Surprisingly Down to Earth, and Very Funny: My Autobiography

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In discussing the occasion from his youth when he attempted suicide by slashing his wrist, he admits that he enjoyed the attention it got him, and says ‘If you’re feeling down, I definitely recommend it. When it comes to writing, “Nothing is off limits in my head,” he says, “But I’m also very aware that I don’t want to cause offence to someone who might have gone through what I’m joking about. I somehow missed his podcasts but was excited and delighted to see his talents being appreciated by the big wigs when he got his own tv show Limmy's Show. I think that sort of thing can make you mental, depending on how severe it is and what kind of environment you're in. What makes it different is that many of the personal hardships Limond has overcome in his life will already be well-known to his fans.

He said: “Maybe I’m a bit f***** up in the head and maybe that’s where my sense of humour comes from. We might not be living through a golden age for TV sketch shows just now, but Limmy’s Show was a brilliant one. If you get Limmy’s personality/humour you will love this book, it’s a must-read and I miss it already. And if you thought the world ­inhabited by characters such as ­Falconhoof and Jacqueline McCafferty was bleak, this will make their world seem like the brightest summer’s day. The book is an autobiography, not a memoir, so there isn't supposed to be point or a higher purpose to it.

Limmy if you're reading this: I really enjoy trolling you on twitch and it's great that you have a laugh with us when doing so. Yet, you’re still mimicking real life and trying to experience what it’s really like, so people can see it as twisted.

On social media he’s often talked about his struggles with substance abuse and suicidal thoughts, and here he tells the whole story.Maybe it's because he is used to writing up his thoughts, as he details in the various segments about his time on Twitter and away from the sitcom circle. It’s all told in an organic, uber-chatty way – ‘Anyway, what happened was this’ – as though it’s a transcribed audio-book.

Limmy is currently on a national book tour, where he’ll read excerpts from the book and answer audience questions. He has long been candid about his struggles with mental health, and spoken at length in interviews of overcoming alcoholism while in his 20s.

The BBC commissioned a second series of Limmy's Show, which premiered on BBC Scotland in February 2011. Limmy has struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts and alcoholism, and has discussed this on social media and in interviews. Reading this feels far less like a TV comedian recounting their successes and failures, instead resembling a close friend spilling their secrets and fears in the early hours, interspersed with crude banter and surprise punchlines.

He doesn’t advocate doing it, but he talks about it in a fairly neutral way, like there’s no real danger to it. He’s made some of the most ­divisive comedy TV audiences have seen, scooping Baftas, critical acclaim and followers by the hundreds of thousands. And it’s genuinely interesting to see how Limmy’s varied talents, obsessions, hang-ups and life experiences coalesced into a successful career achieved on his own terms.His struggles with drink and drugs are spelt out in a matter-of-fact fashion, as are his brushes with the law and his early sexual experiences (many of which are awkward misfires rather than tales of carnal conquest).