Stirring times for Michael Barrymore

In the UK we have a rather vulgar term to describe a natural-born troublemaker: we call him a shit stirrer. And here's a book which will certainly stir the shit.

Michael Barrymore is a huge TV star in the UK, but he is unknown, I suspect, in the US. A few years ago, Barrymore's career came to a juddering halt after various revelations that he was gay. But what really made things difficult was the death of a gay man at one of Barrrymore's parties.

Rumours circulated, as rumours will, and since then he hasn't been working much -- though he did feature in last year's Celebrity Big Brother, which he didn't win.

Barrymore's catchphrase, in his heyday, was 'Awight?' This is a childish, lisping version of the enquiry 'All right?', which is, in parts of the UK at least, a version of 'How ya doin'?' (Look, I never said the man was an intellectual, OK? He's a popular entertainer, for the under 100 IQs, who constitute, by definition, a large part of the population.)

On 2 October 2006, as part of his rehabilitation process, Barrymore has a new book forthcoming from Simon and Schuster UK. Title: Awight Now: Setting the Record Straight.

So far so good. But now I am told that, released 16 October, will be a rather different Barrymore book. This is entitled Not Awight Getting Away With Murder. (ISBN 0-9546949-1-0.) It is written by Terry Lubbock and Andrew Simmons. And who they? Well, Terry Lubbock is the father of Stuart Lubbock, who died in Barrymore's swimming pool (allegedly; some say the swimming pool story is false).

You can find the S&S book listed on Amazon, where there is, in fact, rather more information about it than on the S&S official web site. We learn, for instance, that a new Channel 4 series is planned for Barrymore in the autumn.

Of the Lubbock/Simmons book, however, I can tell you little. Amazon denies all knowledge of it, and the only reference on Google (so far) is to a Daily Mirror report. Headed 'Lubbock book war', and dated 29 July, the story runs as follows:

Stuart Lubbock's father is rush-releasing his book about his son's death at Michael Barrymore's mansion to coincide with the faded star's autobiography.

The ex-Strike It Lucky host was expected to earn more than £1 million for his memoirs Awight Now: Setting the Record Straight.

But Terry Lubbock, 61, has decided to release his book Not Awight: Getting Away With Murder on the same day as the 54-year-old's launch, October 16.

Mr Lubbock insists Barrymore was not involved in the death of Stuart, 31, at his Essex home but believes he has never told all he knows. A pal said: "Terry just wants people to know the truth."

Well, this one will run and run. I love that final paragraph, don't you? It chimes so well with the book's title.

A search on Google for the Lubbock book's ISBN produces no result that I can find, but the number itself suggests to me that this is a one-off -- i.e. that Mr Lubbock is publishing it himself.

Of Mr Lubbock's co-writer, Andrew Simmons, I know nothing for certain either. But there is at least one Andrew Simmons with writing skills and show-business connections. He won an Edinburgh fringe award in 2004 for a cabaret show called Topping and Butch. The citation stated that 'Sharp, gifted, intellectual and daily-updated writing combined with their outstanding talents in speech, song, music and performance, produce political and news-based comedy of unrivalled power, delight, and - above all - fun.'

In the absence of other nominations I suspect that this may be our man. He knows show business and the gay world, and he can write. But whether this is or is not Mr Lubbock's co-author, his cabaret act certainly sounds interesting. 'Butch [i.e. Simmons] is slim, a younger lad, muscular and balletic, with a relaxed and easy-going style, fetish gauntlets, tight leather shorts, and a whip. Apart from that, they're both more or less naked, except for matching Doc Marten boots.'

I am going to Edinburgh myself this year, and must remember to look out for it.

How did I find out about Mr Lubbock's potentially contentious book? An anonymous person yesterday posted a comment on my 27 January 2006 piece about Tesco.com. After giving the book's title and authors we are told, in slightly careless prose:

"Father of Stuart Lubbock Terry works with professionalal analyst, team up to trawl through dozens of witness statements, expert and forensic reports and piece together how Stuart Lubbock was killed. A monumental cover-up is revealed, showing that this was no accidental drowning." Unquote. Will Tesco be stocking, Not Awight along side Michael Barrymore's Awight Now, they have the same release dates.

I wonder if any of the newspapers will cover this -- or will it be too hot to handle? Watch this space.