Robert Hampton

Was this year an exciting way to say goodbye to the decade? Here’s a reminder of what happened on planet Hampo this year (part 2, hopefully, follows tomorrow):-

January started out with one of my favourite shows being revived. Despite being up against EastEnders and being hosted by Ben Shepherd, the Krypton Factor did well enough to be recommissioned for a second series. We found out Who would replace David Tennant, and a year later we still haven’t actually seen him in the role. ITV’s latest attempt to ape the success of Doctor Who was Demons which failed spectacularly; the only creative thing about it being the number of different excuses the writers found for Christian Cooke to remove clothing.

In the wider world, various eras were drawing to a close, as Woolworths closed its doors, Tony Hart kicked the bucket and Dubya left office. Meanwhile, yours truly had an enjoyable night in London Theatreland.

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Very sad news about Clement Freud. I remember the first time I tuned into Just a Minute on Radio 4. It would have been 1999-ish and I was listening purely because a few people on a Whose Line is it Anyway? forum were raving about it.

The first voice I heard was the lugubrious tones of Freud, and at first I thought all my suspicions, about Radio 4 being a home for dull upper-class people, were true. But then I listened more, and soon he was delighting me with the incredibly funny things coming out of his mouth, all delivered in that brilliantly deadpan manner.

This Just a Minute blog has some of his best lines.

One less reason to carry on living:

The spring series of BBC Radio 4’s comedy show I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue has been cancelled after long-serving presenter Humphrey Lyttelton was admitted to hospital.

I’m glad I hit the Snooze button on my alarm clock this morning, because as a result I was still next to the radio when this happened live on Radio 4 this morning.

Poor Charlotte Green – when I listened to the News Quiz (before it became insufferably smug) the best part was usually her reading out the press cuttings, often struggling to get through them without laughing.

Quite possibly the radio highlight of the year: Rob Brydon singing Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Hitler? to the tune of Yesterday Once More on the opening episode of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue.

You HAVE to listen to it: follow the link here (it starts at about the 11:20 mark, but of course the rest of the show is a must-listen too).