If you watched television around dinner time in the late 2000s and early 2010s, it’s more than likely you’ll remember the drama and exploration of the show Coach Trip, and its legendary tour guide Brendan, armed with his clipboard (and yellow and red cards!). But how did someone such as Brendan come to be one of the most recognisable figures in tourism, and what actually went on behind the scenes? He may just me able to guide us through this too!
My Life: A Coach Trip Adventure is a short autobiography by Coach Trip tour guide Brendan Sheerin, covering not only his life on the show, but his life up until the later seasons, including his childhood living in Yorkshire, how he met his late husband Les, and all of the chaos that goes into being an international tourism representative! This insightful publication takes us into areas of Brendan’s career we have never seen before, as well as the people around him who made it all possible.
Coach Trip was always a favourite programme of mine when I was growing up, so when I found out that its famous tour guide had written a book, I simply had to go and find a copy. And what nostalgia it was reading it! I felt like I had stepped back in time to all of those evenings watching Brendan entertain buses of couples as they travelled around Europe! It was a very personal and honest recount, especially when dealing with sensitive subjects such as his sexuality and the passing of his husband. The book was very well written, particularly for a first-time writer, and getting to read about Brendan’s thoughts on some of the characters that have graced the show over the years was very funny, with several laugh-out-loud moments throughout.
If you’ve never seen or heard of Coach Trip, this autobiography is a fun, quick read for anyone interested in tourism and the realities of being an international representative. But if you also grew up with this show, get ready for a joyful wave of nostalgia that’s sure to leave you rushing to Channel 4 (where you can stream the series!)
Rating: ★★★★☆
My Life – A Coach Trip Adventure (ISBN: 978-1-84317-894-1) was published in 2011
