Just A Minute - the Book!

Nicholas Parsons is writing a book about Just A Minute, which is due to be published next year.

The story is here, courtesy comedy.co.uk

Nicholas Parsons has signed a Just A Minute-linked book deal.

He will write Welcome to Just a Minute!, the first book to cover the long-running radio panel show in which guests are challenged to speak on topics without hesitation, repetition or deviation.

Parsons has hosted every edition of the Radio 4 panel show, more than 800 episodes, which was launched on the station in December 1967. The 89 year-old has also presented three TV transfers of the format, the most recent of which was on BBC Two early last year.

Publishers Canongate won an auction of rights to release the book, which will be published as an official BBC tie-in. The book is expected to be ready to launch at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2014.

Welcome to Just a Minute! will cover the history of the show and its panellists, with transcripts of its best moments and contributions from regular panellists.

Nicholas Parsons says: "While it is my responsibility as Chairman to guide the show, I consider it equally important to generate the fun we create in what is a truly unscripted and spontaneous programme, and it is an honour to be asked to bring the spirit of the show into book form."

Canongate's Jenny Lord, who will edit the book, adds: "I've been tuning in to Just A Minute for as long as I can remember. A British comedy institution, it is consistently brilliant and no surprise that after forty-five years, it is still our best-loved radio comedy."

I've known about this for a few months, since my friend Keith is helping with it .

I'm pleased to see a JAM book and fully expect a beautiful bedside tome, hopefully with great illustrations.

The idea of having some of the panellists write about their memories is a good one. Hopefully those still around from the 60s and 70s (Andree Melly? Aimi Macdonald?) won't be forgotten.

We have heard a lot from Nicholas on his view of JAM over the years, in his previous books, on the classic CDs and so on. Hopefully he will still have some interesting things to add to what he has said before!