Blink Publishing, the leading commercial non-fiction imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired Parenting Hell from comedians Rob Beckett & Josh Widdicombe, hosts of the No.1 smash hit podcast – a book focused on the madness, absurdity and utter chaos of being a parent.
Matt Phillips, publisher, bought world rights from Flo Howard and Danny Julian at Off The Kerb.
Household names Rob and Josh are two of the UK’s biggest comedians and podcasters with a string of hit TV shows including Rob and Romesh Vs… and The Last Leg. Their podcast, Parenting Hell, began life in 2020 during the pandemic as Lockdown Parenting Hell and brought much needed, light-hearted relief for people struggling to juggle work and home life with small children (home schooling anyone…?). With a massive 55 million downloads to date, it’s one of the biggest podcasts in the UK with 3.5million downloads per month.
The book Parenting Hell sees Josh and Rob share the challenges and madness of their parenting journeys with lashings of empathy and extra helpings of laughs. Filled with all the things they never tell you at antenatal classes, it’s a charming mixture of humour, rumination and conversation and is aimed at prospective parents, new parents, old parents and never-to-be parents alike.
What is it really like to be a parent? And how come no one ever warned Rob or Josh of the sheer mind-bending, world-altering, sleep-depriving, sick-covering, tear-inducing, snot-wiping, bore-inspiring, 4am-relationship-straining brutality of it all? And if they did, why can’t they remember it (or remember anything else, for that matter)? And just when they thought it couldn’t get any harder, why didn’t anyone warn them about the slices of unmatched euphoric joy and pride that occasionally come piercing through, drenching you in unbridled happiness in much the same way a badly burped baby drenches you in milk-sick?
Rob Beckett said: ‘For all those people out there with hot tired ears. It’s time to give your eyes a run out. There’s loads of new stories about our kids and failures at life. Plus, you will hear from my parents and Lou. Mainly to take the pressure off me with the word count. It’s a family affair.’
Josh Widdicombe said: ‘Now we have been given a book deal it is probably the time for me to admit to myself that complaining for an hour a week to Rob about my life has become the most successful thing I have done in 14 years in comedy. I can only imagine how much people will love it now they can read our moaning in book form rather than having to hear it coming from our annoying accents.’
Matthew Phillips, publisher, said: ‘With the Parenting Hell podcast, Josh and Rob have helped millions of people (and not just parents) face the madness, absurdities, and utter chaos of their daily lives. It is a guilt-and-shame-free zone filled with kindness, laughter, and the occasional 3am wake-up call. I can’t wait for everyone to read the book, which reflects all the heart and humour of the podcast, but also goes beyond to a generation of parents wondering if everyone else is making as much a hash of it as they are.’
Parenting Hell will be published in October 2022 in hardback, ebook, and audiobook, featuring some special guests.
