433 Russ Abbot's Madhouse

First  watched :  Spring  1980

This  is  another  plank  to  support  the  argument  that  Little  and  Large  weren't  the  worst  comedy  act  around.

Russ  Abbot  had  been  a  member  of  The  Black  Abbots  , a  comedy  musical  troupe  similar  to  The  Grumbleweeds , during  the  seventies  but  first  appeared  as  a  solo  performer  on  the  ill-fated  Bruce  Forsyth's  Big  Night.  Russ  emerged  from  the  wreckage  with  his  own  show.

At  33  - and  he  looked  every  year  of  it - Russ  was  no  spring  chicken  and  to  me  came  across  as  a  self-conscious  uncle  doing  a  silly  turn  at  a  wedding. He  would  have  been  fine  on  Crackerjack  but  to  someone  now  looking  to  be  entertained  as  an  adult  he  seemed  an  insult  to  the  intelligence. As  a  result  any  announcement  that  he  would  be  featuring  was  the  equivalent  of  a  "Beware : Radiation"  sign  on  the  door.

Obviously  Russ  did / does   have  an  audience   and  is  still  popular  today  although  he's  moved  into  straight  roles  in  recent  years.