Saluting this week’s big interviewee Phillip Breen, and the arrival of The Merry Wives Of Windsor to the RSC in Stratford, Catherine Brett directs amusement towards the funniest books out there.

1. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall by Spike Milligan

The first of Spike Milligan’s priceless war autobiographies is an eclectic mix of photographs, sketches and prose.  Remarkably, “all the salient facts are true” and Milligan eventually wrote seven novels in this “trilogy” which were snapped up by Milligan addicts and converts alike.

 

2. Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget’s become a big-bottomed phenomenon and must read for anyone with “wobbly bits”. Perfect for making yourself feel better about that failed plan to visit The Edge every week, this fun filled novel will make you snort with laughter.

 

3. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

‘A handbag?!’ This is laughter in book form. A tribute to wealth, Bunburying and cucumber sandwiches, nothing compares to Wilde’s glorious comedy of misunderstanding.

4. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend

The epitome of awkward teenage years, Adrian Mole’s fabulously bumbling escapades are enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. With accounts of everything from his love affair with Pandora, to his love-affair with Maggie Thatcher, Adrian Mole’s “secret” diary is not to be missed.

 

5. Jeeves and Wooster Omnibus by P.G Wodehouse

If you haven’t yet encountered the infamous Jeeves and Wooster, make this the next book you read. Wodehouse hits comedy gold with his fantastically British wit and the pure hilarity of characters and you’ll need the omnibus- one story just isn’t enough.