Anderson, Brigstocke and I

The Stables is a small music venue just outside Milton Keynes.

It was opened in 1970 by jazz singer Cleo Laine and her musician husband John Dankworth in the grounds of their home.

Today The Stables also hosts stand-up comedians one of whom (Geoff Norcott) I saw in November.

Last night we went to see Clive Anderson, the former barrister and TV chat show host who now hosts Loose Ends on Radio 4.

Anderson (above) is currently touring England with a one-man show, ‘Me, MacBeth and I’, a ‘gentle but genial collection of anecdotes’ that started life, as these things often do, at the Edinburgh Festival.

Like Danny Baker and Gyles Brandreth, whose one-man shows I have also seen, Anderson specialises in humorous stories rather than jokes per se.

In the first half he came on stage wearing a faux Highland costume and proceeded to tell stories about his career in TV with occasional references to his favourite play and chat shows other than his own.

After the interval he reverted to his more familiar suit and invited the audience to shout out disastrous moments from his career so he could talk about them.

Unfortunately the audience wasn’t as helpful as he had possibly hoped. Part of the problem, as Anderson himself acknowledged, is that his TV career is best known for one single episode - the Bee Gees walking off mid interview.

This is a pity because at their best his shows had a sharp, witty, inquisitive edge that made them unusual for a prime time talk show.

Instead we’ve become so used to watching film stars and celebrities being given an easy ride by Graham Norton, Jonathan Ross et al that watching the Bee Gees’ interview almost a quarter of a century later does feel uncomfortable.

It wasn’t his finest moment, for sure, but at the time viewers were split 50:50 between those who thought he had been unnecessarily rude and those who thought the Bee Gees (Barry Gibb in particular) had over-reacted to some gentle joshing.

As it happens I’m with Clive and I speak from personal experience of appearing on a chat show.

Many years ago I was invited to take part in The Late Edition hosted by comedian Marcus Brigstocke on BBC4.

I was wearing my Forest hat so I knew I would be the butt (no pun intended) of Brigstocke’s jokes.

This was confirmed by his producer who, prior the show (which was recorded in front of a live audience), gave me some very useful advice.

“The best response,” he said, “is just to laugh.”

And that’s exactly what I did (and I think I got away with it).

Sadly the Bee Gees didn’t get the same memo and everyone’s reputation, including the host’s, suffered as a result.

As for last night’s show at The Stables, my wife and I enjoyed it. Anderson is not a stand-up comedian but, in many ways, the show is all the better for it.

He exudes a bumbling charm but there is clearly a sharp brain behind it.

He’s self-deprecating but not so modest that he wants us to forget career highlights like his successful interview with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

He recalled a particularly good joke that Gorbachev himself told.

And he finished not with the Bee Gees (too predictable) but with another car crash TV story (this one involving prunes) followed by a quote from MacBeth.

If only I could remember it.