It’s Not What You Think

It’s Not What You Think
Chris Evans

The story of how one council estate lad made good, really very good, and survived – just about – to tell the tale…Chris Evans’s extraordinary career has seen him become one of the country’s most successful broadcasters and producers. From The Big Breakfast to Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush and TFI Friday, Chris changed the TV landscape during the ‘90s; and on Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio, BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast show and as owner of Virgin Radio he ushered in the age of the celebrity DJ.But this is only part of the Chris Evans story. In this witty and energetically written autobiography, Chris describes the experiences that shaped the boy and created the man who would go on to carve out such a dazzlingly brilliant career. Born on a dreary council estate in Warrington and determined to escape, Chris started out as the best newspaper boy on the block, armed with no more than a little silver Binatone radio that he would take to the newsagents each day and through which he would develop a life-long and passionate love affair with the music and voices that emerged.From paperboy to media mogul, It’s Not What You Think isn’t what you think - it’s the real story beyond the glare of the media spotlight from one of this country’s brightest and boldest personalities.

It's Not What You Think

Chris Evans

Copyright (#ulink_fcd73a75-0d0a-5ed4-8c12-59a7d788d4d3)

HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2009

© Chris Evans 2009

Chris Evans asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

While every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyright material reproduced herein, the publishers would like to apologise for any omissions and will be pleased to incorporate missing acknowledgements in any future editions.

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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780007327218

Ebook Edition © SEPTEMBER 2009 ISBN: 9780007327256

Version: 2017-05-04

To everyone that’s ever helped me, tolerated me, loved me, laughed with me, cried with me, created with me and forgiven me at any time, anywhere. Thank you.

Note to Reader (#ulink_1cfcb48b-078b-552b-8b7a-63d14e454fef)

Dear Reader,

For the purposes of bespoke compartmentalisation during the course of this book, where Dickens went for episodes, Shakespeare went for stanzas and the Good Lord himself for chapter and verse, being a DJ I have gone for Top 10s.

If it was good enough for Moses and his Commandments, it should be good enough for my book.

CE

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#ueb0308bd-baf2-5dec-a2cd-95af3118f524)

Title Page (#u991f2bb0-daa8-5a21-af78-ea5f73357a1d)

Copyright (#u3cbcc195-3dae-573e-8073-1ac9a0601c55)

Dedication (#ubfa4a8e4-ec82-523d-976f-58d5de7817a1)

Note to Reader (#uaee4a000-3a04-5ad4-b38e-b175cbe738cb)

Preface (#u77912344-fa9f-50d1-93b8-e8df3a49043b)

Prologue (#u9825b110-d152-5712-b9d4-a2859c84628e)

Part One Mum, Dad and a Girl Called Tina (#ufd5b0a5a-b665-590a-8065-7a239b87f3f5)

Top 10 Basic Facts about Christopher Evans (#u9c2d3935-322f-5c8e-a33d-492a2f374d3a)

Top 10 Things I Remember about My Dad (#uc48676c6-64e4-5a38-8ddf-e34a41fd1391)

Top 10 Best Things about Mrs Evans Senior (#ub14830c4-f1a1-543c-a5ce-ae267eb0d505)

Top 10 Double Acts (#ua512cac8-ec5a-5e99-ad3f-7da26e9904b4)

Top 10 Resounding Memories of Primary-school Life (#ub170af1c-1de2-57d8-bb5d-34c556d0d850)

Top 10 Tastes, C. Evans, 1966-86 (#uc76a6a20-9b45-5f56-953b-4e40d0f73239)

Top 10 First Memories of Going to School (#ua9ea3619-25bf-5318-b4ca-2531f6a82dd0)

Top 10 Weird Things about Teachers from a Kid’s Point of View (#u4709f9b0-9035-52e1-bbd1-2c1d14cb351f)

Top 10 Deaths (#u80dbd871-3578-573d-a350-f18c2ee0678f)

Top 10 Favourite Jobs (Other than Showbiz) (#u06ce02da-a684-56d0-990b-1e3d8682d849)

Top 10 Bosses I’ve Worked For (#ucede2c24-e7ac-5a8b-8bc5-341c5f42a63f)

Top 10 Treats (#ufbbcc44e-aaea-5e30-85bf-778aaf4839e5)

Top 10 Girls—Actually Women—I Thought about Before I Had My First Girlfriend (#u2be7ad4b-89c5-5c20-95e8-0d99996d15dd)

Top 10 Schoolboy Errors (#u6575cacc-649f-5a7b-a05b-5af0b90143d2)

Top 10 Things I’m Rubbish at (#u416a8083-5e80-59e5-8828-96d05b81d8ad)

Top 10 Things that Freak Me Out (#u48d83043-0a92-556f-9221-20c3f9f565c7)

Top 10 Things I Remember from School Lessons (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Two The Piccadilly Years (#litres_trial_promo)