The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius

147 James Hogg: Ghost Writer & Biographer of Comedy Legends Ernie Wise, Brian Blessed, Richard Bryers & Kenny Everett

• Chris Grimes - Facilitator. Coach. Motivational Comedian

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Delighted to be welcoming the very talented Ghost writer & Biographer James Hogg to The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius 

I first came across James via his wonderful Twitter feed @JamesAHogg2 

James Hogg is a biographer, ghostwriter and collaborator who specialises in sport and entertainment.

Born in the Yorkshire Dales, he began his writing career whilst working for the Yorkshire County Cricket Club where he spent several years masquerading as the club’s Commercial Manager. In between failed attempts at securing sponsors and smoking with Brian Close, James wrote two acclaimed biographies whilst at Headingley. The first, ‘What’s the Bleeding Time?’ discloses the life and times of the actor and naturalist James Robertson Justice and features a foreword by H.R.H The Duke of Edinburgh. The second, ‘Little Ern: The Authorised Biography of Ernie Wise’, was a collaboration with the writer of Hellraisers, Robert Sellers, as was James’s next book, ‘Hello Darlings! The Authorised Biography of Kenny Everett’. James left Headingley in 2012, after which the club began to flourish both on and off the pitch.

James lives in Yorkshire with his wife and two children. 

More about James Hogg: 

James Hogg is an extraordinary man. He does not attract conventional labels. He says he is someone who writes. But he does not see himself as a Writer! And he is not a Reader, either. He does not have a Social Media Presence, apart from a tiny corner on Twitter.

He does not have a slick website selling his significant skills as a wordsmith and original ideas man. He has absolutely no ambition to write a single word of fiction. Instead he applies his considerable imagination to facts and helps others to tell their stories in a voice that sounds like theirs, not his. 

He is a contrary but not confrontational North Yorkshireman, who is good at making enough money to sustain his unconventional lifestyle. This includes regular trips to Brazil and Gran Canaria to get his words down against the deadline.

James Hogg was born in Coverdale. His parents were involved in horses and horse racing. It did not appeal to him. He left school at 15, with no academic qualifications. He left home at 17, borrowing £30 to cover the coach to London and still have a few quid spare for emergencies. 

He immediately got a job as a Bell Boy at the Cumberland Hotel, doubling his basic wages with freelance services in support of visitors from the Middle

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