Reading his new book, 100 Things I Meant To Tell You, it is clear that there he is no longer feeling quite so grumpy about quite so much; heck, he’s even talking about being grateful for his lot . . .
“Compared to most of the other seven billion people who hang out on the same planet as me, I have been lucky in life,” he writes. “The two generations before me lived through World Wars; those that follow may face devastations that I can scarcely imagine. I have family, friends, a woman I love who loves me, and I have enjoyed working as a dustman, a writer, a broadcaster, a rock ‘n’ roller, a warehouseman and a teacher – but mostly, I am pleased to say, as a comedian.”
And so begins this ragbag collection of anecdotes, gags, rants and recollections that he describes as ‘a memoir in fragments’. He recounts stories of unexpectedly sharing the stage of Norwich Playhouse with a butterfly, of creating a sock museum, doing yoga with goats, bumping into the Archbishop of Canterbury on a train in France, of lost loves and lost coats . . .
His 90-year-old mother features in several tales, told with humour, fondness and such a poignancy as she journeys into dementia. He is going to visit her later on the day we talk. “Now she has forgotten all the worries and I think she will make 100 to be honest,” he says. “She was a grammar school girl and still loves words and discussing things. I am happy that she is in a really nice place.”
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford
It’s something we all recall with delight. “Mum, it’s the ice cream man!” Let’s Talk’s motoring man David Clayton meets someone happy to be the owner of a Bedford ice cream van. Bring on the Strawberry Mivvis, choc ices and 99s ...
Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning
Let’s Talk’s surnames expert Derek Palgrave, from Suffolk, researches three more of our readers’ names, the first of which probably stems from the geographical presence of a beautiful hill.
Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love
Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox has been trawling through some books to find words of wisdom from so many people about gardening and farming. Here she shares just a few.
Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto
For actress Vicki Michelle, Christmas usually means performing in panto. But, due the coronavirus pandemic, this year will be different. Vicki speaks to Rachel Banham about her plans for the festive season, her outlook on life and her fond memories of filming in East Anglia.
Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS
He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.
TURNING 50
Here at Let’s Talk we recognise that our magazine is targeted at those aged 50 and older. So we hope we are always fair to our readers and to the older generation in general. But it seems many believe other media and businesses do not treat older people in the best way.
THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh
He is one of the most popular celebrities on television at the moment. He’s a comedian, singer, actor, personality and probably the best quiz show host doing the rounds. David Clayton looks back to when Bradley Walsh came to Cromer.
The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE
Claire Manion, of Norfolk-based Broadsky Astrology, looks at how we have always honoured the winter solstice, our shortest day.
PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow
In view of such uncertainty hanging over the rest of this year – and possibly well beyond – it was hard to come up with a suitable offering for December in his usual style, says Keith Skipper. So, he has decided to settle for a festive story set in 1951, that he wrote some time ago.
Friends
Readers of our short stories don’t have to have long memories to recall work by Anne Maxwell, who had a previous short story entry published in the summer.