mostly david ephgrave

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 ...

Last night saw the return of Strictly Come Dancing to our now not-so-small screens; the eleventh series of the only reality-tinged TV show in which I’m ever likely to show an interest. Since the beginning, Strictly has been hosted by the Light Entertainment veteran, Sir Bruce Forsyth – and every year, like clockwork, we get the Brucie Backlash. People line up on Facebook, Twitter and in the trashy press, calling for Bruce to retire. I, for one, am having none of it: I love Bruce Forsyth. The man is a legend. He has spent seventy-four years in the business (seventy-four years: Christ) - and in that time has worked with just about anyone of note. Worked with, and often shown up. If you ever get the chance, track down and watch the clip of him dancing with Sammy Davis Jnr. It's incredible.    Not many could keep up with an artist of that calibre. Brucie manages it. More than that: Brucie makes it look easy . De...