Headline picture courtesy of John Random
I have previously written at length about the shock and loss felt by us Canal Café comedy writers (and all else who knew him) when Ivan Shakespeare died suddenly and unexpectedly in February 2000:
John Random liaised with Ivan’s de facto widow, Elspeth, to put on a tribute show in Ivan’s memory, in late October that year. Naturally Janie and I went to see the show.
It was a little ironic that the show was on the night after Janie and I went to see Light at the Almeida, as we would often see Ivan there. Ivan was a regular volunteer at the Almeida; this I ascertained very soon after I got to know him through comedy writing. Indeed Janie probably knew Ivan better from chats at the Almeida than through NewsRevue.
To my shame, I forgot to pick up a programme that night…
…but that doesn’t matter a jot, because John Random, who directed the show, clearly did not forget to preserve the programme, which has naturally emerged as part of John’s & my NewsRevue archaeology project:
NewsRevue stalwarts Genevieve Swallow, Stephan Bessant and Mark Brailsford performed the words of the show, while equally stalwart NewsRevue-ista Jenny Gould tinkled the ivories.
The material from the show would have born a startling resemblance to the anthology of Ivan Shakespeare material gathered by the Kim Morrisey at the ComedyCollective Writers Project, mercifully preserved on the Internet Archive – click here for the index to Ivan’s preserved oeuvre.
If you only look at one piece, I would recommend my favourite Ivan song lyric, The Farmers’ Song – click here. I can never hear The Archers theme music without thinking of Ivan and that lyric…
…which, as a fairly regular Radio Four listener, means that I think of Ivan and the lyric quite often.