biggest names. The offstage antics of certain comedians would make even rock stars blush.

While Beyond A Joke explores the extremes of this world it also addresses another question. Are comedians naturally dysfunctional, or does the stress and pressure of the job make them so? Ruby Wax once said that she had builders in her house who were just as emotionally unstable as most stand-up comedians she had worked with. But they don't want to go on stage and plead with an audience to love them. There is something about wanting to make strangers laugh for a living that is intrinsically, fundamentally strange. Stand-up is doubly peculiar in that respect. It's just the one person emotionally naked in front of maybe thousands of people. No safety net, no back up. And, as Beyond a Joke will reveal, the behaviour of comedians once they are successful makes them even odder.

Bruce Dessau is the only person who could write this book. From Russell Brand slashing his chest onstage to Jo Brand trashing a friend's car on the motorway, he has heard it all. Bruce Dessau knows where the bodies are buried.

First published: Wednesday 28th September 2011