History Main / CompromisingMemoirs

** Make what you will of the fact that at least one tie-in book takes the form of a sort of [[Scrapbook Story Scrapbook]] {{Novelisation}} of the first two seasons, in which Hacker's own journal features heavily.

* As mentioned above, the ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' story "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" begins with Watson saying that if the person who tried to get at his case-notes does it again, he will reveal the whole story of "[[NoodleImplements the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant]]" to the public. Several other stories have mention in the foreword that Watson deliberately delayed publishing them until after the death of the principals of the case so that they could not be harmed by any possible scandal.

* As mentioned above, the ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' story "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" begins with Watson saying that if the person who tried to get at his case-notes does it again, he will reveal the whole story of "[[NoodleImplements the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant]]" to the public.

* ''{{Kind Hearts and Coronets}}'': Louis's memoirs, written in prison and left behind there, reveal that he [[spoiler: has murdered most of the d'Ascoyne family.]]
** Louis only wrote the memoirs because he was waiting to be executed for a murder he ''didn't'' commit. When he was reprieved, he forgot and left them in his cell. [[OhCrap Big oops]].

* In ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'', Sir Watkin writes his Memoirs and SEVERAL parties take offense at the depiction of the now respectable pillars of society as the kind of roaring youths that would not have gone out of place in the Drones Club. Oddly enough, this does not include most of the people so depicted, who seem to like the idea that the youth may recall that they too were young once.

* An episode of ''Series/ThePersuaders''

* An episode of ''ThePersuaders''

This covers Memoirs as a plot device, not a framing device. However there can be overlap. For example one of the ''Literautre/SherlockHolmes'' short stories starts with a note to the effect that, while he has no interest in publishing a specific case due to the scandal it will cause he WILL if people keep trying to steal his notes, meaning that someone in universe considers his writings to be an example.

This covers Memoirs as a plot device, not a framing device. However there can be overlap. For example one of the SherlockHolmes short stories starts with a note to the effect that, while he has no interest in publishing a specific case due to the scandal it will cause he WILL if people keep trying to steal his notes, meaning that someone in universe considers his writings to be an example.

* As mentioned above, the SherlockHolmes story "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" begins with Watson saying that if the person who tried to get at his case-notes does it again, he will reveal the whole story of "[[NoodleIncident the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant]]" to the public.

* In ''SaturdayNightLive'' former baseball star Chico Escuela wrote a tell-all called ''Bad Stuff 'Bout the Mets'' ("Tom Seaver - he once borrow Chico's soap and no give it back"). This comes back to bite him when he decides to tries a comeback.

* In the ''Series/ItTakesAThief'' episode "Lay of the Land", Al Mundy is assigned to steal the memoirs of a duchess who [[ReallyGetsAround really got around]] [[IWasQuiteALooker in her day]], just in case one of her prominent lovers let slip any state secrets. Subverted when it turns out that her memoirs are actually rather tame; she was going to have them published posthumously, and in the meantime spreading rumors about their scandalous contents helped drum up publicity (and increase her advance). Discovering this, foreign agents hold her niece hostage and force her to write in a few new chapters to make Western powers look bad.

* On ''ItTakesAThief'', "Lay of the Land", Al is assigned to steal the memoirs of a duchess who [[ReallyGetsAround really got around]] [[IWasQuiteALooker in her day]], just in case one of her prominent lovers let slip any state secrets. Subverted when it turns out that her memoirs are actually rather tame; she was going to have them published posthumously, and in the meantime spreading rumors about their scandalous contents helped drum up publicity (and increase her advance). Discovering this, foreign agents hold her niece hostage and force her to write in a few new chapters to make Western powers look bad.
* Very briefly used on TheWestWing. As President Bartlett is just about to leave office, there's a train crash and two state governors squabble about who has to deal with it. Bartlett calls one of them and threatens that he's about to earn a paragraph in his soon to be written memoirs. The governor immediately backs down.

* An episode of ''ThePersuaders''.

** Louis only wrote the memoirs because he was waiting to be executed for a murder he ''didn't'' commit. When he was reprieved he forgot and left them in his cell. Big oops.

* The reactions to Nite Owl I's "Under the Hood" in ''{{Watchmen}}'' were like this.

[[AC: Graphic Novel]]
* The reactions to Nite Owl I's "Under the Hood" in ''{{Watchmen}}'' were like this.

[[AC: Literature]]
* In ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'', Sir Watkin writes his Memoirs and SEVERAL parties take offense at the depiction of the now respectable pillars of society as the kind of roaring youths that would not have gone out of place in the Drones Club. Oddly enough, this does not include most of the people so depicted, who seem to like the idea that the youth may recall that they too were young once.
* As mentioned above, the SherlockHolmes story "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" begins with Watson saying that if the person who tried to get at his case-notes does it again, he will reveal the whole story of "[[NoodleIncident the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant]]" to the public.

* In ''JeevesAndWooster'', Sir Watkin writes his Memoirs and SEVERAL parties take offense at the depiction of the now respectable pillars of society as the kind of roaring youths that would not have gone out of place in the Drones Club. Oddly enough, this does not include most of the people so depicted, who seem to like the idea that the youth may recall that they too were young once.

* As mentioned above, the SherlockHolmes story "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" begins with Watson saying that if the person who tried to get at his case-notes does it again, he will reveal the whole story of "the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant" to the public.
* ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'': Louis's memoirs, written in prison and left behind there, reveal that he [[spoiler: has murdered most of the d'Ascoyne family.]]

* In ''YesPrimeMinister'', the former Prime Minister writes his memoirs and Hacker tries to bar the parts that make him look bad from publication.
** The crisis is resolved the next episode by the sudden death by heart attack of the former PM; this turns a disaster (the former PM's memoirs) into an opportunity (Hacker has an excuse to hold a big funeral and get some diplomatic business done). It also pleases Hacker immensely; for a moment after receiving the news, Hacker [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing breaks out into one of the sincerest, happiest grins you'll ever see]].

* The ''{{Spooks}}'' episode "The Rose Bed Memoirs".
* Nite Owl I's "Under the Hood" in ''{{Watchmen}}'' was reacted to like this, although that was before the story is set.
* An episode of ''ThePersuaders''.

* In ''{{Atonement}}'', Briony states that she would have to wait until after her cousin Lola died before she could publish her memoirs, [[spoiler:specifically, the truth about who really raped Lola and the fates of Cecilia and Robbie]].
* A subversion of this trope is the basis for the IdiotPlot in ''BurnAfterReading''. A self-important disgruntled CIA agent plans to release his memoirs, which are probably not as scandalous to the agency as he believes. But then a bunch of other people mistake the memoirs for "valuable spy stuff".

* The above-mentioned note at the start of SherlockHolmes story.
* ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'': Louis's memoirs, written in prison and left behind there reveal that he [[spoiler: has murdered most of the d'Ascoyne family.]]

* An episode of ''ThePersuaders!''.

* In ''((Atonement}}'', Briony states that she would have to wait until after her cousin Lola died before she could publish her memoirs, [[spoiler:specifically, the truth about who really raped Lola and the fates of Cecilia and Robbie]].

* CiaphasCain's memoirs are classified and available only to inquisitors.

When a person of note has reached their autumn years they are often taken to compose their Memoirs, a record of their life for the perusal and study of those who would wish to emunlate it.