26th February 2009

Bill Cotton’s Memorial Service at St. Martins-in-the-Field. At turns moving and hilarious contributions from Ronnie Corbett, David Attenborough and Michael Grade, were heightened by rousing performances from the ukulele orchestra of Great Britain. It was lovely for Robert to bump in to a delayed Mr and Mrs Joe McGrath and share typical moments of Goonish humour with them. Many thanks to John Gatenby and the British Comedy Society. Sadly, as soon as Robert’s phone was turned back on, he was informed of the death of Wendy Richard. He was subsequently interviewed on B.B.C. Radio Berkshire about her work in Are You Being Served? and the Carry Ons.

23rd February 2009

A rather raucous and joyfully elongated catch-up and drinking session with actor/producer/writer/director and all-round good egg, Paul Cole. Starting off at the Concert Artistes’ Association and ending up at the Lamb & Flag via St. Paul’s, the actors’ church, Robert and Paul must have taken all of thirty steps all day! Robert was later joined by another friend, actress Gemma Sinclair, and attended the DVD launch of Alan G. Parker’s Sid Vicious documentary Who Killed Nancy? at the Leicester Square Theatre.

20th February 2009

Robert is interviewed for the Monty Python at 40 film documentary. A fun two-hour session in conversation with friend and director, Alan Parker, at the Arts Club on Frith Street is followed by a hasty post motem in the Spice of Life. Hasty, for Robert had to wing his way back to Buckinghamshire to join producer Ken Burns for the recording of a DVD audio commentary. Carry On Peter is the record of Carry On producer, Peter Rogers, and his 90th birthday party with Leslie Phillips, Jacki Piper, potential Carry On London cast members and loads of glamour models! Suitably the commentary was recorded on this, Peter’s 95th birthday.

19th February 2009

Sad to hear of the death of Dilys Laye at the age of 74. She had been ill for some time. Robert always loved to keep in touch via her jolly phone-calls and pithy e-mails having recorded DVD audio commentaries with her for three of her four Carry On films.

15th February 2009

To 18 Greek Street and memories of the old Establishment Club as a Westminster green plaque is unveiled to the mercurial Peter Cook. Friends and colleagues Eleanor Bron, Neil Innes, Barry Cryer, Nicholas Parsons, Anneke Wills, Francoise Pascal and Valerie Leon joined Peter’s first wife, Wendy, and his sister, Elizabeth, at the event. The plaque, inscribed to the ‘comedian and only twin’, marks the home of satire that Cook owned during the early 1960s. A slap-up luncheon at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, followed.