Always Nice to See Him.

My day’s been floored after reading Sir Bruce Forsyth has passed away.

The man was a legend; a word that’s bandied about too often and too easily in many instances, but not in this case. He came from a stock that has long since departed: the all-rounder who could act, sing, dance, play piano, do comedy, host shows, do anything. He even managed to mock contestants on his game shows in a way that didn’t make you like him any less, which was a talent in itself; I would have paid good money to be on the receiving end of a put-down from Bruce.

When I interviewed Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee with Glyn for our More Than Mostly Comedy podcast, we mentioned Paul’s stint on Strictly and our mutual love of Sir Bruce; unsurprisingly they were both in complete agreement. They spoke with awe of the extensive audience warm-ups he’d do before each show and Paul called him "The Master"; high praise from a man who was pretty exceptional himself.

I went to see Bruce's one man show at the Albert Hall a few years ago, and was genuinely emotional when he walked on stage. Not only was it a delight to see him perform, it was an entertainment master-class; he held the audience spellbound for two hours, displaying energy and vitality that would floor many half his age.

Towards the end he performed a song about friends departed - and whilst he sang, photographs of him alongside many a legendary entertainer flashed up on the big screen. Nat King Cole, Tommy Cooper, Morecambe & Wise, Les Dawson, Ronnie Barker, The Goons...the list went on.

They were all his contemporaries and they are all no longer with us. Now we’ve lost him too. There will never be another like him; he absolutely did do well.

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