What Have I Done? cover art

What Have I Done?

The Sunday Times bestseller and a frank, witty memoir from a British comedy icon

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About this listen

Read brilliantly by the author, Ben Elton. From The Young Ones and Blackadder theme music to snippets of his stand-up comedy shows, this audiobook includes bonus audio recordings showcasing special moments throughout Ben's incredible career.


‘What Have I Done? snaps, crackles and pops with wit, bravado and glorious Ben-ness. A triumph’ – Stephen Fry

‘A big life chronicled by truly the Upstart Crow of our generation’ – Dawn French

Ben Elton has done everything and worked with everybody. Now, in this frank, forthright, and hugely entertaining book, he tells the whole story.

Discover the truth behind iconic hits like The Young Ones, Blackadder, and We Will Rock You. Relive the pioneering stand-up of Saturday Live that birthed a comedy revolution. From being the BBC’s youngest-ever sitcom writer to his most recent, critically acclaimed stand-up tour, Ben reveals unique insights into his groundbreaking work.

He talks honestly about his relationships with brilliant friends, inspiring contemporaries, and occasional foes. His life off-screen has been just as challenging and funny as it has been on, and he unpacks it all with wit, insight, and of course, a ‘little bit of politics’.

For decades, Ben’s been making people laugh, think, and getting on plenty of wicks - these are the uncensored stories.

‘Funny and fascinating, it’s a story of triumph and disaster and is the closest you’ll get to understanding where great comedy comes from’ – David Mitchell

'Bloody marvellous' – Jo Brand

 Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Performing Arts Comedy Funny Thought-Provoking Witty Inspiring

Critic reviews

What Have I Done? is easily one of the most honest, thoughtful celebrity memoirs of the decade
This exhaustive yet never dull memoir reminds us why he remains one of the giants of British comedy over the last four decades
He has plenty of . . . superpowers. This hugely enjoyable book reminds you of all of them
What Have I Done? snaps, crackles and pops with wit, bravado and glorious Ben-ness. A triumph (Stephen Fry, actor, comedian, and bestselling author of Mythos)
Funny and fascinating, it’s a story of triumph and disaster and is the closest you’ll get to understanding where great comedy comes from (David Mitchell, comedian and bestselling author of Unruly)
Gripping, funny, breathtakingly honest and endlessly entertaining (Richard Curtis)
A gloriously dizzying ride through Ben Elton’s long and (still) very successful career, taking in the highs, the lows, the accolades and the slights. Bloody marvellous (Jo Brand, comedian and author of Born Lippy)
A big life chronicled by truly the Upstart Crow of our generation (Dawn French, actress, comedian, and author of The Twat Files)
Ben Elton is one of the greatest comedy talents of all time, ever, in any era (Marina Hyde, award-winning columnist and author of What Just Happened?!)
Tragedy, comedy and honesty make this book possibly the best autobiography you'll ever read (Brian May)
What has he done? Written a brilliant memoir, that’s all. Funny, touching, dazzling (Gyles Brandreth, broadcaster and author of Odd Boy Out)
Ben writes smooth and fast - reading this book was like being on a surfboard attached to a rollercoaster being pulled along by a dolphin (Sir Lenny Henry, award-winning comedian, actor, and author of Who Am I, Again?)
Provocative, hilarious, compassionate, dodgy politically, acerbic yet full of love, the real Ben leaps from every wonderfully written page (Andrew Lloyd Webber, award-winning composer and author of Unmasked)
As wildly honest, funny and smart as the man himself (Kenneth Branagh, award-winning actor and author of Beginning)
Ben tells his life story with the same genius wit of his legendary stand-up, hilarious novels and iconic television series (David Walliams, actor, comedian, and author of Gangsta Granny)
Uproariously serious with trenchant bursts of truth, fury and incendiary fun (Neil Kinnock)
Ben has given joy to countless millions. This is a wonderful book. Every creative young person should read it (Harry Enfield)
This is a rich helping of sheer pleasure, overflowing with wit, intelligence and phenomenal anecdotes from one of Britain’s greatest ever talents (Victoria Coren Mitchell, presenter of BBC's Only Connect and author of Richer, For Poorer)
All stars
Most relevant
Really enjoyed learning more about Ben’s background and personal life as well as nodding along and grinning at all the shared memories this brought up. So many of his lines are common parlance in our family. Very enjoyable listen.

Fab trip down memory lane

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This book chronicles not only a life and a body of work, but a changing Britain. A genuinely outstanding account of a significant cultural icon.

There is no authoritative work on the rise of alternative comedy - and this doesn’t try to be that - but it’s a brilliant and insightful observation of one of the most significant British cultural ‘waves’ of the last half century; written by someone at the centre of it.

Uniquely brilliant

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I remember being Ben Elton in my school play at the age of 9 doing his double seat routine! anyways, such a fantastic book about your amazing life! really interesting hearing about your close relationships with Stephen fry and Rik mayall ( my absolute fav)!! ade Edmondson and your wife Sophie gare. lots of great anicdotes and wonderful stories, would definitely recommend to anyone!!! 5 stars

Outstanding from start to finish

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A thoroughly enjoyable listen from the first to the last word.

I have been a huge fan of Ben Elton since the early 80s, pretty much watching or reading everything he’s done.

His memoirs are long overdue, in my opinion, and it was a thrill to listen to his life story told with such detail and honesty.

Such as the quality of Ben’s writing and narration that there were no lulls in the book whatsoever. In fact, I could listen to it all over again. Outstanding.

Thanks, Ben!

Sparkling, honest, insightful and authentic.

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great read and listen, funny and informative from the master of writing and comedy

a reminder of the sheer breadth of Ben Eltons talent

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