Reply #7: Ted Heath, maybe. John Dankworth certainly. [View All]

[non sociopath skin]

But Billy Cotton?

Ah, that comedy hour. Now you've got me going.

Yes, "Educating Archie" - that most bizarre thing, a radio show starring a ventriloquist's dummy. Plus at various times Max Bygraves (whom I found pretty embarrassing, even then, Tony Hancock, Bernard Bresslaw and Julie Andrews. Heard a re-run of it on Radio 4 a few years ago and it wasn't as bad as I feared.

And "Ray's A Laugh" with Ted, Kitty Blewitt and Kenneth Connor (his nephew was a classmate of mine)as the ubiquitous Sid Mincing - a sort of one-man ur-Julian and Sandy - if memory serves me well. With musical interludes from Bob and Alf Pearson,Sunderland's most famous musical sons (which speaks volumes about Sunderland).

At other times, "Life With The Lyons" (Now that was a family favourite), "The Clitheroe Kid" (of which the least said the better), "The Ken Dodd Show" (Pretty good - "Must have a burst on me banjo" etc) and, of course, "Beyond Our Ken" and "Round The Horne" of sacred memory. And wasn't "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" on Sundays in the latter part of its run?

Oh dear. I feel a severe case of nostalgia coming on and will need to soak my head in a bucket of Tizer for a few minutes. 'Scuse me ...

The Skin