A fun and frantic filming schedule for a new ITV documentary culminates with six hours of me in front of the camera. That will probably be edited down to around three minutes, but the result should be on your screens sometime in the spring of next year.

A hilarious and emotion time in Finchley to attend the unveiling of the beautiful Spike Milligan bench in the grounds of St. Stephens’ House. The life-size bronze by John Somerville incorporates elements of Spike’s army life, his early days in India, crazy times with the Goons and his writing for children. Terry Gilliam, Roy Hudd and Denis Norden were among the comedy elite who came to remember a beloved pioneer of the daft.

Sad news from down under that Bill Kerr has died at the ripe old age of 92. Very close to my heart as Tony Hancock’s slow-witted chum in so many cherished radio half hours, he also starred opposite Sid James on television in ‘Citizen James’ and Peter Sellers on screen in ‘The Wrong Arm of the Law’. Even during his Hancock days, he had proved himself an actor of intensity. His supporting roles in British war films like ‘The Night My Number Came Up’ and ‘The Dam Busters’ are proof enough, all the more endearing because these dips into drama were mercilessly sent-up in his radio comedy successes. Having returned to his homeland, he impressed in ‘Gallipoli’, ”The Year of Living Dangerously’ and ‘Let’s Get Skase’, but it’s his knack for comedy that will endure. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve listened to ‘The Wild Man of the Woods’ or ‘Sunday Afternoon at Home’ or ‘The Last Bus Home’, and I’m not about to stop now. Reassuringly, the final sounds his neighbours heard were of Bill Kerr laughing uproariously at ‘Seinfeld’ on the telly. Pretty much the perfect way to go. A long life, well lived. I would write more, but I’m only here for four minutes…

A fantastic evening saluting Sergeant Bilko at the National Film Theatre, a prelude to the long-awaited release of the complete series on DVD. Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Phil Silvers’s daughter, Cathy, waxed lyrical on the man and the series. Familiar classics and splendid rarities in the clip choice as well. The 20 disc Bilko Complete Collection from Mediumrare is available from the 22nd September.

A wonderful and exciting day at Pinewood Studios today. It’s been a while and I’ve missed the place, but it can still fill me with delight. The ghosts are getting restless. Watch this space…

Sad to hear that dear old, dotty Dora Bryan died today at the ripe old age of 91. Our paths crossed many times, notably during the recording of the DVD commentary for ‘Carry On Sergeant’ and several hilarious weeks on location for ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. A delightfully funny and beguiling talent, her vibrant prowess for musical theatre may be restricted to recordings but her film work – from the sublime ‘A Taste of Honey’ to the ridiculous ‘Mother Riley Meets the Vampire’ – will entertain for always.

I was the guest interviewer for the Max Miller Appreciation Society evening with actor Christopher Beeny. Chris, whose career stretches back to the late 1940s, first found fame as young Lennie Grove in the BBC soap ‘The Grove Family’. He was still working for the corporation during the very last of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ in 2010. Along the way, he has starred in such popular ITV successes as ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ and ‘In Loving Memory’. It was an elephantine evening, packed with outrageous anecdotes and nostalgic delight.

The very last night of Monty Python Live (Almost) and didn’t they do well? A production packed with familiar old favourites, brilliantly staged musical numbers and an energy that belied the seventy plus ages of its principals. To see Terry Jones and Eric Idle resurrect ‘Nudge, Nudge’ again, forty five years after first performing it. Or to revel in Mike Palin and John Cleese merging the Dead Parrot and Cheese Shop sketches. Or to gasp as Terry Gilliam, one of the world’s finest, most respected film directors, dangling high above the stage to warble ‘I’m Got Two Legs’ one last time. A triumph from start to finish. The guest list for that last night was, unsurprisingly, lavish. It’s not every night one can hang out with Professor Stephen Hawking and Tim Brooke-Taylor. This was one such night. Unforgettable.

It would have been Marty Feldman’s 80th birthday today. Perhaps this should be National Hump Day from now on!

Having broadcast across the BBC regional studios, I finally got to see Monty Python Live (Almost) tonight. No spoilers, but if you haven’t yet got tickets and you can get some, get some. You’ll thank me.