Sad to report the death of two fine character actors much attached to cult film and television. Kevin Stoney died on 20 January at the age of 86. His many television credits include The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dixon of Dock Green and Hammer House of Horror, with supporting roles in Inspector Morse and The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries before his retirement in the mid-1990s. However, he was at his best in Doctor Who: as the deliciously coy baddie, Mavin Chen, opposite William Hartnell in ‘The Dalek MasterPlan’ and the oily businessman, Tobias Vaughn, opposite Patrick Troughton in ‘The Invasion’. He appeared with the cybermen again in the Tom Baker story ‘The Revenge of the Cybermen’. Barrie Gosney, who died after a fall on 24 January at the age of 82, chalked up such classic comedy credits as Carry On Jack and Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something. He appeared in all three ‘Up’ films with Frankie Howerd. And, more recently, he was part of Harry Hill’s rep. company and the benign Uncle Barry in Al Murray’s Time Gentlemen, Please!

An enjoyable afternoon in the company of top friends in a box for ‘Cinderella’ at the Richmond theatre, delighting in wonderful performances from Nigel Havers, Paul Zerdin (and Sam!), Su Douglas, Simon Lipkin as a cheeky Dandini and a couple of fine uglies, Ian Good and John Barr. Later in the day Robert journeyed to Calder Books, opposite the Young Vic, to hear his friend, Robert Shearman, read ‘So Proud’ from his collection of short stories, ‘Tiny Deaths’. Well worth buying. As is Adam Marek’s collection, ‘Instruction Manual for Swallowing’, which was also featured.

Robert reverted back to his mis-spent youth…well, his mis-spent twenties at any rate…and lapped up the perfect pop reunion of the Spice Girls at the O2; the revamped Millennium Dome. Robert hasn’t been back since Blackadder and the brain of Tommy Cooper were in residence. What a revue!

A fairly uninspiring round-up of pantomimes this year so that and a busy work committment dictated Robert’s usual ‘panto-crawl’ be vastly reduced. However, today Brian Conley whipped up a storm as Buttons in ‘Cinderella’ at the Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe. With child-like knockabout comedy, cheeky asides to the adults, rock ‘n’ roll and even a resurrection of his hit West End performance as Al Jolson, this was a true all-round entertainer performance. Cinderella was pretty cute as well!

Huge congratulations to our good friend, Leslie Phillips, on being awarded a C.B.E. Let’s make it a knighthood next time!