Sir, As part of a family Christmas present package for body and mind, my wife and I had the pleasure of being entertained last Wednesday at Didcot’s Cornerstone theatre by Pam Ayres, who showed, that, contrary to the trend of so many so-called comedians on stage and TV, entertainment can be provided without bad language, innuendo, rude gestures and filth associated with bodily functions.
A packed house, including some people from her native Stanford in the Vale, which, apparently, had little to appeal to its many teenagers of the post-war baby-boom years, obviously enjoyed the hours of entertainment given with a dignified ‘innocence’ so rare on stage and screen.
True, she did reflect on body parts like her teeth, her eyes and, I may have misheard, bits, and she did recall her experience with flatulating and down-loading horses, but it was a wonderfully entertaining evening, to which even the most prudish Victorian maiden aunt could not have taken exception.
As raconteur, reader of extracts from her books and reciter of poems offering the anticipation of knowing or guessing ‘what’s coming next?’, Miss Ayres did it all without airs or graces or crudity and proved that those who told her that she “lacks the necessary aptitude” had not met the Miss Ayres we saw and heard on a memorable evening displaying ample aptitude and abundant ability to entertain, even if most of us seemed to be of ‘a certain age’.
If only I had visited Stanford on a BSA 650 or a Triumph 1000 instead of in an Austin 7 Ruby all those years ago, or met her at a Victoria Cross Galley dance, how different our lives might have been but, thank goodness, Pam Ayres is what she is — a credit to her late parents, to her home village and her professions.
Jack Loftin
Charlton Village Road
Wantage
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