Many thanks to the ever-resourceful Sarah Cronin and all at Talking Pictures TV for another brilliant Renown Pictures Festival of Film, in Rickmansworth yesterday. I hot-footed it to the event in order to interview dear chums Vera Day, Christopher Beeny and Brian Murphy, during the opening ceremony of this second celebration of the Best of British Film and Telly. Here’s to the next time.

The start of our second week of rehearsals for ‘Jeepers Creepers’, starring Rebecca Vaughan and David Boyle as Lauretta and Marty Feldman. Terry Jones is directing, for Martin Witts at the Leicester Square Theatre. You can book tickets now at: leicestersquaretheatre.com. The play runs from 18th. January until 20th. February.

It’s been an enjoyably hectic few weeks, during which, sadly, several beloved situation comedy favourites have died. Shirley Stelfox, who played extrovert sister Rose in the first series of ‘Keeping Up Appearances’, died on 7th. December at the age of 74. Latterly she was best known as Edna Birch in ‘Emmerdale’, but her sparkling comedy credentials include ‘Nearest and Dearest’, the Terry Jones film ‘Personal Service’, and ‘Carry On At Your Convenience’. Nicholas Smith, the ever-flustered, jug-eared store manager, Mr. Rumbold, in ‘Are You Being Served?’, died on 6th. December at 81. His other small screen credits ranged from Doctor Who: ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ (1964) to Last of the Summer Wine: ‘A Short Introduction to Cooper’s Rules’ (2008); while it was a delight to hear his dulcet tones bring the Reverend Clement Hedges to life in the Wallace & Gromit feature ‘The Curse of the Were-Rabbit’. Robin Stewart, who played the dashing and cheeky Mike Abbott in ‘Bless This House’, died on 22nd. November at the age of 69. On film he starred in such favourites of mine as ‘The Haunted House of Horror’ and ‘Adventures of a Private Eye’, as well as playing the son of Peter Cushing in ‘The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires’ for Hammer. Farewell, and thank you.

I spent a lovely time with Terry Jones at the Central Hall, Westminster film convention yesterday. It was particularly nice to also be sat next to Carol Cleveland, which made all sorts of sense too. Bizarrely, Terry had just signed a stunning U.K. quad poster for ‘Jabberwocky’ – yes, he was in it. Just! – when I was told that actor Warren Mitchell had died, at the age of 89. He played the foul Mr. Fishfinger in Terry Gilliam’s glorious romp, but naturally remains best remembered as the ill-tempered bigot Alf Garnett, who first stormed onto television in the BBC situation comedy ‘Till Death Us Do Part’, before appearing in feature films, stage shows, recordings and even an installation at the Museum of the Moving Image. Alf was such an extraordinary, complete performance that he tended to out-shine the rest of a diverse and prolific career, whether that be enjoyable bit parts with Tony Hancock, and the Carry On team, or weighty stage roles barking out the words of William Shakespeare, and Arthur Miller. I only met Warren Mitchell the once, for an interview for my book on his friend and cohort Marty Feldman. He was a charming and modest man, who shared tales of Marty and much else. My affectionate appreciate of him was published in today’s Sunday Express.

It’s official! My play ‘Jeepers Creepers: Through the Eyes of Marty Feldman’, based on my biography of the comedy legend, will be staged from 18th. January to 20th. February 2016 at the Leicester Square Theatre. Monty Python’s Terry Jones will direct David Boyle and Rebecca Vaughan as one of the most intriguing of comedy partnerships. Produced by Martin Witts, the play will chart the Feldmans from Marty’s big Hollywood break in ‘Young Frankenstein’ through to the, seemingly always, inevitable decline and fall. The Leicester Square Theatre is already taking bookings for ‘Jeepers Creepers’ at www.leicestersquaretheatre.com or by telephoning: 020 7734 2222.

Sad to hear that that very fine actor Richard Davies died on Thursday, at the age of 89. Probably best-loved as the cheerfully cynical Welsh school teacher Mr. Price in the LWT sitcom ‘Please Sir!’ (I vividly remember being delighted when he popped up in the School Days episode of ‘Paul Merton’s Life of Comedy’ in 1995), he skillfully straddled mainstream japes with a flair for the anarchic. Students of such high octane lunacy should embrace his Clive Jenkins for ‘Not the 9 O’Clock News’, and his Chancellor of the Exchequer in ‘Whoops Apocalypse’; although his turns for ‘Fawlty Towers’ (The Kipper and the Corpse), ‘One Foot in the Grave’ (Monday Morning Will Be Fine), and the butcher in ‘Steptoe and Son Ride Again’, are no less frantically funny. Other roles ranged from a brilliant Mr. Pritchard in Andrew Sinclair’s 1972 film adaptation of ‘Under Milk Wood’ (naturally) to the passionately Welsh (naturally) Burton in ‘Doctor Who’ (Delta and the Bannerman). One of my personal favourites is his one-off appearance opposite Sid James in ‘Two in Clover’; Super Sub. for an indisposed Victor Spinetti, and giving a beautiful performance. Rest easy, bytty.

I’m *very* excited about the next Robert Ross Requests the Pleasure… show at the Museum of Comedy. It’s with ‘Going Live’ gurus Trevor & Simon. As well as talking about their long and lively comedy careers, Trev Neal and Simon Hickson will discuss their new sci-fi romp ‘Strangeness in Space’. They’ll also be more than a little swinging of pants. Probably! Tickets can be bought on the door; from 3pm. on Sunday, the 27th September, at the Museum of Comedy, The Undercroft, St. George’s Church, Bloomsbury Way, London, WC1A 2SR. Or telephone: 020 7534 1744.

Peter Sellers would have celebrated his 90th birthday today. So, in association with Dick Fiddy of the British Film Institute and The Goon Show Preservation Society, I’m hosting a special celebration of his genius at the Lost Theatre, 208 Wandsworth Road, SW8 2JU. Peter’s daughter Sarah will be in attendance, as well as director Joe McGrath (‘The Magic Christian’, ‘The Great McGonagall’), co-stars Liz Fraser (‘I’m Alright Jack’, ‘Two-Way Stretch’) and Francoise Pascal (‘There’s A Girl in My Soup’, ‘Soft Beds, Hard Battles’), and Goon record producer Marcel Stellman. In addition, Julian Dutton, who’s book ‘Keeping Quiet: Visual Comedy in the Age of Sound’ was published recently, will discuss Peter’s physical clowning. There will also be copious rare clips of Peter in interview and in character. The fun kicks off at 7.30pm., and tickets can be bought by telephoning: 0207 720 6897, or on the door.

August is always a deliciously busy month; not least of all because it’s Edinburgh time! A fun wallow in networking and rubbernecking: and it’s not just comedy. Not by a long chalk! In fact, this year’s theatrical landmark isn’t even part of the Fringe. It’s the truly revolutionary Simon McBurney solo show The Encounter, from Complicite. An extraordinary experience. Other theatre ranges from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Shakespeare Musical Willy’s Bitches, to the powerful Simian parable Kafka’s Ape, starring Howard Rosenstein. There’s beautiful clowning in Eric the Fred, spirited stand-up from Suzy Bennett at the Counting House, and even balletic juggling in 4×4 Ephemeral Architectures. Hey, Edinburgh in August has *everything* you could possibly want. That includes celebrations of comedy’s past; notably this year Kevin McNally and most of The Missing Hancocks team taking the BBC recording experience North of the Border, Simon Cartwright’s uncanny Bob Monkhouse at the Assembly Hall, and Simon Schatzberger’s beautiful Woody Allen ’60s stand-up set at Frankenstein’s. Simply exquisite!

I saw the matinee of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ at the Vaudeville theatre today. An outstanding production, directed by Adrian Noble, and with David Suchet’s performance as Lady Bracknell as its epicentre. Without an ounce of grotesque, his wonderfully mannered, precise, and fluid rendition of Oscar Wilde’s bon mot powerhouse was supported by a uniformly excellent cast. Old pros. Richard O’Callaghan and Michele Dotrice sparked off each other wonderfully; while Imogen Doel made for a particularly enchanting Cecily. Philip Cumbus as Algernon pretty much walked off with the show, with a performance straddling pioneering ‘Punch’ and cyber cheek. It’s a quite extraordinary turn. Booking until 7th November, I highly recommend you see it. You’ll thank me.