It was a right old Carry On over the Easter weekend on ITV3 as a glut of classic films including ‘Don’t Lose Your Head’, ‘Carry On Camping’ and ‘Carry On Up the Jungle’, jostled for the biggest titters. Undoubtedly the centre piece was the brand new three-part documentary ‘Carry On Forever’. I enjoyed a lengthy interview for the programme, and worked as consultant on the project for much of last summer. I was delighted with the outcome. Dear chums like Jim Dale, Jacki Piper, Shirley Eaton, Valerie Leon, Norman Hudis and Liz Fraser, were on hand to remember the series with affection, while location visits for Rosalind Knight, Fenella Fielding and Anita Harris, were fun and emotional. None more so than the reunion of Bernard Cribbins and Juliet Mills at Frensham Ponds, Farnham. I’m convinced Cribbins now has a clause in his contract that specifies he must made me cry on his every job now! My favourite day of filming also became my favourite part of the show; Jeremy Connor and Tyler Butterworth reminiscing about their dads Kenneth and Peter, in the blue book archive. It’s a thing of beautiful, as was the whole show. Love and respect to producer Ali Lynch, director Simon Paintin, and the whole team. Long may we all Carry On!

The latest ‘Requests the Pleasure…’ event at the Museum of Comedy was an almost instant sell-out once it was announced that National Treasures Terry Jones and Michael Palin would be my guests. It was literally standing room only, and that included the three of us! It was quite an experience to be stood in the dark, occasionally nudged from behind by Mike Palin with a whispered: “This is good, isn’t it?” Indeed it was. The screening of the very first episode of ‘The Complete & Utter History of Britain’ got a great reaction, and our conversation covered everything from the Oxford days to Terry’s latest film, ‘Absolutely Anything’, in which Mike joins his fellow ex-Pythons as the voices of the aliens who bestow the power to do absolutely anything upon humble school teacher, Simon Pegg. The Terry Jones and Michael Palin podcast, along with the previous three episodes of ‘Requests the Pleasure…’, will be available for download later this month.

Today marks the eightieth birthday of that lovely, comedy hero Barry Cryer O.B.E. Baz has been an influence, a support, and a dear chum to me for many years; a gentleman fuelled by booze, fags, laughter, and loyalty. He also remains a champion of great comedy, past, present, and future. One of these days, our pet project of the Forgotten Heroes of Comedy, will emerge. In the meantime, those splendid chaps at the Slapstick Festival and Aardman Animation, decreed Baz a Comedy Legend at a special celebration at the Bristol Old Vic last Friday. Quite right too! Graeme Garden proceeded over the event. Alas, I couldn’t attend but, along with other friends such as Jack Dee and Jeremy Hardy, I contributed an especially filmed tribute. Here’s to you, Baz. A God amongst men!

Sad to hear that Shaw Taylor died at his home of the Isle of Wight today. He was 90. I was fortunate enough to spent some time with him when he starred opposite Jack Douglas in a Shanklin Theatre production of the Brian Clemens and Dennis Spooner comedy thriller ‘A Sting in the Tail’. An actor before, during, and after ‘Police 5’, Shaw Taylor left a mark in comedy with a cameo as himself in the 1977 film ‘Adventures of a Private Eye’. He also hosted the 1973 television programme ‘What A Carry On!’, which showcased the opening night of the West End revue ‘Carry On London!’. He was a thoroughly charming chap.

It was off to Jongluers Camden last night for the Chortle Awards. The laughs and wine flowed, with such diverse talents as Richard Herring, Su Pollard, Matt Berry, Nancy Dell’Olio, Christopher Biggins, Norman Lovett, and Hattie Hayridge dishing out the prizes. I was delighted to see Reece Shearsmith pick up the TV award for ‘Inside No. 9’, while other notable winners included Stewart Lee for Best DVD, ‘No Such Thing As A Fish’ for the Internet award, and Katherine Ryan for Club Comic. The final accolade went to the Monty Python team, their O2 reunion shows being named Event of the Year. Terry Jones was on hand to accept the award.

This month’s ‘Robert Ross Requests the Pleasure…’ at the Museum of Comedy in Bloomsbury is on Sunday the 29th March from 4pm. It promises to be an epic occasion as my very special guests are Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Through conversation ranging from their first meeting at Oxford University, to the O2 Monty Python reunion shows of last year, this will be a gallop through 50 years of classic comedy you simply can’t afford to miss.

A reflective day of celebration on what *should* have been the 57th birthday of Dr. The Rik Mayall. It still seems utterly, utterly wrong for me to write of Rik in the past tense. In London, The Rik Mayall Marathon Convention saw fans, friends and colleagues foregather in his name, while across the nation and beyond, social media was awash with his devilish grin, poignant words, and affectionate two-finger salute. Quite right too.

It seems impossible to believe that it is twenty, long years since we lost the unique Vivian Stanshall: singer-songwriter, poet, communicator extraordinaire, multi-instrumentalist, mentalist, professional eccentric, and purveyor of inspired, therapeutic lunacy. A glass or two was raised in his honour. It’s what he would have wanted…

Great fun at the Museum of Comedy with this month’s Robert Ross Requests the Pleasure requesting the pleasure of my old friend, Liz Fraser. Following a screening of the first episode of ‘Citizen James’, the BBC series Liz starred in opposite Sid James and Bill Kerr, the appreciative audience was regaled with tales of Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers and, suitably enough in the Cooper Room, the mighty Tommy himself. There was even the inevitable duet on ‘Daisy, Daisy’ with Liz’s beloved Basset Hound, Brodie!

A thoroughly enjoyable first Renown Pictures Film Festival at the Watersmeet theatre, Rickmansworth. It was a delight to bump in to my old chum, Brian Murphy, and follow his official opening of the event with a truncated chat on the ‘Forgotten Heroes of Comedy’. I was thrilled at the huge audience and, thankfully, they all laughed in the right places! I fashioned the talk to be more Renown friendly, so gems featuring Freddie Frinton and Hylda Baker took centre stage. Many thanks to Sarah and her team for a brilliantly organised event, and here’s to the next time!