Alan Stoob: Nazi Hunter

Alan Stoob is a creation of comic genius. - Jon Ronson

Alan Stoob is the Nazi-Hunter de nos jours. If you haven’t seen any Nazis on the streets of Dunstable latterly it is entirely down to his tireless efforts. - Charlie Higson

Alan Stoob is the funniest and most effective Bedfordshire-based Nazi Hunter I’ve come across. - Stephen Mangan

Alan Stoob is to Nazis what Inspector Clouseau is to jewel thieves. He’s a marvellous comic creation, and deserves his own series of movies.

Alan Stoob and its hero are laugh-out-loud funny… the human story at the heart of the diaries charting Alan’s failing marriage and his relationship with his depressed fortysomething son is tragically comic amid the increasingly surreal plot. - The Times

There are joyous moments of surrealism and some of the silliest names for baddies ever invented. This book contains the word ‘owly’ which brought happiness. Strong female characters admonish yet ultimately encourage Stoob. In a favourite scene Edame comes to his rescue toting a pistol, andmy laughing startled the dog several times. A comic hero of advanced years, Wordsworth’s creation is a rarity - a sort of elderly Bridget Jones, with bunions. - Standard Issue Magazine

Alan Stoob is to Nazis what Inspector Clouseau is to jewel thieves. He’s a marvellous comic creation, and deserves his own series of movies.

A page-turner of the highest order.

Saul was born in London at some point during the 1970s. Saul’s early years were noteworthy for his ability to run fast, an obsessive interest in cricket and the early signs of the chronic snoring that was to dog his later years.

At university he acquired a reputation for being half-Jewish, and a penchant for donner meat with chips extra chilli sauce please. After uni he moved to Brighton to busk for a living, much to the almighty chagrin of his father.

Since then Saul has spent an impressive amount of his adult life in gainful employment, and an equally impressive amount in the bath. He has been a freelance journalist since 2005 which means more time for baths again.

Recently he has written features for the Guardian, sketches for the BBC and regular columns for Metro, Square Mile and the Ham & High.

Follow his alter ego Alan Stoob on twitter @NaziHunterAlan

An exclusive interview with Alan Stoob

How did you start hunting Nazis?

I was clearing my desk after 30 years with the Bedfordshire Constabulary and about to retire to Bournemouth when the phone rang and Simon Wiesenthal asked me to hunt Nazis in Bedfordshire. So I did that instead.

It’s strange that there seem to be so many in Bedfordshire. Why is that?

People often ask me that, Amazon. It’s all to do with the underground ratline that connects Bremen to Biggleswade and that has resulted in hundreds of elderly Nazis flooding the local area. Bedfordshire is the new South America, Dunstable its Paraguay.

How did the book come about and what can readers look forward to in it?

I always keep a diary. That way I’m able to keep track of Nazis I’ve hunted, videos I’ve lent out and such like. When esteemed publisher Hodder & Stoughton caught wind of my work as Britain’s Premier Nazi Hunter and asked if I’d like to write a book I was immensely flattered - until I asked them about an advance (they said I’d have to pay THEM). So instead I sent them my diary from 2012.

Describe an average day in the life of Alan Stoob.

For security reasons I am unable to do that.

Who is your top scalp in terms of Nazis?

Top scalp would have to be evil Heinrich Schlump, the Plasterer of Paris - though Alois Purloin, the Muppet of Manheim, runs him a close second.

Are there any at large?

Of course. Clearly you haven’t visited Biggleswade on market day.

What is the best weapon against Nazis?

The truth.

In the boo