Another one bites the dust......

I’m very saddened by the death of Malcolm Hardee. Many of you will not have heard of him, but he was one of the funniest men ever to grace the comedy stages of this country. Far too dangerous for gutless television producers, he was a legend to anyone with even a passing knowledge of ‘alternative’ comedy of the 70s, 80s and early 90s.

It is possible that he is best known by the public for stealing Freddie Mercury’s 40th birthday cake and giving it to an old people’s home. But Malcolm hated pretence, and the showbiz circuit in London had been buzzing for months about the party, which was to be a lesson in tacky excess. The rage into which Mercury flew would have had Malcolm laughing all the way to the pub. The world needs more people like him not less.