Book launch at the National Theatre
03/09/11 20:52 Filed in: Masters of Sitcom
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson in their office at Associated London Scripts in the early sixties
A packed auditorium at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre gave Ray Galton and Alan Simpson a standing ovation on a memorable evening to launch their book Galton and Simpson: Masters of Sitcom, from Hancock to Steptoe.
During 45 minutes of conversation on stage, Ray and Alan reminisced about working with great comedians including Tony Hancock, Harry H Corbett, Sid James and Spike Milligan. “Spike used to do things like sticking his head round the bottom of the door and announcing, ‘Dere’s a midget here to see you!” Ray said.
A packed auditorium at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre gave Ray Galton and Alan Simpson a standing ovation on a memorable evening to launch their book Galton and Simpson: Masters of Sitcom, from Hancock to Steptoe.
During 45 minutes of conversation on stage, Ray and Alan reminisced about working with great comedians including Tony Hancock, Harry H Corbett, Sid James and Spike Milligan. “Spike used to do things like sticking his head round the bottom of the door and announcing, ‘Dere’s a midget here to see you!” Ray said.
The audience had come to laugh, and they did – but they also wanted to hear how the duo had written some of the greatest comedies in TV and radio history, including Hancock’s Half Hour, Steptoe And Son, and the Comedy Playhouse series that would prove a testbed for many of the great sitcoms television’s golden era. Christopher Stevens, the book’s co-author and the interviewer for the evening, steered the conversation through the highlights of their career, from their meeting at a TB sanatorium in 1948, to their first job as gag-writers, to the unforgettable sitcoms such as The Radio Ham and The Blood Donor. The interview was followed by a series of questions from the floor.
After the show, on Thursday 1 September 2011, Ray and Alan signed copies of their book for fans. A queue to meet them stretched across the circle foyer, down the stairs and almost to the main entrance; the bookshop’s stock of 100 copies quickly sold out, but Alan and Ray stayed to sign autographs and talk with fans for nearly two hours.
During 45 minutes of conversation on stage, Ray and Alan reminisced about working with great comedians including Tony Hancock, Harry H Corbett, Sid James and Spike Milligan. “Spike used to do things like sticking his head round the bottom of the door and announcing, ‘Dere’s a midget here to see you!” Ray said.
The audience had come to laugh, and they did – but they also wanted to hear how the duo had written some of the greatest comedies in TV and radio history, including Hancock’s Half Hour, Steptoe And Son, and the Comedy Playhouse series that would prove a testbed for many of the great sitcoms television’s golden era. Christopher Stevens, the book’s co-author and the interviewer for the evening, steered the conversation through the highlights of their career, from their meeting at a TB sanatorium in 1948, to their first job as gag-writers, to the unforgettable sitcoms such as The Radio Ham and The Blood Donor. The interview was followed by a series of questions from the floor.
After the show, on Thursday 1 September 2011, Ray and Alan signed copies of their book for fans. A queue to meet them stretched across the circle foyer, down the stairs and almost to the main entrance; the bookshop’s stock of 100 copies quickly sold out, but Alan and Ray stayed to sign autographs and talk with fans for nearly two hours.
