Ian Leslie

If this is your first encounter with this returning comedy series, the premise is simple but brilliant. The advertising-executive-cum-author Ian Leslie rifles through the lesser-known "documents" - think old newspaper articles or company correspondence - that reveal the abysmal first literary attempts of some of our best-known modern writers.

A preview was not available as we went to press, but previous forays have included some telling examples, including one from the customer relations department of a US airline where Hunter S Thompson had a temporary job, and another from Jilly Cooper's brief stint as a war reporter...

We don't need writers. Not in the sense that we need farmers, plumbers or even estate agents. Consequently, many of history's greatest wordsmiths - all of whom had bills to pay - put their literary flair to some surprising uses before finding success.

Ian Leslie presents this new comedy show uncovering the surprising nine-to-fives of our literary idols' formative years. With Mathew Baynton and John Finnemore among the guests, the show exposes the bizarre early writings of extraordinary authors and poets, from Jilly Cooper's abortive foray into war reporting to Hunter S Thompson's unlikely stint in customer relations for a major American airline.