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.