I’m very sad to hear that variety favourite Keith Harris has died at the age of 67. With his beloved puppets Orville the Duck, Cuddles the Monkey, and, yes, even that Punk Skunk, he was a vital weave in the fabric of my youth. Whether it be his own show, several appearances on the Royal Command Performance, or as the host of ‘Disney Time’, Keith Harris was brilliant at what he did and, by all accounts, a thoroughly decent chap. Speechless.
I’ve got a couple of fun shows coming up this weekend. First up, tomorrow from 3pm, I’m celebrating the knockabout legacy of Norman Wisdom at the Concert Artistes’ Association, Bedford Street. With clips, familiar and rare, as well as memories of working with the great man himself, this affectionate salute marks his centenary earlier this year.
On Sunday, the 26th April from 4pm, I’m at the Museum of Comedy, Bloomsbury Way, requesting the pleasure of one of Norman’s film co-stars, Sally Geeson. In a special tribute to my comedy hero Sid James, exactly 39 years since his death, a screening of a ‘Bless This House’ episode will be followed by Sally sharing her memories of the series. She’ll also recall other acting cohorts, from Vincent Price to Kenneth Williams!
Tickets for both shows will be available on the door.
I’m still getting lots of lovely feedback after ITV3’s ‘Carry On Forever’ weekend screening over the Easter holidays. Our fantastic producer, Ali Lynch, tells me the viewing figures were very pleasing. She always is so modest! In fact, Friday evening’s showing of part one attracted a record audience of 520,000, well over double the usual ITV3 high. Part two, on Saturday evening, was the third most watched digital channel programme of the day, with 481,000, while the concluding part on Sunday evening held its audience at 466,000, against stiff competition from the James Bond film ‘Skyfall’ on ITV2, and ‘Poldark’ on BBC1. Blimus!
Over the weekend, my dear chum Jim Dale brought his celebrated one-man, autobiographical show, ‘Just Jim Dale’, to his home country. Indeed, it was in his home county of Northamptonshire that the preview performances wowed the audience at the Corby Cube. ‘Just Jim Dale’ takes the West End by storm at the Vaudeville theatre from the 26th May to the 20th June. Beg for a ticket, it’s going to be quite a performance!
A fun afternoon chat with Paul Ross who (as he kept saying): “is no relation, sadly!” on BBC Radio Berkshire. We had done it before, and I’ve no doubt we’ll do it again, for the chat was all about the Carry On films, and in particular their location connection with the county. I was followed on the show by the delectable Anita Harris. That too is always a pleasant experience!
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.