IA M HERWE I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN
HAVE YOU EVER HEWBSRD OF THE SILERENT OBSEVER??
SOMEONE HAS BEEN EVIL AND BERNEN IMPERSONATING ME

MR MORISY

I KNOW IT IS U
YOU ARE ALDO REPONSINRL FOR THE BRIOF APPERDESIVE OF SOTCAA

I KNOW
I KWNMOPE EVEYTHINF

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

>I KNOW
>I KWNMOPE EVEYTHINF

Except how to spell, evidently.


Hey, I sounded just like Angus Deaton just then.

(Stares blankly at autocue)

So.. no change there then.


It's an epidemic!

>It's an epidemic!

In what way?

I think everything dating from after 1952 is a disgrace, and I want to be Richard Ingrams, and be a Christian conservative bore and refer to everyone by their surnames, and write whingeing columns.

(Hmmm, that's pretty easy actually.)

I built a Christian Conservatory on the back of my house once. It was closed on Sundays.

So that's why the churches are empty. Paul Merton has all the Christians conserved in the back of his house.

... is the correct answer.

In what way?

>I think everything dating from after 1952 is a disgrace, and I want to be Richard Ingrams, and be a Christian conservative bore and refer to everyone by their surnames, and write whingeing columns.
>
>(Hmmm, that's pretty easy actually.)

Always found Hislop far, far more liberal than Ingrams. Anyone see him arguing against Germaine Greer's disgraceful defence of the idiot fuel protests on last week's HIGNFY? And Hislop is reasonably au fait with popular culture - he's a big fan of contemporary movies. (Except 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' which only endorses him further in my view.)

Hislop is liberal compared to Ingrams. True. But then Ingrams is liberal compared to Alan Clark. Because Alan Clark was a Nazi (see his latest Diaries).

What grates about Hislop with me is that he drops the liberalism whenever he feels anything relating to himself vaguely encroached upon. See the appalling snobbery PE showed towards Newman & Baddiel - the subtext was clearly: "Look at these appalling yobs who are now getting into Oxbridge".

Which is ironic given Auberon Waugh's comment on him: "He is typical of the yob generation that does not read". The authentic voice of High Toryism.

As far as the 'Christian' aspect goes, he seems to have a weakness for conservative flannel about the Church Of England being the spiritual cement of British life etc. which belies his supposed ridiculing of the Telegraph/Spectator set. He is basically on their side, just less honest about it.

Funny man, though. And PE has done worthwhile campaigns (you know which).

It came up here, ages ago, "Can comedy be right-wing?" I think Hislop shows it can.

Eric Sykes and Beachcomber are/were right wing. Both very funny, even to a leftie like me.

Beachcomber must be the most plagiarised writer of the last century. "Lord Justice Cocklecarrot" was actually one of his creations, and Bernard Levin and Ingrams both nicked him, he even turned up in Melody Maker perodies, used by writers who probably didn't know he'd originally been in the Express in the 30s.

To be fair, Ingrams always admitted his worship of Beachcomber, and did a series on R4 way back performing a prime selection of old skits.

George Orwell put in a good word for him somewhere, I vaguely recall. He could also do a decent litereary parody - I've seen a brilliant piss-take of Ezra Pound's poetry by him.