All this is explained in my hilarious and highly-praised talk, ‘Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer’, in which I tell how I started writing humour by winning competitions in national publications such as Punch before going on to write for the BBC and work with household names such as Roy Hudd, June Whitfield and rock stars 10cc and Justin Hayward, as well as an assortment of weird and wonderful (if lesser-known) live performers. I also reveal the perils of agreeing to appear on TV programmes and how real life is often so much funnier than a comedy writer’s inventions – with numerous examples!

Patrick Campbell (1913-1980), Third Baron of Glenavy, is perhaps best remembered as a popular team captain on ‘Call My Bluff’ in the 1970s, the man who became a famous broadcaster despite having a severe stammer (a word Campbell himself never liked. ‘I can’t say it!’ he wrote). 

The talk covers his childhood in Ireland, his search for a direction in life, his wartime experiences in the Irish Marine Service, his career as a scriptwriter for film and TV comedies, the history of ‘Call My Bluff’ and tales from his 42 years of prolific, hilarious journalism. 

This is a very popular talk about a fondly-remembered exponent of the humour from a gentler age.

The One, the Only...Groucho!

With his greasepaint moustache and eyebrows, claw hammer coat and quivering cigar, the image of Groucho Marx endures more than 30 years after his death. Together with his brothers Chico (the ‘Italian’ wide-boy piano player), Harpo (the mischievous ‘mute’ with the shock of pink curls) and Zeppo (the relatively normal one!), Groucho conquered vaudeville and then the movies, with such comedy classics as ‘Duck Soup’ and ‘A Night at the Opera’, before going on to continued success on radio and as a TV game-show host.

Equally famous for his wit in everyday life, he was a cultured man who enjoyed the company of great writers such as T.S. Eliot. His letters are stored in the American Library of Congress. 

This talk follows Groucho’s career from his days as a child performer to his triumphant one-man show at Carnegie Hall at the age of 82 – with numerous examples of that famous, irreverent humour!

This talk includes many of the best one-liners and outrageous practical jokes of Dorothy Parker (the most famous female wit of the 20th century), Robert Benchley, George S. Kaufman and many others whose timeless wit is still widely quoted today.  It also explains how they campaigned against the injustices of their day and even went on to make cinematic history.