I love and admire Julian Clary so, in spite of the loathsome Piers Morgan, I have just watched his Life Stories interview that was broadcast on Friday night. Personally I found it very hard to watch Morgan talk to Julian about the ‘Norman Lamont/fisting incident at the 1993 Comedy Awards – as it was Morgan himself who was entirely responsible for the furore that began in the next day’s Sun newspaper – for which, at the time, he was Showbiz Editor under Kelvin McKenzie. I was there that night in the press room which was in an executive office in London Studios. There were about ten of us hosted by Comedy Awards press queen, my fragrant and luscious friend Fiona Duff. I was sitting next to Morgan on a sofa and we all watched the show and enjoyed lavish drinks and nibbles. All were wearing black tie for the party later. The ITV Duty Log (for viewer’s complaints) was being relayed to a secretary in a small adjoining room. It’s normally forgotten that Norman Lamont had been booed when he came on stage to present an award. This puts Julian’s gag into clear context and makes it even funnier. (see clip below) Of course we all, Morgan included, gasped and rocked and howled with laughter and Morgan noted that the vast majority of viewers wouldn’t have a clue what the joke really meant (a fact he mentioned in Friday’s interview). So it wasn’t a story. After all - how do you explain fisting in print to Sun readers? We watched the Duty Log with amusement as a flurry of complaints came in from animal lovers about a joke someone had made about (I think) a puppy but none at all about Lamont being booed or Julian’s gag. This was definitely not a story. But later - towards the very end of the show - Michael Barrymore (at the absolute height of his fame - the most famous man on television - more famous even than Norman Lamont) was at the podium doing his Bonkas Barrymore thing. At the end of his manic nonsense he paid tribute to the brilliance of Julian’s joke - accompanied by a graphic fisting mime. At last Morgan had his story - “We’ll have to run it now!” - and he raced to a phone to call the Sun newsroom and cook up the ‘filth and fury angle. Oblivious, we all went to the rather brilliant party ... and awoke blearily late the next day to see Morgan’s mendacity splashed across the front page ... So one of the great moments of live television became infamous rather than famous. And one of the kindest and cleverest men in comedy was hounded, made miserable and suicidal. A few months later Morgan was made the youngest ever editor of The News Of The World. Twenty years later the architect of Julians misery affects to sympathise with his victim - live - on ITV. Nice one Piers!
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 08:04:31 +0000