Thanks for the Comedy Rules by Jonathan Lynn recommendation. Very hard not to drink it straight down in one. Informative and consistently funny. Delightful.
Laurie Taylor's In The Underworld sees the respected sociologist introduced to various criminals by John McVicar, one of his students, then making a transition from armed robbery to journalism. The mismatch of the good-hearted if occasionally naive Professor and the hardman going straight would make a good sit com.
They had planned something more serious and sociological, fortunately the interviews with practitioners of various dark trades are peppered with mordant wit. There's quite a few hilarious stories in among the hard data.
Worth it (one P + postage Amazon)just for the details of an ingenious prank played on Frankie Vaughan, perpetrated by someone who had booked an on-stage table and was therefore able to spend the rest of the act gloating triumphantly.