Is That You, Petula?

Petula Clark’s first appearance on the airwaves was in 1942, aged nine, singing on a BBC radio show that broadcast messages to the troops. It was to be the start of the longest career of any British entertainer, as she evolved from child star to music, film and theatre legend.

After a string of hit records in the UK in the 50s, Petula followed her heart and future husband to France where she became the nation’s most popular female vocalist, before going truly global when she topped the charts in the US with Downtown. Hollywood beckoned, then Vegas, Broadway and the West End.

Petula is an artist who has always had an innate ability to create deep connections with audiences everywhere, remaining beloved and relevant across different eras. In her first and only autobiography, she brings that same personal passion and spirit to her writing, with a witty, sparkling and deeply intimate narrative.

She confides in us with glorious showbiz gems, such as the time she saw Frank Sinatra at both his most charming and his most intimidating, or there’s the day she attended Liza Minelli and David Gest’s wedding as one of thirteen maids of honour, all dressed in black.

While beneath the shiny surface, she also reflects on the people and moments that shaped her, on love and loss, on the family life she cherished away from the spotlight and, ultimately, on finding her own path to happiness and fulfilment.

Find out why John Lennon, at his bed-in for peace with Yoko, asked ‘Is that You, Petula?’ It was. And this is Petula, a true icon of popular music, telling you her story, in her own words.