Chris Evans: He's not who you think

By Genevieve Hassan Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Chris Evans's book follows his career up until 1997

"I was stupid, no doubt about that. I was ungrateful and now I have a sense of perspective to say that's what happened," says a very candid Chris Evans.

The 43-year-old Radio 2 host has just written his autobiography, It's Not What You Think, and in it, he is very upfront about the spectacular fall from grace at Radio 1 which culminated in him resigning live on air.

"I didn't have any qualms about being honest about the things that happened and the circumstances that don't portray me in a very good light because I wasn't a very well behaved boy at those times," he tells me.

"I was trying to figure out how come I had this brilliant career and messed it up?

"It was because I was an idiot - and there's a real freedom in saying that. Only when you admit it can you move on - there's no point sugar coating it."

Fresh perspective

The Chris Evans talking is a very different person to the brash and, some would say, arrogant character he presented a decade ago. These days he is calm, humble and unmistakably charming.

He has mostly kept out of the public spotlight in recent years, only making headlines for his third marriage to professional golfer and model Natasha Shishmanian in 2008, and the birth of their son Noah earlier this year.

Evans says he had previously attempted to write an autobiography and, although he was paid for it, he "decided to return the cheque as it was a stream of consciousness and too angry". This year, however, he came back to it with a fresh perspective.

We tried to give this package something that nobody had ever done before, so I think it is justifiable and different - it's not a lazy book - I did it all myself Chris Evans

"I said to my agent: 'Get me a book deal and make me sign a contract that means if I don't write it I get put in jail or sued!'" he says.

Evans took just over 10 weeks to pen the memoir, working from 0600 to 1000, Monday to Sunday until it was finished.

The book charts his meteoric rise to fame from Warrington newspaper delivery boy to multi-millionaire media mogul.

It also includes tales of working with madcap presenter Timmy Mallett at Manchester Piccadilly Radio and his trip around the world chasing John Cleese for a TFI Friday joke.

But with the glut of celebrity biographies published at the moment - Ozzy Osbourne, Ant and Dec and Peter Kay, to name just a few, are also attacking the book market - Evans is keen to point out he is not jumping on the bandwagon.

"I genuinely thought I had a story to tell and it turns into a bit of a caper at the end," he says.

"I read a lot of different biographies as part of my research and thought, 'can we write a decent story and deliver something people want to read and give added value?'

"So we tried to do different things with it. There are top 10s in there, letters at the end from people who are in the book and school reports. We tried to give this package something that nobody had ever done before, so I think it is justifiable and different.

"It's not a lazy book - I did it all myself and I love it."

'Another 99 books'

One of the letters is from presenter Gaby Roslin who, along with other former colleagues (and ex-girlfriends) attended the book's launch in London.

Although she hasn't read the book yet, she says she's slightly nervous about what her former Big Breakfast co-host has to say about her.

Chris Evans bought Virgin Radio from Sir Richard Branson for �85m in 1997

"We get on so it's silly for me to worry - but I hope he's said nice things about me," she says, adding that she's still mystified as to why people believe the pair used to be in a relationship.

"No, I never was and no, we never had sex, but people are still obsessed with it 17 years later."

Evans's book only covers half of his story though, up to the moment in 1997 when he bought Virgin Radio from Sir Richard Branson for £85m.

He says if he had tried to recount any more of his journey, "it just would have been a book of notes". Indeed, he says so much has been left out of the book that it only represents 1% of his life.

"There's another 99 books in there - you could do a whole book on one year at TFI Friday or a whole book on The Big Breakfast," he says. "And then I had to be born, go to school and leave where I lived in the first place - so if I had tried to get up-to-date there would have been no story at all."

Consumer choice

Consequently, Evans is to write a second volume of his book, planned to be released next October. But he admits it will be harder to find time to write after he takes over Sir Terry Wogan's breakfast slot in January.

"I used to write before the rest of the world had got up to mess with your thoughts, so it will be more difficult having done a show, driven back down the A40, answered a few phone calls, reply to a few emails and then write - that is going to be tougher."

It's Not What You Think was launched on 1 October, a date known in the publishing industry as Super Thursday - when more than 800 hard back books are released in anticipation of the Christmas sales rush.

Evans is confident that word-of-mouth about his effort will be favourable and propel him up the charts.

The old Chris Evans would probably be shouting from the rooftops, but the new model is all too aware of consumer choice.

"The deals on books now are magnificent - this book has a £20 cover price and already, on day one, it's on sale for £8.99, which I think is good value for a hardback.

"But people have to make choices - whose book are they going to buy? What are going to learn from it? Do they buy it because they like you or hate you? or do they buy it because they can get something from it?

"Hopefully there's something for everyone in my little story."

It's Not What You Think, published by HarperCollins, is out now.

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