Bob Mortimer will publish his memoirs in September.

And Away... is described as "the long-awaited first autobiography by national treasure Bob Mortimer."

The publishers explain: "Bob Mortimer's life was trundling along happily until suddenly in 2015 he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel an upcoming tour. The episode unnerved him, but forced him to reflect on his life so far. This is the framework for his hilarious and moving memoir, And Away...

"Although his childhood in Middlesbrough was normal on the surface, it was tinged by the loss of his dad, and his own various misadventures (now infamous from his appearances on Would I Lie To You?), from burning down the family home to starting a short-lived punk band called Dog Dirt. As an adult, he trained as a solicitor and moved to London. Though he was doing pretty well (the South London Press once crowned him 'The Cockroach King' after a successful verdict), a chance encounter in a pub in the 1980s with a young comedian going by the name Vic Reeves set his life on a different track. And now, six years on, the heart condition that once threatened his career has instead led to new success on BBC Two's Gone Fishing.

"Warm, profound, and irrepressibly funny, And Away... is Bob's full life story (with a few lies thrown in for good measure.)"

Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, is preparing a hardback, eBook and audiobook version for publication on 16th September 2021.

Bob Mortimer says: "With over 60 years of tomfoolery and shenanigans under my belt I thought it was time to write them all down and let the public make of them what they will."

Publisher Holly Harris adds: "Bob's book is brilliant, funny and profound, and all of us at S&S are thrilled to be publishing it. He's a natural writer and we cannot wait for Bob to share And Away... with readers this autumn."

In 2019, Mortimer collaborated with Paul Whitehouse to publish the book Mortimer & Whitehouse - Gone Fishing, but this will be his first autobiography.

Last year, an unofficial book titled Bob Mortimer: He Wouldn't Let it Lie! was published by someone going under the name 'Viv Reeves', a name one letter different from Mortimer's double-act partner. At the time of writing, it has received universally negative reviews on Amazon, with feedback such as: "Shocking book. Looks like it's a home printed effort. Lists of facts that have no link or flow followed by around 80 pages of black and white photos that have been lifted of the Internet and printed in poor quality."

Mortimer's next project is expected to be a fifth series of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. In the meantime he has been filming sketches featuring his Train Guy character, to publish on social media:

And Away... is available to pre-order in hardback and eBook format now.