Smasher: The Life of Sid James

Everyone thinks they know Sid James - the Carry On star and womaniser, who drank himself to death after the end of his affair with Barbara Windsor - but despite hundreds of scandalous newspaper exposes the real story of this complex actor has never been told. Now, this fascinating biography lays bare the life of British entertainment's most lovable rogue. Featuring never-before-published correspondence with Sid's friends, family and colleagues, and exclusive tales from his inner circle, Robert Ross shows how a Jewish boy from South Africa grew up to become the archetypal wise-cracking cockney, and explores the many facets of a man who was variously a war hero, serial seducer, inveterate gambler and comic icon.