A ZOO BY BENJAMIN MEE (Harper, £8.99) When Benjamin Mee bought a rundown zoo in Dartmoor in 2006,
his plans were knocked sideways by the death of his wife, Katherine. But, as he told Candis in January this year, he carried on for the sake of their children and the animals in his care. The book of his life was the subject of a literary bidding war before the US publisher then sold the film rights. The resulting flick, due out this month, has been transplanted to America and stars Matt Damon as Benjamin along with Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church and Elle Fanning. Ben’s story was also told in a BBC2 documentary, but you get the tale first-hand in this inspiring book.
The Royal Variety Performance
This year, the cream of British talent performs in front of the Queen at the Lyric Theatre in Salford Quays, Manchester, and the resulting show will be broadcast on ITV. Funnyman Peter Kay will host, Britain’s Got Talent winner Jai McDowell will be entertaining Her Majesty and there are rumours that Wolverine and Van Helsing star Hugh Jackman will also appear – although we suspect that he won’t be arriving by zip wire after injuring himself on Oprah’s show!
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MINUTE Fans are surfing the net to find out more about their favourite UK comedians. Here are the top five*: