The Leopard in my House

One man’s adventures in cancerland

Mark Steel

$50

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Ebury Press
27 March 2025

Biography: arts & entertainment; Memoirs; Oncology; Popular medicine & health; Coping with illness

A wise and witty memoir of acclaimed comedian Mark Steel's cancer year, perfect for fans of Adam Kay.

'I feel like there's a leopard in my house, locked in a room. I've contacted the leopard authorities and they assure me they are used to dealing with leopards like this, and they have a plan for removing the leopard. It will take a while, though, and once in a while I can hear it growl.

And that's all very reassuring. Even so, several times a day I think to myself- \""Hang on, there's a leopard in my house.\""'

One morning, while shaving, the comedian Mark Steel noticed that one side of his neck seemed larger than the other. After a whistlestop tour of assorted medical professionals, a consultant delivered the ominous words that would define the next months of his life- 'I'm afraid it's not good news, Mr Steel'.

And so began a journey into the heart of the NHS, as he embarked on the long and uncertain road to cancer recovery via a range of mildly torturous and entirely miraculous treatments. What, if anything, might he learn about himself - and our capacity for coping with life when times get tough - as he becomes part of a club that one in two British people will ultimately join?

A frank and funny diary of one man's rather trying year, this is an unforgettable and uplifting story of getting ill, getting on with it, and getting better.

By: Mark Steel
Imprint: Ebury Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 241mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 31mm
Weight: 514g
ISBN: 9781529941029
ISBN 10: 1529941024
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 27 March 2025
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Sony and Writers' Guild Award-winning writer and comedian Mark Steel is best known for his critically acclaimed BBC Radio 4 show Mark Steel's in Town. Mark has presented the BAFTA-nominated Mark Steel Lectures for BBC Two, and is a regular on BBC One's Have I Got News for You and BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz. He has also written several acclaimed books, including Reasons to be Cheerful and What's Going On? He has also written an adaptation of his critically acclaimed stand-up show Who Do I Think I Am? for Audible, which was released in 2021.

Reviews for The Leopard in my House: One man’s adventures in cancerland

Just like you might bet he would, Mark Steel has given us a deep, personal, clever, witty, painful and hilarious book. His eye lingers on details of the past, present and a possible future, taking us all the way to an answer for 'what's the bloody point anyway?' He shows (not tells) that the answer might be to live and feel life the way he does. Thanks Mark Steel. -- Michael Rosen, author of 'Getting Better' This memoir pulls no punches but manages to be both funny and wise. Laughter isn’t the best medicine, but this book would be a tonic for anyone undergoing cancer treatment. * Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, Books of the Month *