John Shuttleworth

Have to admit I'm much fonder of the earlier Shuttleworth series which are strictly domestic. For me, the use of celebrities, though well handled, dilutes the character a little. It's John's haplessness and the bleakness of his life versus his optimism which provide the gentle comedy.

I read that Graham Fellows bred fancy mice when growing up and that the Shuttleworth character derives in part from afternoons in drafty church halls with elderly men: people whose main mission is to fill up the day. As that's all any of us are doing (especially on this message board) that makes the comedy universal in my book.

Have to admit I'm less keen on Shuttleworth live, as John's command of the crowd seems at odds with the "loser" persona: the intimacy of radio works better.

The episode from the first or second series entitled Pillock of the Community, which consists of John waiting outside a mysteriously closed hospice to play a gig and noticing a Curly Wurly wrappers in the hedge, was as good as it gets, it my view; Graham Fellows himself said (in William Cook's book Ha Bloody Ha) that it was the best writing he'd ever done, even though nothing happened actionwise.

Perhaps, however, having thoroughly explored John "alone with the day" (as one of his songs puts it) over several series, Fellows felt there was nothing more to say in that setting. That's understandable - and provided those earlier series still get repeated on BBC 7 (they're also available on CD) I'm happy to listen to the latest incarnation even if it's a case of diminishing returns.