Catching up with the second episode of BBC3’s brilliant situation comedy ‘Him and Her’ as well as the start of the new series of E4’s ‘The Inbetweeners’. A new Golden Age of British television comedy continues.

The New theatre, Oxford for Colin Baker’s much anticipated performance as Inspector Morse in Alma Cullen’s ‘House of Ghosts’. Colin’s understanding of the character and mercurial performance was supported by thoughtful performances from Andrew Bone as Lewis and David Acton as Lawrence Baxter. Gay Soper stole countless scenes as the ponderous, pickled ex-leading lady Verity Carr. For further information, reviews and tour dates please look at http://www.freewebs.com/colinbaker/latestnews.htm.

The ’40 Years Young’ party at the Young Vic started with a joyous on-stage celebration of the theatre’s heritage. Stand-out moments included a rolling, play-skipping salute to Shakespeare: with stand-out performances by Rudolph Walker and Christopher Timothy, an extract from Arthur Miller’s ‘Enemy of the People’ and Jim Dale reuniting with ‘Scarpino’ co-stars Nicky Henson and Sam Kelly. Founding father Frank Dunlop was suitably lauded while David Lan delivered an ode to the theatre in answer to Laurence Olivier’s address from 1970. A hilarious drinks party – with prices sometimes blissfully set at 1970 – rolled on with laughter, gossip and pared-back performance. The perfect tribute.

An evening at the Royal Festival Hall with Leslie Phillips’s Battle of Britain concert. Jessien Buckley charmed the audience with a mixture of spirited Vera Lynn numbers and classical excursions. Chris Marques and Jaclyn Spencer dressed up a storm while the London Concert Orchestra under the direction of Jae Alexander belted out everything from Glenn Miller to Eric Coates. RAF trumpeter Paul Sutton brought extra poignancy to Leslie’s reading of the poem ‘High Flight’ while a smattering of Winston Churchill’s iconic speeches left the audience spell-bound.

Jim Dale will be joining fellow original player Anna Carteret, theatre critic Michael Billington, Young Vic founder Frank Dunlop and the current Artistic Director, David Lan, at a 40th anniversary platform on the National theatre’s Cottesloe’s stage tomorrow from 6pm. The event is a complete sell-out but it would be well worth while waiting for returns. The Bill Paterson platform before hand is highly recommended as well. And there are still tickets available for ‘Leslie Phillips Presents the Battle of Britain’ at the Royal Festival Hall on the 11th September. It will be a stirring celebration of the war years, complete with Glenn Miller music and Winston Churchill speeches.

A joyous lunch with Jenny Hanley in a delightful little ‘find’ in Amersham Old Town. One of life’s pleasures.

David Benson performed his mercurial ‘Think No Evil of Us – My Life with Kenneth Williams’ to a packed auditorium at the New Diorama theatre and was afterwards joined by the Mayor of Camden and Kenneth’s good friend Barbara Waslin-Ashbridge to unveil a blue plaque to the “comedy actor and raconteur”. David will be performing the show again on the 19th September from 3.30pm.

A last minute reminder that The British Comedy Society are paying tribute to Kenneth Williams on Sunday 5th September. The programme includes a walking tour of Kenneth’s Camden Town and a performance of David Benson’s outstanding one-man show ‘Think No Evil of Us – My Life with Kenneth Williams’. A blue plaque will be unveiled in the foyer of the New Diorama theatre, NW1 at 5.30pm.

Back in good old Blighty at the perfectly civilized hour of 9am: with the dual pleasures of Johnny Depp and Gemma Arterton keeping Robert occupied on the flight.

John Potts, diners, Daniel Boone, motels, root beer floats and Ruby Tuesday endless fries. The American experience rolls on…and a diet is calling! While back at home the very, very last of the Summer Wine is enjoyed by over five million viewers – more than a million more than the rest of this final series. Fittingly Peter Sallis, the only actor to appear in every episode, had the final line: “Did I lock the door?”