After winning his bets that he couldn't circumnavigate Ireland with a fridge in tow or play all of the Moldovan national football team at tennis, in "One Hit Wonderland" Tony Hawks, a man who has built a career out of appearing on Radio 4 panel games and accepting another bizarre challenges, accepts a bet that he can have a hit single anywhere in the world within two years.

Hawks does have a track record here, having reached number 4 in the UK with "Stutter Rap", under the guise of Morris Minor and the Majors. He travels to Nashville (Music City USA), the Sudan, Holland and Romania in his quest, but things only really begin to take off when he meets 87 year old Norman Wisdom, a superstar in Albania....

Unlike obvious inspiration Bill Bryson, this book places more emphasis on the humour than the travel; you won't find out much about the cultures that Hawks visits during his quest. However, as a celebration of British eccentricity in out of the way places, this is up to the standards of the previous two books, with several laugh out loud moments. Unpretentious, amiable fun. ( )

This is a very very funny book indeed. If you read it in public, you will probably burst into fits of laughter at inopportune moments! Tony Hawks has another bet with a friend, this time the bet being that he can't have a top 20 single somewhere in the world.

Tony's quest takes him to various countries, and involves collaborations with Tim Rice and his family, and Norman Wisdom amongst others. Simon Cowell also makes a brief but hilarious appearance in the book.

Well worth a read! ( )

Self deprecating but smug English humour. ( )