Celebrity Express

'Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen' by Greg Jenner (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2020)

A few years ago, I visited Bamburgh*, Northumberland, home of the RNLI Grace Darling Museum.  It's a small museum with an inspirational story to tell - that of a young lighthouse keeper's daughter who took part in the perilous rescue of nine wrecked passengers during a horrific storm in 1838.  Her bravery captured the Victorian imagination, and Darling became an unwilling celebrity.  One of the most interesting things I learned during the visit was that, when she died just four years later, donations flooded in from an adoring public for a magnificent Gothic memorial featuring her stone likeness.  Not only is the ostentatious tomb at odds with both Darling's modesty and the charming coastal setting, it is also empty.  Tellingly, she was actually buried alongside her beloved family elsewhere in the churchyard rather than beneath the heroic image her fans thrust upon her.  Stories like Darling's and the strange interaction between public image and personal life are just one of the many contradictory features explored in Greg Jenner's new book, 'Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen'.

'Dead Famous' is a densely packed gallop through the development of 'Celebrity'.  We may all think we know what it is, but Jenner has dug deeper and separated it from similar categories like 'renown', 'fame' and 'infamy'.  He's found that the right combination of personal charisma, popular recognition and interest, media coverage and rampant profiteering puts even the most unlikely and reluctant people (and animals) on track to become 'celebrities'.  Although the process was made much easier when mass media developed in the 1700s, the concept is much older.  Jenner reaches back as far as Ancient Greece and Rome, where proto-celebrities appeared in the form of popular gladiators, but provides many examples down the ages, some names more familiar than others.  From royal courtesans to romantic writers, petulant actors to glamorous movie stars, notorious criminals to exotic animals, each offers a fascinating insight into one of the most debated but elusive concepts of the modern age.

Jenner is a public historian, probably best known for contributing to the 'Horrible Histories' TV series and his fantastic 'You're Dead to Me' and 'Homeschool History' podcasts.  'Dead Famous' is more suitable for an older audience, but it's infectious, bounce-and-go enthusiasm follows on from his previous work and makes it a great read for people who think that they don't like history.  His extensive knowledge and passion for the subject give 'Dead Famous' an energy lacking in some more arduous tomes, plus there's joy and mischief in the terrible/brilliant puns and silly jokes.  The tone may be light, but don't let that fool you.  This is a thoughtful book packed with big ideas and the historical evidence to back them up.

Of course, 'Dead Famous' does have its flaws, but fortunately none catastrophic.  It's so stuffed with information that I did feel a bit overwhelmed at times, but then I am getting old and it was soon fixed with a nap and a biscuit.  There are some Bollywood mentions, but the main scope of the book is focussed on the history of 'western' celebrity.  Is 'celebrity' different in different cultures?  Or is it unique to Anglo-American-European societies?  Perhaps that's the beginnings of 'Dead Famous II'.  Doubt there would've been room to answer any more questions here!

My final nitpick is that I felt the ebook format was a bit of a missed opportunity.  Because of the subject matter, there are lots of references to images and portraits, and it would've been really helpful if either the relevant pictures or links to them had been embedded in the text.  Instead, I had to keep stopping to google them when it became clear I was missing something important because I couldn't see them.  (I did find them eventually, but by accident, at the end and after finishing the book.)  Perhaps a future multimedia edition could also include links to illustrative sound files or videos, e.g. recordings of Jenny Lind or the last castrato.  When introduced, it was said that ebooks could provide wider opportunities to join up different formats and resources to better share information.  This isn't always appropriate, but in this instance and especially when appealing to a younger audience, I think it would've been a great opportunity to try something different.  To be fair, I can't comment on the hardback because I haven't seen it, and it may be that the images are more accessible in the physical book.

Overall, I found 'Dead Famous' interesting, informative and educational.  It's made me think about the nature of celebrity and how the public interest and sense of 'feeling like you know them' creates a very strange relationship.  While I recommend this as a good read, I have to admit that I hope it gets made into a TV series too.  Come on, BBC, make it happen!

Now, what next...?

This review is based on the ebook version of 'Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen' by Greg Jenner.  It was published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in 2020.  Note that this book is not suitable for younger readers, but older teens upwards will love it.

*Yes, Uhtred fans, this is just down the road from the real Bebbanburg, Bamburgh Castle.