October 2012
Seeing that Harry Hill was coming to the Old Town Theatre we quickly booked the last remaining few tickets. Our guests included our friend and neighbour Val Corbett. Unfortunately Val broke her ankle only a few days before the show and the only way she could make it was if the theatre had wheelchair accommodation. This was duly arranged but Val would have to sit in the front row. You can guess what’s coming next!

The gig is a sell-out because the TV comedian is trying out new material for an upcoming tour. His Hemel audience are the guinea pigs. We take our seats and await the funny man. Suddenly there is a huge kerfuffle behind us as a mattress appears, lurching insanely down the aisle! Harry duly appears from underneath and welcomes the audience. Immediately spotting Val in plaster he asks what’s happened to her. ‘I broke my ankle,’ she explains. So far so good. On with the show. It’s funny, but only in parts. Then comes the killer moment. Probably feeling that the danger was over Val decided to join in some audience participation. ‘What song would you like me to sing?’ asked Harry. ‘God Save the Queen,’ suggests Val. ‘What do you want me to sing that for,’ says Harry, adding quick as a flash: ‘You can’t even stand up, you dozy old ***!’ Val took it all in good humour.

As a regular listener to Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue I love Jack Dee’s dry humour. So when the show was listed on the Rex Cinema’s October programme I booked some tickets. It was only on arriving that I discovered that this show wasn’t a R4 recording but a fund-raising event featuring Barry Cryer, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, but no Jack Dee.  Normally there are four panellists and the stage was set out with four chairs so clearly one failed to make it. There were plenty of reminiscences and a few practice rounds, all good fun but not quite the real thing.