I very much enjoyed the documentary
The Man Behind the Masquerade tonight. Not only did it take me back thirty years to when Steve Cheeke and me tried to solve the riddle hidden in the book
Masquerade. Even the combined talents of the first and second cleverest kids in our class, the solution was beyond this pair of 12 year old boys. But it was a lot of fun trying.
So it was great to see a documentary about Kit, who became something of a recluse after the success of the book damaged his reputation as an artist, particularly as it was narrated by another important figure from my adolescence, the delightful Janet Ellis. I was half hoping that Janet might go and visit Kit and end up modelling for his slightly pervy paintings, but it wasn't to be.
It was a moving and charming documentary, mainly focusing on Kit Williams since Masquerade, the artist clearly being a bit spiky about his most notorious work. But he softened a little towards it as time passed and perhaps realised it wasn't such a millstone around his neck.
The Masquerade Hare was found by a cheating man, who apparently colluded with an ex-girlfriend of Williams to find the prize, whilst a couple of teachers show solved the riddle at about the same time only got the kudos of getting it right. But the one featured on the doc certainly won on the scale of being dignified and honorable and also correct. Which counts for more than the money that he would have got from the sale of the amulet. Though I have a feeling he might have kept it.
Kit Williams came across very well as well - a proper English eccentric - and he made me pine for the West Country, where such whimsy and nonsense and naughtiness still exists. I imagine that many viewers, like me, wished they could own a piece of the original art work from the book. It recaptures a time and a feeling and reminds me of being 12 and full of hope and dreams and excitement, believing that I might be the one to crack the code.
We also recorded
Collings and Herrin podcast 93 this evening, which was never going to be as good as 92, but hopefully had its moments. I like the photo that Andrew put together, because we forgot to do it at the time in our crapulousness - it looks like a scene from the 3D Christmas Carol. I was able to laud it over Collings, as I (but not him) have been nominated to the Loaded Lafta award for best podcast. It's a bit of a double-edged compliment, though I have had so few nods of this kind in my career that any acknowledgment that I might be doing OK is complimentary. But as the award is voted for by the readers of Loaded, I would imagine I don't have a chance against the opposition. Frankie Boyle's single podcast will be enough to beat my 100+, but if there's any justice Adam and Joe should win (and they did get a prize last year, so maybe I am being too judgemental). Still as the Masquerade Hare should teach us all, we can hope and dream, even if the wrong person will invariably blunder in and steal the prize, so if you feel like voting then
head here to vote. You have to register too and the site seems rather fragile (it seems to take a while of faffing around before the site finally takes you to the voting part, constantly asking you to log in). If you can be arsed I would appreciate it.
An award is an award and I need something to balance the Daily Telegraph Worst Comedy Experience of 2005 bauble in my awards cabinet. And my home made Masquerade Hare that I made myself so I could pretend I had found it.
