Craig Brown: 'It's difficult to spoof boring people'

Tout sur les Beatles

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The longstanding Private Eye satirist on getting under Alan Sugar’s skin, why Iain Duncan Smith can’t be parodied, and his new book about the Beatles

Craig Brown, 62, is an award-winning satirist, columnist and critic who has written the parodic diary in Private Eye since 1989. He’s also the author of 18 books, including recent bestseller Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret. His new book is One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time.

How did your new book about the Beatles come about?
I was working on a book about the River Thames and mentioned to my publisher that I had an idea for the next one: a big, kaleidoscopic book about the Beatles, similar to what I did with Princess Margaret. He emailed the next day to ask if I’d be able to get it out by 10 April 2020 because that’s the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ breakup. So I shelved the Thames one to do this.

Alan Sugar cancelled coming on Have I Got News for You after I did him, which was gratifying

One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown is published by 4th Estate (£18.99). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Free UK p&p over £15

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