![Hopeful The autobiography](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/HMGGKXO5VPRMAQBZYYFUD43AXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e924d632f053483e9b17bc817da560f742e538d39a62475af2a1d1066df42719&width=105)
Omid Djalili is one of those people about whom we automatically say, when we see them on TV, "Oh, that's the funny guy with the weird voice, isn't it?" And very often we're right. From a stand-up career that started with a spectacular fall on stage to acting in Gladiator and Notting Hill, Djalili has become one of those faces we recognise but aren't entirely sure from where. This autobiography sums up something of a never-say-never attitude that has surely been a driving force in his life, and one that has impelled him through some hilarious, if peculiar, situations. The warmth with which he relates his early life reflects a lack of cynicism that is not immediately associated with comedians but draws audiences to him. One would hope we'll remember the name of this storyteller who wears his heart on his sleeve the next time we see him.