For people of a certain age, Timmy Mallett on the telly was a fixture of childhood. During the 1980s and early '90s, he hosted the Wide Awake Club on Saturday mornings and Wacaday during school holidays, bouncing around the studio in his fluorescent-coloured clothes and wacky spectacles, cheerfully striking everyone from pop princess Kylie to prime minister Margaret Thatcher over the head with Mallett's (foam) Mallet and delivering unashamedly dodgy puns and funny sketches. Seeing his name on the book 'Utterly Brilliant: My Life's Journey' conjured up all sorts of memories, and I was intrigued enough to want to know what he'd been up to since last brightening our screens.
On the Road to Somewhere
In 'Utterly Brilliant: My Life's Journey', Mallett combines the story of his travels along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route with tales from history and his life. Inspired by his late brother, Martin, who had Down's Syndrome, Mallett decides to fulfil his potential by cycling more than 3500km from his home in England across Europe to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain and back again. Along the route, he will paint his adventure and leave a trail of 'Martin Mallett' name tags at various locations. With the weighty paniers of his Giant Explorer 1 Timmeee E-bike packed with art supplies and other essentials, he heads off, not knowing what to expect but ready to seize the day and enjoy the challenge that lies ahead.
Beyond Genre
'Utterly Brilliant' does a lovely job of combining a travelogue with autobiography and highlights from history. I learned a lot, not just about Mallett and his career, but also the history of the route and what it's like to make such a pilgrimage in the modern day. Faith is clearly important to Mallett, although his beliefs remain a consistent motivation rather than an overt message. Even in the worst of weather and most uncomfortable of circumstances, Mallett manages to hold on to the reason for his ride - to fulfil his potential and honour his brother - and himself becomes an inspiration in the process.
Nicely Does It
I must admit I've been struggling to settle to anything book-wise recently, and it's come as a bit of a surprise that this was the book to get me going again. It's written with charm, humour and humility and Mallett manages to seamlessly interweave the different topics. I felt carried along at a smooth pace, something I'm sure he would've preferred during his Camino! I was enchanted by the descriptions of the people he met and the places he visited, and couldn't wait to read about what happened next on his journey. Perhaps there were one too many mentions of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' reaching number one, but that might be because Mallett still can't quite believe that happened either. Also, I couldn't help wincing every time 'Timmy on the Tranny' came up, but it's not really his fault that time and language have evolved so that 'radio' trumped 'transistor' in the linguistic stakes.
Overall
I really enjoyed 'Utterly Brilliant'. I felt transported to the places Mallett visited along the route and enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Can't believe that I'd forgotten Magic the Cockatiel was on Mallett's programmes! I think it will appeal most to those with fond memories of Mallett on TV and / or fans of travel or cycling memoirs. I found 'Utterly Brilliant' charming, light, interesting and just... nice. Not necessarily the top thing people ask for in their next read, but couldn't the world do with a bit more 'nice' right now? 'Utterly Brilliant' is certainly a good place to find it.
Now, what next..?
'Utterly Brilliant: My Life's Journey' by Timmy Mallett was published in 2020/21 by SPCN. This post is based on the paperback edition, borrowed from my excellent local library.
