WC JANUARY 3.
Another new year and come April, if all goes well, I will begin my 21st year of John Hannam Meets. I have no plans to retire – unless the radio station have other ideas? I have the feeling there could be a surprise looming with regard to forthcoming interviews. This would certainly fire me up for another 52 radio shows.
My anticipated surprise was not long in coming. On Wednesday I went to the New Wimbledon Theatre to interview young Islander Amy Bird, who is in their pantomime Peter Pan. We have been long-term friends and she had lined up two surprise guests to join her in our interview – Jerry Springer and Louie Spence. What a day that turned out to be!!! All will be revealed soon.
There have been one or two brilliant TV programmes on the late Bob Monkhouse in the past few days, with many guests talking about the late great comic. The discovery of his brilliant archive library has brought him back into the news. During the programmes, I wondered just how on earth I managed to get him to write the foreword to my book, I Was A Stage Door Johnny. His manager, Peter Pritchard, did not think he would do it but Bob said yes straight away. We had met on a few very happy occasions. I have now decided to produce another Hannam Archive to feature my 1992 interview with Bob Monkhouse. This will be aired on Sunday January 16.