My Week* The secret diaries of almost everyone
By Hugo Rifkind
In 2006, as the gossip columnist for The Times, Hugo Rifkind realised it would be much easier to do his job if he could make all the stories up. So he did. For years now, Rifkind’s hilarious ‘My Week’ column has satirised anyone foolish or unfortunate enough to make headlines that week, entertaining politicos and casual readers alike. Each column acts as a fictional diary, parodying the musings of its target (and friends) for five days’ worth of comic value. Oprah, Bieber, Berlusconi (the gift who keeps on giving), Cameron, Clarkson, Obama, Mother Miliband and a Pic’n’mix shovel are just a few of those on his eclectic list of ill-fated victims. After much badgering from loyal fans, Rifkind has finally hand-selected his best, funniest and most poignant, here presented with new introductions. None are spared in this comical compilation, and readers old and new will delight in the satirical skewering of some of our most famous (and infamous) figures.
Reviews
Never less than funny; always more than funny.
Matthew Parris
It's one of the most hilarious and joyful books of the year...
Oliver Franklin, GQ Magazine
Here’s an exhilarating anthology of the spoof weekly diaries Rifikind’s written over seven years at The Times. He lampoons everyone from David Cameron to David Bowie, Piers Morgan to Pippa Middleton – two of his parodies now hang in the loos of former Cabinet ministers, he assures us. Guaranteed to make you LOL on the loo.
Tatler
This compilation brings together [Hugo Rifkind's] best sketches in an enticing bible of satire... Revisiting these columns I am reminded of why it’s worth getting out of bed on a Saturday morning. If you’ve never read them, or have had amnesia for the past six years, My Week* is a fantastically enjoyable way of finding out who’s up, who’s down and roughly what has happened in the world.
Sebastian Payne, The Spectator
