Or, to give it it’s proper name – Before & Laughter (but most URLs don’t like ampersands).
Jimmy has joked that, during lockdown, agents / managers were ringing comedians and telling them to either write a book or start a podcast. He opted for a book and then later joked about how it turned out to be a good excuse, when being asked to help with his (then) newborn son.
And so, he gave us:
- Before & Laughter – A life-changing book: The funniest man in the UK’s genuinely useful guide to life (hardback, Kindle & audio book)
- Before & Laughter – The hilarious guide to changing your life (paperback)
The hardback / kindle / audio versions were released 30 September 2021 and the paperback 12 May 2022.
The audio book is 6 hours and 45 minutes long and he narrated it himself – as you can see from this promo video, filmed in the recording booth.
What is it about?
It’s kind of a combination of bits of an autobiography – but through the lens of what he’s learnt from his life journey (and written in his distinctive witty, sweary, style).
Not the usual self-help guidance, delivered in a dry, theoretical way – but what he’s experienced as someone who was dyslexic enough to warrant being in remedial classes (until 10 or 11) and yet went on to go to Cambridge and have a career as an international Stand-up, TV Host, author, Film script writer etc.
Life and career advice with added dick jokes.
Think of the best podcasts / crowd work clips, where he’s dropped pithy soundbites of advice, and you’ll get an idea of what the book is like. The blurb says:
In his mid-twenties, Jimmy was bored, boring, unfulfilled and underachieving. He wasn’t exactly depressed, but he was very sad. Think of a baby owl whose mum has recently died in a windmill accident. He was that sad. This book tells the story of how Jimmy turned it around and got happy, through the redemptive power of dick jokes.
Written to take advantage of the brief window between the end of lockdown and Jimmy getting cancelled for saying something unforgivable to Lorraine Kelly, this book is as timely as it is unnecessary.Because you might be interested in Jimmy’s life but he’s damn sure you’re a lot more interested in your own, Before & Laughter is about both of you. But mainly him. It tells the story of Jimmy’s life – the transformation from white-collar corporate drone to fake-toothed donkey-laugh plastic-haired comedy mannequin – while also explaining how to turn your own life around and become the you you’ve always dreamt of being. At just £20, it’s cheaper than Scientology, quicker than therapy, and significantly less boring than church.
Before & Laughter contains the answers to all the big questions in life, questions like:
· What’s the secret to happiness?
· Is Jimmy wearing a wig?
· What happened with that tax thing?
· What’s the meaning of life?
· Is Jimmy’s laugh real?
· Can those teeth bite through vibranium?And for readers in the West Country: yes, there are pictures (actually, sorry, there are no pictures, but there’s a book about a hungry caterpillar you’ll love).
Because it’s Jimmy Carr – recently scientifically proved to be the funniest comedian in the UK – there are jokes, jokes and more jokes throughout. If laughter really was the best medicine, the NHS would be handing out this book in Nightingale Hospitals.
Fascinating, thoughtful and insightful – are all words that appear in the book.
Contents
- A Carr is born
- Superpowers of the average comic
- Part 1 – What do you want?
- Part 2 – Feel the fear and sh*t your pants
- Part 3 – Happy disposition
- Part 4 – The best medicine
- Part 5 – Sad clown
- Part 6 – So, I got publicly shamed
- Part 7 – Living on the edge
- Part 8 – Creativity / hack
- Part 9 – Talking points
- Part 10 – Work is more fun than fun
- Part 11 – Don’t leave luck to chance
- Part 12 – Love is revolution for two
This video (about pre-ordering) is from September 23rd 2021.
Talking about how much he loves comedy and encouraging people to examine their life he asks:
What do people say is hard for them, but you find easy? What is something other people value that you can do? What would you do anyway, even if no one paid you?
I’ve found that both this and his first book (The Naked Jape – here) are ones that I’ve read several times over.
This video is announcing that the book is “out now”:
And also – “What I really wanted to call my book”:
Signed Copies
On one of the crowd work videos someone asked him if he’d really signed the book, that they’d bought from the venue lobby. Yes, he did.
Before a book is released a pile of “front pages” are delivered, to the author, to make it easier for them to sign many thousands. Turning a sheet of paper is a lot easier than opening a book and locating a page.
Now, in 2026, the book is still selling well and so piles are often delivered to gig venues. With these he has to sign them, backstage, the hard way!
Terribly Funny Book Tour
In 2021 Jimmy did a “Terribly Funny Book Tour”. He was in the middle of his Terribly Funny 2.0 tour and, for a handful of shows, tagged on a bit at the end where Stuart Goldsmith came on stage to interview him about the book.
Tickets for these 5 shows were £35 – but that included the stand-up show, conversation with Stuart Goldsmith, Q&A session and a copy of the hardback book.
- Oct 3rd 2021 – Manchester, Palace Theatre
- Oct 4th 2021 – Newcastle, Tyne Theatre & Opera House
- Oct 8th 2021 – Cardiff, New Theatre
- Oct 10th 2021 – Birmingham, Hippodrome
- Oct 11th 2021 – London, The Savoy Theatre
In Conversation PPV
There was also, for a limited time, a £10 online version of The Before & Laughter Book Tour. This was the London, Savoy Theatre conversation (with Stuart) for an International audience. It was eventually posted on Jimmy’s YouTube channel.
Cover / Dust Jacket
Before the book was printed / released the mock-up cover was this rolled up sleeves photo with a grey background (with the “cover coming soon” message on).
The actual hardback release was then the blue background dust cover, with him holding a mask of his solemn / sad face.
The paperback release had different cover text and his name changed from yellow to red.
In Sept 2024 the new print edition was changed to match the artwork for his Laughs Funny tour. The Kindle book also now displays this “cover”.
Motivational Posters
Some of the quotes from the book were added to Jimmy’s website as Motivational posters, see post here.
People Said…
- ‘So good. I’ve loved every second of reading it’ – James Corden
- ‘Very funny and very beautiful, packed with jokes and genuinely wise advice’ – Chris Evans
- ‘I was really annoyed at how good this book is and that’s the biggest compliment I can give’ – Romesh Ranganathan
- ‘It’s the first life advice book from someone whose life you would actually want’ – Katherine Ryan
- ‘Riveting’ – Daily Mail
Jimmy’s 3rd book will be On Jokes (here).