Arise...

...house fave here at Dolores Delargo Towers Dame Sheila Hancock, cute motor-racing champion Sir Lewis Hamilton [who I hope will not be wearing just his skimpies to the Palace!], Dame Angela Eagle (first out-lesbian MP in the UK) and "Lydia Quigley" herself, Lesley Manville CBE.

Joining them in [a vast list of individuals, some famous, many more honoured for their services to the community and to charitable causes (in particular in response to the COVID-19 crisis)] HM The Queen's New Year Honours List 2021 are Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) jockey Bob Champion; Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) Nina Wadia (of Goodness Gracious Me and Eastenders fame), actor Toby Jones, cellist Natalie Clein and screenwriter Jed Mercurio; and Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) singer Craig David, Sally Dynevor (Coronation Street) and footballer and pundit Jimmy Greaves.

Congratulations, all!

My Damehood is obviously still in the post.

New Year Honours List 2021 in full
New Year Honours 2021: Overseas and International List in full

To reach ... the unreachable stars

What do all of these fabulous and talented people have in common?



Kirsty Young, Sheila Hancock, Ronnie Corbett, Maureen Lipman, Paul Gambaccini, Julian Lloyd-Webber, Kerry Ellis, Courtney Pine, Ann Widdicombe, James Pearson, Matt Lucas and Alfie Boe were all on stage at The Mermaid Theatre last night! John-John and I knew we were in for a treat at the live recording of the world's longest-running orchestral live music programme on radio Friday Night Is Music Night, as it hosted a celebration of another BBC gem and the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio, Desert Island Discs - but nothing quite prepared us for this cavalcade of stars...

In addition to the esteemed coterie of famous names above (all in the audience waiting their turn to take the stage), we also spotted Nicholas Parsons two rows away, and in front of him Celia Imrie. We were sat next to Jo Brand, for heaven's sake!



I bumped into Alan Yentob while outside having a fag, and there were many more familiar faces dotted around that I couldn't name (but not Ryan Giggs, surprisingly). But enough about the audience - on with the show!

The BBC Concert Orchestra opened with the famous Desert Island Discs theme tune The Sleepy Lagoon by Eric Coates (and they provided the magnificent music behind all the performances of the evening). Kirsty Young was mistress of ceremonies, and gave us a little insight into the show's long and esteemed history from its beginnings in 1942, and how it felt for her to be at its helm today, in the shadow of its founder and presenter the late Roy Plumley (and his successors Michael Parkinson and Sue Lawley).

Eric Coates plays Eric Coates - Sleepy Lagoon

Kerry Ellis sang (brilliantly, I might add) one of the "top 5" requested songs by Desert Island Discs guests over the years, Kander and Ebb's Cabaret, and later returned to perform Rock-a-Bye My Baby (the former made famous by Liza, the latter by mum Judy).

Sheila Hancock reminisced about having been a guest twice (very rare for the programme) and how furious her late husband John Thaw was as she was asked to go on the show before him - but they shared a favourite tune in Elgar's Cello Concerto, which was then superbly played by Mr Lloyd-Webber. It's one of my favourite pieces, too. I could hardly breathe!

Julian Lloyd-Webber - Elgar - Cello Concerto

Maureen Lipman, after a few anecdotes about her time as a guest, sang two songs from her repertoire of Joyce Grenfell songs, Three Brothers and Stately As A Galleon. Paul Gambaccini introduced a song that reminds him of his home city New York, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, masterfully played by musical director at Ronnie Scott's Club James Pearson. Ann Widdicombe came on stage as (bizarrely) the only guest ever to choose a sound effect as one of her discs - the sound of hippos calling to each other in the African bush...

Amazingly (and only the BBC would dare to do this), "Doris Karloff" was followed by a brilliant live appearance by the maestro of the modern jazz saxophone Courtney Pine, who exploded into the most incredible high-speed, high-energy version of Anita Baker's Sweet Love, which had the audience applauding the roof off!

Ronnie Corbett was hilarious - as always - with his remarkable anecdotes and was deliciously flirtatious with Miss Young, as he proceeded to sing(!) Madam I Love Your Crepe Suzette (from Du Barry Was a Lady) as a serenade. It was a delight to see such a "national treasure" (in Miss Young's words) live on stage!

After another of the most-selected musical choices on Desert Island Discs, John Barry's superb theme from Schindler's List, the show wound to its conclusion with more surprises! We were expecting our neighbour Jo Brand to appear (as was advertised), but it seems she left at half time. Our final act was instead the lovely Matt Lucas, singing(!) Lullaby Of Broadway, and then duetting with none other than the superbly talented tenor Mr Alfie Boe (who is apparently a close friend of Mr Lucas) on The Impossible Dream.

A fitting end to a wonderful evening!

Friday Night Is Music Night

What a carry on!

John-John and I went along to see the unveiling of a plaque by Islington Council to one of its greatest sons Kenneth Williams today. His childhood home has obviously long gone, and is replaced by some anonymous sheltered housing in a tragically badly planned council estate off the Caledonian Road (all pit bulls and even fiercer women) - but they had dragged some "old ducks" from the neighbourhood out into the sunshine (none of whom had actually been neighbours of Kenny) so that was OK...

Anyhow, cynicism apart, the greatest joy was the fact that a genuine and long-term friend of Ken's, the lovely and eternally classy Sheila Hancock had been invited along to do the unveiling. I have always loved the passion and glee that Miss Hancock puts into her anecdotes (as well as her performances) - she was always my favourite "Grumpy Old Woman" - and she didn't disappoint!

Telling tales of her younger days with Ken (Sheila lived just down the road in a pub near Kings Cross), she quite rightly pointed out that many people made the mistake of thinking he was lonely and sad, when she remembered the funny, witty man who just happened to prefer his own company. It was indeed true, however, that he loathed his fame as one of the Carry On stars, preferring to be seen as an artist and classically trained actor.

"He would have been chuffed to bits to know he was being recognised by this plaque", she said, "It would have meant he had made it!"

They appeared together in the revue One Over the Eight in the early 1960s, and worked hard at their theatre careers even to the point of apparently missing the "Swinging Sixties" altogether ("only hairdressers seemed to experience it", apparently). On one occasion Ken was riding pillion on Sheila's moped going round Piccadilly Circus and he screamed at a group of "trendies" - "where's the bloody orgies?!"

Renowned for his insulting attitude towards women (he apparently even made the political harridan Barbara Castle cry), Sheila remained steadfast against his tirades, appeared aginst him on Just A Minute and obviously loved the man dearly right to the end (he apparently even proposed marriage at one stage even though she was already happily wed)...

This was a fabulous little event, and I am really pleased to have been there to see it!

Kenneth Williams - Stop Messin' About