Comedy historian Robert Ross pays tribute to some of the finest and funniest, but often overlooked, names in showbiz

The 1950s was a golden era for British comics. Conditions were perfect. The US comics industry was yet to experience its 1960s Spider-Man era revival and, in Britain, paper rationing had ended as Brit

Neville Marten recalls an early guitar influence that no-one else ever seemed to have heard of. Until an illuminating musicianly encounter…

With a fast-talking, work-shy Army sergeant at its heart, Sgt Bilko wasn’t your usual comedy hero, but the show was never one to stick to convention…

Nick Kisch, who died late last summer, appeared as fit as the proverbial fiddle at 66 years old. But when I saw a particular set of names and panicky-sounding texts lighting up my phone one morning, t

No jury in the land could deny that Rumpole of the Bailey remains one of British television’s most beloved creations. The winning combination of John Mortimer’s sumptuous scripts and Leo McKern’s rich