The British newspapers are all carrying long obituaries and appreciations for `Humph`, aka Humphrey Lyttleton, a jazz-trumpeter turned radio comedy-quiz show host, and without doubt, a national treasure. At 86 he was still playing a weekly date at a small jazz club in the suburbs and remained warm, easy and approachable, in spite of his great age and the awed veneration in which he was held by generations of fans.
There are hundreds of people who knew him personally who can express their appreciation of his majestic gifts better than I. For me, he was always a joy to listen to whether playing or talking about jazz, or delivering the Chairman´s script for `I´m sorry I haven´t a clue´, for more than thirty years.I won´t try to explain the show, and why it enraptured its audiences in the studio and at homw or ov er the Internet. I can only wuggest that you go to www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 and link to it through their `Listen Again´ facility.
With Humph in the chair and four comedians invited to `play´ silly panel games, such as announcing the guests at the Ski-Instructor´s Ball, the show expressed an absolutely, unique, irreverent, surprisingly erudite and quintessentially British spirit of playful anarchy.
It is an overworked cliché to say that without him, the world will never be quite the same again, but in Humph´s case it is entirely apt to say so.
In a very important kind of way, Humph was one of those very rare people who make you proud to be British.
Tags: British, Humphrey Lyttleton, jazz
