Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Comedy writer who worked with Les Dawson, Tommy Cooper, Bob Hope and many more; called himself a hack.
On the island
Eight records
badpenny blues would sum up this whole Era of people I like and have worked with, exemplified by the great little.
The Bricklayer's StoryFavourite
I'd want to laugh on the desert island and the choice is so rich. ... But I had to get down to basics and think what would make me laugh most and what has joyous laughter on it all the way through.
The sh the world of gospel singing I find so exhilarating. I can see myself hand clapping and floating a foot above the sand on the island.
That was the signature tune of a version of War of the Worlds I remember hearing as a boy on the radio on the days when radio was absolute king, and it it's stuck with me ever since.
We're back to uh rhythm again very much indeed. ... and this to me is the definitive version of Guitar Man.
To me, this is The King. This is Little Richard singing The Girl Can't Help It ... And rock and roll was the university era and coming into the business I'm in now, marvelous period of my life.
This is a record that gives me a free song every time I hear it start. It also exemplifies an era in my life.
I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)
We're going to relax finally, Michael. This is when the sun's going down and I'm having a drink out of half a coconut ... I think this is the most beautiful arrangement.
In conversation
Presenter asks
4:36What kind of background did you have, and was it a showbiz background?
Not remotely, no. My uh dad died when I was about four. He was an accountant. ... And uh my mother brought up myself and my brother. ... single-handed, as they say ... So I was brought up virtually as an only child. No remote show business background.
Presenter asks
5:18What were you like at school?
I was Bilco at school. I think that's the nearest comparison. ... I was always looking for a shortcut in every sense of the word, an angle. My last school report, marvellous master called Pip Kelsey, who I revered, he wrote, He must learn that glibness is no substitute for knowledge. ... And I thought, I'll make a living out of glibness one day.
Presenter asks
8:54Who have been the funniest [comedians you have worked with]?
Tommy Cooper, obviously. ... Because you can't define why he was funny. I mean, Tom looked marvellous. I always said he was like sort of Mount Rushmore on legs. ... They looked like visitors from outer space who descended amongst us and made us laugh
The keepsakes
No book or luxury recorded for this episode.
Presenter asks
9:45How difficult is it to write for somebody like [Tommy] Cooper?
He wasn't the greatest reader of a script. He could get hold of the idea and the fun of it, but it wasn't his game actually reading. ... The first time I ever wrote for him, I wrote the opening of a show, and I'd always noticed he said things twice a lot. So I wrote Good Evening, Comma, Good Evening Full Stop. ... He said, You write it once, I'll say it twice, you'll get the best of the bargain.
Presenter asks
23:37How do you work with a collaborator?
I hate writing on my own because I've had too much happy partnership. ... There's usually a walker. There's a somebody who walks around the room. Graeme Chapman used to walk around the room playing with his sideburns and smoking his pipe. ... David Knobbs used to prowl about a lot and I used to sit there and sort of ... glorified temp really, you know, right? Taking dictation.
Presenter asks
25:55Would you prefer to perform more than write, or vice versa?
I've got no career sense. I'm just being very lucky with what happens. If you press me to an answer, yes, I would rather perform, I'm a ham. I don't think there's anything like particularly live ... there's nothing like standing on wood. With a real audience in front of you