The Diary of a Nobody | George & Weedon Grossmith | A Bitesized Audiobook

A full, unabridged reading of the much-loved classic. Charles Pooter, an ordinary suburban man, is one of the immortal comic creations of Victorian literature; his diary chronicles his hopes and dreams, his trials and frustrations, with a wonderful supporting cast of family, friends, co-workers, ex-schoolfellows, tradesmen and "swells". See below for chapter timestamps.

Narrated/performed by Simon Stanhope, aka Bitesized Audio. If you enjoy this content and would like to help me keep creating, there are a few ways you can support me (and get access to exclusive content):

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00:00:00 Narrator's introduction
00:01:13 The Diary of a Nobody: Introduction by Mr. Pooter
00:02:09 We settle in to our new home
00:09:21 Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome
00:23:16 Experiments with Enamel Paint
00:37:15 The Ball at the Mansion House
00:50:18 After the Mansion House Ball
01:08:43 Willie Lupin Pooter
01:19:34 Home Again
01:31:19 Daisy Mutlar
01:44:07 Our First Important Party
01:52:12 Reflections
02:00:19 Mr Burwin-Fosselton becomes a nuisance
02:18:00 The Use and Value of my Diary
02:26:56 Christmas with the Pooters
02:41:32 An Unexpected Promotion
02:59:32 Gowing explains his conduct
03:08:12 We lose money over Lupin's advice
03:15:53 The Dream of My Life realised
03:22:12 The Volunteer Ball
03:40:10 Teddy Finsworth and his uncle
03:50:21 Dinner with Mr. Hardfur Huttle
04:02:24 We are in great trouble
04:16:22 Mrs. James' Spiritual Séances
04:37:13 Miss Lilian Posh
04:49:40 Chapter the Last
04:52:22 Credits, thanks and further listening

About the authors:
George Grossmith (1847–1912) and Weedon Grossmith (1854–1919) were brothers who both became celebrated actors, comedians and writers in late Victorian and Edwardian London. In addition to their shared success on the stage, George was also a composer and singer, producing comic operas and hundreds of songs and piano pieces; while Weedon began his career as an artist, training as a painter. However he struggled to make a living and turned to the stage, specialising in comic roles like his older brother. He became a successful impresario and producer, as lessee of the Vaudeville Theatre, London (on the Strand), and later Terry's Theatre (now demolished).

The Grossmith brothers were born in London, sons of a newspaper reporter and part time entertainer, George Grossmith senior (1820–1880) and his wife Louisa Emmeline Weedon (died 1882). George junior found success as an actor in the 1870s, most famously associated with Gilbert and Sullivan, for whom he was the original performer of many of their best-loved comic characters, including the Major General in 'The Pirates of Penzance', Ko-Ko in 'The Mikado' and Sir Joseph Porter in 'HMS Pinafore'. Later on, he collaborated with W. S. Gilbert directly himself, as composer for their joint comic opera 'Haste to the Wedding' (1892), although the piece failed to achieve the success of Gilbert's collaborations with Sullivan.

Weedon Grossmith took to the stage some years later, in 1885, encouraged by Gilbert and Sullivan's producer collaborator Richard D'Oyly Carte, who had seen him in amateur performances. He had a long and successful career, working along the way with some of the theatrical luminaries of the day, such as Henry Irving and Herbert Beerbohm Tree. He continued to act regularly on the London stage until 1918, the year before his death at the age of 65. His older brother George had died in 1912, aged 64.

The Grossmith brothers' collaboration on 'The Diary of a Nobody' is the work for which they are best remembered today. It began as an intermittent serial in 'Punch' magazine in May 1888. In 1892, the episodes were collected together, revised and published in book form by J. W. Arrowsmith; seven new chapters were added (the Punch serial had ended with 'The Dream of My Life Realised', chapter 17). The book also included new illustrations by Weedon; I've incorporated many of those illustrations into the chapter title cards for this video. It was not immediately successful and reviews were mixed, but over time it grew to be regarded as one of the greatest comic literary creations and the book has never been out of print. It has been cited as an inspiration by many subsequent generations of authors, including J. B. Priestley and Evelyn Waugh, who wrote in 1930 that it was "the funniest book in the world".

Recording © Bitesized Audio 2024