Comedy Actress Michelle Brasier Releases Debut Memoir 'My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag'

Award-winning comedian, singer, actor, and writer (and soon to be star of the Australian adaptation of hit sitcom Ghosts), Michelle Brasier’s acclaimed debut memoir My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag has been released in the UK.

The book is available to purchase at the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s official Pop-Up Waterstones until 29th August), online via Amazon, and through selected independent UK bookshops.

My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag has drawn praise for its dark humour, emotional clarity and unflinching honesty in exploring grief, family, hereditary illness, and learning to live lightly in the shadow of loss. Brasier lost both her father and her brother to cancer and now lives with a 97% chance of developing cancer herself – a brutal inheritance that has shaped her worldview and her work. The book explores how those experiences altered her relationships, career, health, and outlook on life.

"My Brother’s Ashes are in a sandwich bag. The sandwich bag says ‘Hercules’ which is the brand name of the bag or perhaps they have given me somebody else’s rather ambitiously named brother.

The idea was to put him somewhere else, somewhere better. I don’t know.

And because I don’t know, my serving of Paul Brasier’s leftovers is in a sandwich bag.

And one day I will put him somewhere better. More worthy. Or I will possibly misplace him in a move." Michelle Brasier

The book was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award as well as the 2025 Russell Prize for Humour Writing, with the judges stating: "A compelling mixture of grief and comedy, this memoir is an astonishing achievement. It’s a big-hearted book, allowing the reader to feel part of Michelle’s gang, as she makes a series of terrible discoveries about her own mortality – and the mortality of some of those closest to her – which, inspiringly, she turns into the richest and most heartfelt comedy."

Michelle Brasier is an award-winning comedian, singer, actor, and writer, known for her emotionally rich, musically driven comedy. She’s an established presence in both Australia and the UK, with a growing international fanbase drawn to her signature blend of pathos, wit, and powerhouse vocals. A regular on Australian screens, Michelle stars in Channel 7’s We Interrupt This Broadcast, voices characters in Koala Man (Fox/Disney+), and was a long-term cast member of Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell (ABC). She also wrote and performed in HBO Max’s YOLO: Crystal Fantasy. She is a frequent collaborator with comedy supergroup Aunty Donna, featuring in Aunty Donna’s Big Ol' House of Fun (Netflix) and Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café (ABC). 

Michelle’s stage work has earned her widespread acclaim. Her debut solo show Average Bear was nominated for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and won the Sydney Comedy Festival Directors’ Choice Award. Her follow-up, Reform, based on her true-life experience with an online scammer, was praised for its radical empathy and unexpected emotional depth. Legacy explored complex themes of grief, control and self-worth, while her latest show, It’s A Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year, sees her tackle anxiety, shame and the fragility of human connection. Michelle has been cast in the Australian adaptation of hit sitcom Ghosts for Paramount and BBC Studios, where she joins the ensemble cast as one of the spectral housemates.

My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag is available now via Amazon UK, selected independent UK bookshops, and from the Waterstones Bookshop at the Edinburgh International Book Festival until 24 August.