Believe Me By Eddie Izzard

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

Childhood

20170626

When Eddie Izzard was six, she and her brother Mark lost their mother. That day, she lost her childhood too.

From early childhood memories of happy days running with a gang of local kids, doing naughty-ish things in Bangor, County Down, to months of loneliness and isolation at boarding school.

Eddie Izzard has experienced loss in a way that no child should at such a tender age. And this, as well as struggling both with dyslexia and also trying to understand her gender and sexuality issues at a time when they were not openly discussed, leads to a fascinating insight into the early life of one of Britain's most idiosyncratic and cerebral of performers.

Eddie takes us on a journey through her life - one during which she has discovered much about herself along the way, and come to terms with not fitting into the box that most of us like to put people in.

With a nod to the surreal humour and disarming candour of her shows, and some occasional digressions, Believe Me tells the story of a child losing their mother yet who's risen to become a star of comedy and drama, a leading advocate of total clothing rights, and an extreme runner of marathons.

Written and read by Eddie Izzard

Director: Lizzie Davies

Abridged and produced by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.

Happy childhood memories sit beside a great sadness and big changes for Eddie's family.

Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.

Discovery

20170627

After meeting an old family friend who came to a gig in Sweden, Eddie gains insight into her relationship with her mother through some precious old home movies.

In this memoir, Eddie takes us on a journey through her life - one during which she's discovered much about herself along the way, and come to terms with not fitting into the box that most of us like to put people in.

Written and read by Eddie Izzard.

Director: Lizzie Davies

Abridged and produced by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.

A gig in Sweden leads Eddie to make an important discovery about her family's past.

Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.

Signs

20170628

Eddie Izzard always knew something wasn't quite right with her reading and writing, but diagnosis of dyslexia came late.

She was also a late-starter with relationships.

Written and read by Eddie Izzard.

Director: Lizzie Davies

Abridged and produced by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.

Dyslexia and early relationships - all a question of reading the signs.

Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.

Coming Out

20170629

Eddie was 21 when she first told someone how she felt about her gender. But coming out to the world took courage.

Written and read by Eddie Izzard.

Director: Lizzie Davies

Abridged and produced by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.

Confiding in an ex-girlfriend, Eddie Izzard tells the truth about her gender identity.

Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.

Marathons

20170630

The idea of taking on unusual sporting challenges appealed to Eddie Izzard - so she took on a gruelling regime of running back to back marathons throughout the length of the UK

In this memoir, Eddie has taken us on a journey through her life - one during which she's discovered much about herself along the way, and come to terms with not fitting into the box that most of us like to put people in.

Written and concluded by Eddie Izzard.

Director: Lizzie Davies

Abridged and produced by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.

Eddie Izzard's running challenges have raised millions for charity worldwide.

Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
01	Childhood	20170626	When Eddie Izzard was six, she and her brother Mark lost their mother. That day, she lost her childhood too. From early childhood memories of happy days running with a gang of local kids, doing naughty-ish things in Bangor, County Down, to months of loneliness and isolation at boarding school. Eddie Izzard has experienced loss in a way that no child should at such a tender age. And this, as well as struggling both with dyslexia and also trying to understand her gender and sexuality issues at a time when they were not openly discussed, leads to a fascinating insight into the early life of one of Britain's most idiosyncratic and cerebral of performers. Eddie takes us on a journey through her life - one during which she has discovered much about herself along the way, and come to terms with not fitting into the box that most of us like to put people in. With a nod to the surreal humour and disarming candour of her shows, and some occasional digressions, Believe Me tells the story of a child losing their mother yet who's risen to become a star of comedy and drama, a leading advocate of total clothing rights, and an extreme runner of marathons. Written and read by Eddie Izzard Director: Lizzie Davies Abridged and produced by Jill Waters A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017. Happy childhood memories sit beside a great sadness and big changes for Eddie's family. Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.
02	Discovery	20170627	After meeting an old family friend who came to a gig in Sweden, Eddie gains insight into her relationship with her mother through some precious old home movies. In this memoir, Eddie takes us on a journey through her life - one during which she's discovered much about herself along the way, and come to terms with not fitting into the box that most of us like to put people in. With a nod to the surreal humour and disarming candour of her shows, and some occasional digressions, Believe Me tells the story of a child losing their mother yet who's risen to become a star of comedy and drama, a leading advocate of total clothing rights, and an extreme runner of marathons. Written and read by Eddie Izzard. Director: Lizzie Davies Abridged and produced by Jill Waters A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017. A gig in Sweden leads Eddie to make an important discovery about her family's past. Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.
03	Signs	20170628	Eddie Izzard always knew something wasn't quite right with her reading and writing, but diagnosis of dyslexia came late. She was also a late-starter with relationships. In this memoir, Eddie takes us on a journey through her life - one during which she's discovered much about herself along the way, and come to terms with not fitting into the box that most of us like to put people in. With a nod to the surreal humour and disarming candour of her shows, and some occasional digressions, Believe Me tells the story of a child losing their mother yet who's risen to become a star of comedy and drama, a leading advocate of total clothing rights, and an extreme runner of marathons. Written and read by Eddie Izzard. Director: Lizzie Davies Abridged and produced by Jill Waters A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017. Dyslexia and early relationships - all a question of reading the signs. Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.
04	Coming Out	20170629	Eddie was 21 when she first told someone how she felt about her gender. But coming out to the world took courage. In this memoir, Eddie takes us on a journey through her life - one during which she's discovered much about herself along the way, and come to terms with not fitting into the box that most of us like to put people in. With a nod to the surreal humour and disarming candour of her shows, and some occasional digressions, Believe Me tells the story of a child losing their mother yet who's risen to become a star of comedy and drama, a leading advocate of total clothing rights, and an extreme runner of marathons. Written and read by Eddie Izzard. Director: Lizzie Davies Abridged and produced by Jill Waters A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017. Confiding in an ex-girlfriend, Eddie Izzard tells the truth about her gender identity. Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.
05	Marathons	20170630	The idea of taking on unusual sporting challenges appealed to Eddie Izzard - so she took on a gruelling regime of running back to back marathons throughout the length of the UK In this memoir, Eddie has taken us on a journey through her life - one during which she's discovered much about herself along the way, and come to terms with not fitting into the box that most of us like to put people in. With a nod to the surreal humour and disarming candour of her shows, and some occasional digressions, Believe Me tells the story of a child losing their mother yet who's risen to become a star of comedy and drama, a leading advocate of total clothing rights, and an extreme runner of marathons. Written and concluded by Eddie Izzard. Director: Lizzie Davies Abridged and produced by Jill Waters A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017. Eddie Izzard's running challenges have raised millions for charity worldwide. Comedian, actor and marathon runner Eddie Izzard reads from her autobiography.