The Understudy cover art

The Understudy

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Understudy

By: David Nicholls
Narrated by: Paul Thornley
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Does your life feel like a dress rehearsal? Do you long to enter the limelight and steal the show? But what do you do when you're playing second fiddle to an arrogant actor who barely knows your name? And, more importantly, what do you do when you find yourself falling in love with his wife?

©2005 David Nicholls (P)2006 W F Howes Ltd Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Funny Witty

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Sunday Lunch Club cover art
Echoes cover art
Playing Around cover art
The Spire cover art
The Lemon Table cover art
To Be Someone cover art
The Untouchable cover art
Welcome to the Real World cover art
About a Girl cover art
You Had Me at Hello cover art
Animals cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
loved this book, he's such a natural story teller. can't recommend highly enough. Brilliantly narrated, had me laughing out loud " if you're happy and you know it" , hysterical.

FABULOUS

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A bittersweet clash between an insecure would be actor and an egotistical chauvinest theatre star, and the star's beautiful but unattainable girlfriend. Brilliantly written and beautifully read, a comic masterpiece that gripped me from start to finish.

More than just a RomCom

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, as it wouldn't be my usual genre. The story itself flowed well and held my attention to the end. It is a classic underdog tale with likeable and relatable characters. The narrator was fantastic and had me laughing out loud several times, his comic timing really added to the experience for me. Overall it was a pleasant easy listen.

Funny and Heartwarming

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Badly in need of editing and a continuity check- the character of Sophie comes across a lot older than her supposed 7/8yrs- I initially thought the author needed her to be around 7yrs old for a particular plot point but that doesn’t work either. Overall, the beginning and ending were engaging, it was just the middle where it dragged- badly. Ok read for a summer’s day but other than that, I wouldn’t bother

So-so

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was my second David Nicholls audio book and I enjoyed this story of the under dog and understudy Stephen McQueen and his escapades even more than "US" which I also really enjoyed.
Great performance from the narrator too.

Not to be missed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator was great, playing the different characters excellently. The actual story was good, although not as strong as his others. All in all, a very good holiday read.

Easy listening, great narration, disappointing ending...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
a little slow to start but after the first couple of chapters you will be hooked.

a slow starter but keep with it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed this, but it was nothing new. Well performed and worth a listen. The trouble is that few of the characters are at all likeable, including the hero and love interest. Great narration though.

a diverting, if not very original idea

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fun, enjoyable, easy going book, which made me chuckle. Would make a good holiday book
I would definitely opt to listen to another title from this author :)

Fun

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I listened to the whole book, though at times thought about giving up. It improved slightly, but the characters were uninspiring and not terribly likeable. I found the book depressing and annoying - the lead character was so wet. It wasn’t particularly funny either. Not for me.

Not for me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews