View source for Billy Liar

{{Short description|1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox book
| name          = Billy Liar
| title_orig    =
| translator    =
| image         = Billy Liar Cover.jpg
| caption       = First edition
| author        = [[Keith Waterhouse]]
| illustrator   =
| cover_artist  =
| country       = United Kingdom
| language      = English
| series        =
| genre         =
| publisher     = [[Michael Joseph (publisher)|Michael Joseph]]
| release_date  =
| english_release_date =
| media_type    = Print
| pages         =
| isbn          = 978-0-14-001783-0
| oclc= 16230170
| preceded_by   =
| followed_by   = [[Billy Liar on the Moon]]
}}

'''''Billy Liar''''' is a 1959 novel by [[Keith Waterhouse]]<ref name="The Guardian - 11 August 2009 - Fifty years on, Billy Liar has not grown old">{{cite news |last1=Keenan |first1=John |title=Fifty years on, Billy Liar has not grown old |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/aug/11/50-years-on-billy-liar |access-date=4 November 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=11 August 2009}}</ref> that was later adapted into a play, a [[Billy Liar (film)|film]], a [[Billy (musical)|musical]] and a [[Billy Liar (TV series)|TV series]]. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popular songs.

The semi-comical story is about William Fisher, a working-class 19-year-old living with his parents in the fictional town of Stradhoughton in [[Yorkshire]]. Bored by his job as a lowly [[clerk (position)|clerk]] for an [[undertaker]], Billy spends his time indulging in fantasies and dreams of life in the big city as a comedy writer.

==Characters==
;William "Billy" Fisher
:Billy is 19, and living with parents Alice and Geoffrey, and his grandmother, Florence Boothroyd. Billy lies compulsively to everyone he comes across, whether it is by claiming that his father is a retired naval captain/cobbler, or telling his parents that Arthur's mother has broken her leg. Billy works as a clerk for undertakers Shadrack & Duxbury. He is engaged to two girls and in love with a third, and he constantly refers to a vague job offer writing scripts in London for comedian "Danny Boon".

;Alice Fisher
:Billy's mother. She rarely sits down in the play, constantly working hard to keep the house tidy and look after her husband, her mother, and Billy.

;Geoffrey Fisher
:Billy's father. Geoffrey uses the word "bloody" in his sentences so often it has lost all meaning. Geoffrey has been a successful garage owner who also works in the removal business so his family live middle-class lives despite his working-class background. Geoffrey has a short temper, but otherwise rarely shows emotion.  Relations between Geoffrey and Billy have broken down, providing the story's main source of conflict.

;Florence Boothroyd
:Billy's grandmother, Alice's mother. She is ignored by her family and never seen as a loved character until the end. Florence talks to the [[sideboard]] more than her own family, and is always drinking tea out of a [[pint pot]]. She keeps pots of [[condensed milk]] upstairs. Florence falls ill in Act 2 and is taken upstairs. By Act 3, she has died. She likely has a form of dementia because of her strange behaviour throughout the book. Her age is either 80 or 81 years old, and she was born in August.

;Arthur Crabtree
:Billy's best friend. Arthur works at Shadrack & Duxbury with Billy. When we first see Arthur and Billy together in Act 1, they adopt thick northern accents and engage in buffoonery, imitating their elders. Despite this tomfoolery, Arthur's mood towards Billy changes in Act 3. Arthur does not appear in Act 2.

;Barbara
:One of Billy's [[fiancee]]s. Barbara is prudish, always eating oranges, and harbours dreams of living with Billy in a cottage in Devon, with "little Billy and little Barbara". She finds out about other girlfriends later in the play.

;Rita
:Rita is 17, is short, but comes across as a "hard lass". She is engaged to Billy, and has a habit of mimicking Billy every time he offers an excuse for her missing engagement ring. Unbeknown to her, it is on Barbara's finger. Rita appears in Acts 2 and 3.

;Liz
:Liz is described as a scruffy girl in need of a new skirt, but she's the one who truly understands Billy and the only one in which he's genuinely interested. Before her appearance in the play, Billy pretends he does not have much interest in her, but it is clear when she appears that he is still smitten with her.

==Adaptations==
===Stage play===
In 1960, the novel's author, Keith Waterhouse, co-wrote a [[Three-act structure|three-act stage version]] with [[Willis Hall]]. The action took place on a single set combining the living-room, hallway, and porch of the Fisher household. The first production opened in the [[West End theatre|West End]] of London with [[Albert Finney]] in the title role. It has since been produced all over the world, and has become a favourite with [[amateur dramatics|amateur]] groups.  The play was adapted for the Irish stage as ''Liam Liar'' by [[Hugh Leonard]] in 1976.<ref name="Irish Playography, Hugh Leonard, Liam Liar">{{cite web|title=Irish Playography|url=http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=1269|work=Entry for Hugh Leonard, Liam Liar}}</ref>

The play is set in one Saturday: Act 1 in the morning, Act 2 in the early evening, and Act 3 at night.

===Film===
{{Main article|Billy Liar (film)}}
The 1963 film was directed by [[John Schlesinger]] and featured [[Tom Courtenay]], who played the part when [[Albert Finney]] left the cast in the West End play, as Billy and [[Julie Christie]] as Liz, one of his three girlfriends. [[Mona Washbourne]] played Mrs. Fisher, and [[Wilfred Pickles]] played Mr. Fisher. [[Rodney Bewes]], [[Finlay Currie]], and [[Leonard Rossiter]] also had roles.

===British television series===
{{Mainarticle|Billy Liar (TV series)}}
The novel was also used as the basis for a [[British sitcom|sitcom]] made by [[London Weekend Television]] in 1973–1974, starring [[Jeff Rawle]] as Billy. The series was scripted by the play's writers, Waterhouse and Hall, and the action was updated to the 1970s. [[George A. Cooper]] reprised his West End role as Billy's father. Other regular cast members included [[Pamela Vezey]] as Alice, [[Colin Jeavons]] as Shadrack, [[May Warden]] as Billy's grandmother, and [[Sally Watts]] as Barbara. Several new girlfriends were also introduced.

The series was shown on the Seven Network in Australia during the non-ratings season of 1975–1976, shown on [[CBC Television]] in Canada in 1975–1976, and shown on [[RTÉ 2]] in Ireland in 1982. It has never been [[rerun]], although the first series was released on Region 2 DVD in August 2006. The second series was released in March 2007. The complete series was released on 07/05/2018.

===Stage musical===
{{Main article|Billy (musical)}}
In 1974, a successful [[West End theatre|West End]] musical (entitled simply ''[[Billy (musical)|Billy]]'') starred [[Michael Crawford]] and, in her West End debut, [[Elaine Paige]]. The cast also included [[Gay Soper]], [[Avis Bunnage]], [[Bryan Pringle]] and [[Lockwood West]]. The book was by well-known British sitcom writers [[Dick Clement]] and [[Ian La Frenais]], and the music and lyrics were by [[film scores|film composer]] [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] and [[Don Black (lyricist)|Don Black]] respectively.

===American television series===
An American adaptation entitled ''[[Billy (1979 TV series)|Billy]]'' and starring [[Steve Guttenberg]], [[Peggy Pope]], and [[James Gallery]] aired briefly on [[CBS]] in 1979.

==Sequel==
{{main|Billy Liar on the Moon}}
Waterhouse subsequently wrote a sequel, ''[[Billy Liar on the Moon]]'', published in 1975. This returns to the life of Billy Fisher, now aged 33, married, and living in the [[Midlands]], but continuing to indulge in a fantasy life, and to engage in various deceits which tend to backfire and land him in further trouble.

==In popular culture==
{{sources|section|date=July 2021}}
*[[Billy Liar (band)|Billy Liar]] is the name of an acoustic folk/punk singer from Scotland, and of his eponymous band.
*"[[Billy Liar (song)|Billy Liar]]" is the title of the second track of ''[[Her Majesty the Decemberists]]'' by [[The Decemberists]].
*[[Saint Etienne (band)|Saint Etienne]] sampled some lines from the film in their song "[[You're in a Bad Way]]".
*The music video for the song "[[The Importance of Being Idle (song)|The Importance of Being Idle]]"  by [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] contains scenes based on scenes from ''Billy Liar'', although most of it is based on the video for [[the Kinks]]' ''Dead End Street''.
* The [[Kids in the Hall]] "Billy Dreamer" character is based loosely on Billy Liar.
* The song "[[William, It Was Really Nothing]]" by [[The Smiths]] took inspiration from the book.

==See also==
*[[Walter Mitty]], the fantasist character in [[James Thurber]]'s 1939 short story.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=503874 ''Billy!''] the Musical (''Broadway.com'' article)

{{Angry young men}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1959 British novels]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Social realism]]
[[Category:Novels set in fictional countries]]
[[Category:Novels set in Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Michael Joseph books]]
[[Category:Novels by Keith Waterhouse]]