A reminder that Robert’s good friend, Valerie Leon, is presenting her one-woman show: ‘Valerie’s Carry On’, on Thursday 19th March. The illustrated celebration of her life and work will feature clips and memories of the James Bond series, the Carry Ons, the Pink Panther, Hammer horror and so much more. It’s at the Maltings Arts Theatre, St. Albans, Hertfordshire at 8pm (box office: 01727844222). Tickets cost £10 (£8 for concessions) and there are regular train services from St. Pancras. It’s only twenty minutes away. Robert hopes to attend. Valerie will be performing the show again on Saturday 21st at the Relais Chateaux Hotel & Country Club, Gravetye Manor, East Grinstead. This will start with coffee at 10am with a three-course meal with wine following the presentation. Please call 01342810567 for further details or visit www.valerieleon.com for regular up-dates.

Robert wishes everyone a very happy Red Nose Day for tomorrow. He’ll be wearing his nose with pride…the Charles Hawtrey version! B.B.C.’s bi-annual tele-thon promises some great highlights from Doctor Who-geared fun with David Tennant, Elisabeth Sladen and Ronnie Corbett to the Saturdays doing their thing for charity. Just remember: do something funny for money!

Robert makes the trip in to town for the Heritage Foundation plaque unveiling to drumming icon Keith Moon. It was erected on the wall of the site of the old Marquee Club at 90 Wardour Street where the Who played many times during the 1960s. Lead singer Roger Daltry and Keith’s mum, Kit, did the honours on the string pulling. An impressive turn-out of mods and their scooters set the seal on a wonderful day of music and memories that continued over luncheon at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane.

To the O2 for the much-anticipated Tina Turner concert. A blast: all killer and no filler. And, at the age of 69, she was still strutting herself as powerfully as ever.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The first month of the New Year almost over and all ready we have lost some legendary figures from entertainment: Tony Hart’s death, coupled with that of Oliver Postgate late last year, has severed vital links with a lot of people’s childhood. They will remain heroes for a generation. John Mortimer brought vere, wit and passion to his television screenplays. And Patrick McGoohan, perhaps the most cherished Cult TV star of them all: from Hell Drivers and ‘Dangerman’ to those award-winning episodes of ‘Columbo’ and, naturally, ‘The Prisoner’, his body of work will stand tall for a very long time. R.I.P.