Life the Lipman way is always unexpected, and the hilarious and witty way in which she recalls her adventures and misadventures has made her a bestselling author and national treasure. Her self-deprecatingly titled Past-it Notes is the ultimate Maureen Lipman Collection, drawing on choice material from her six previous books (re-visited and re-worked) and lacing this with a heady dose of extremely funny new autobiographical material. Past-it Notes is packed with beguiling showbiz anecdotes, wonderful stories, eccentric characters, bizarre situations and memorable encounters – all recalled and recorded with gusto and relish. To compliment all this, Maureen has also included affectionate recollections of her late husband, the playwright Jack Rosenthal, and of her mother and Muse, the inimitable Zelma, source of so much rich comic material. From entertaining the neighbours at the age of four with impressions of Alma Cogan to entertaining the nation on TV, from struggling with her laptop to film-roles and award-winning stage triumphs such as re-Joyce and Oklahoma (and even the Vagina Monologues!) – and not forgetting her iconic creation Beattie, star of thirty five British Telecom commercials – Maureen combines stories of her whirlwind professional life, and confessions of the chaos that often threatens to engulf her personal life, with a style and wit that is utterly and uniquely her own. Born in Hull, actress Maureen Lipman has written six best-selling books, the most recent being Lip Reading. She has won numerous awards for her television and theatrical work including the Laurence Olivier and Variety Club of Great Britain Awards.