Celia Imrie

Celia Imrie is a familiar face from television and film, well known for her roles in Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques and Dinnerladies. In recent years she has delighted audiences in films such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Calendar Girls. As well as an actress in television and film, Imrie is also an accomplished stage performer, starring in Noises Off by and The Sea. Imrie adds another string to her bow with the publication of her first novel, Not Quite Nice.

Protagonist Theresa, desperate for a change and forced into early retirement, sells her Highgate house and moves to the picture-perfect town of Bellevue-sur-Mer. Theresa soon discovers a close-knit set of expats and embraces her new-found friendships and freedom. However, life is never quite as simple as it seems and as skeletons start to fall out of several closets, she begins to wonder if life on the French Riviera is quite as nice as it first appeared…

Imrie’s first foray in to the world of literature is an enjoyable read in the tradition of the best comic narratives. With the backdrop of beautiful villas, bustling cafes and the shimmering cerulean sea, Not Quite Nice is sure to be at the top of many summer reading lists and fellow actress Joanna Lumley has described it as ‘utterly delicious in every way’.