"Hello I'm Julian and this is my friend Sandy ..."
I love comedy. Bilko, The League of Gentlemen, Black Books and Seineld on television. Eddie Izzard, Bill Hicks, Harry Hill and Jeremy Hardy doing stand up. But my life long love is radio comedy. And in Britain, radio comedy means the BBC.
The soundtrack to my commuting, weekend lunchtimes, and ironing started with Hello Cheeky and the Navy Lark. Ran through Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and On The Hour. And continues with The News Quiz, The Now Show, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and Dead Ringers.
But still the funniest is Round the Horne written by Barry Took and Marty Feldman. And the funniest of the funniest ... Julian and Sandy. The outrageously camp couple voiced by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth WIlliams.
We recently went to see the Round the Horne ... Revisted stage show. And very funny it was too. The surviving member of the original writing team, Brian Cooke, has merged and updated two of the best original scripts, with all the regular characters -- Julian and Sandy, of course, J. Peasemould Gruntfuttock, Charles and Fiona, Dr Chou En Ginsberg MA and Rambling Syd Rumpo.
If you've not heard the programme, get yourself some tickets for the Round the Horne ... Revisted show, or get over to the BBC web site and buy some of the compilation CDs or tapes. But whatever you do. Turn on your radio at 6:30pm each day, and tune to Radio 4. You won't regret it.
John