Bob Newhart interview

Anyone catch Paul Gambacinni's interview on Saturday?

(Hmm, I can tick that off as a sentence I honestly never thought I'd utter).

It was with Bob Newhart about his first spoken-word album - 'The Buttoned-Down mind of Bob Newhart.'

I found it really interesting how the producers heard him through some comedy tapes he recorded himself. They thought he was fresh and hilarious, and wanted to do a Live recording of him but couldn't get any clubs to interested enough to book him for a date.

He ended up having to fly to a nightclub in Texas where he did two nights. He made up half of his routine while he was there. On the first night the recording didn't pick him up as well as it did a woman in the front of the audience, who kept commenting on the jokes, saying - 'That's a bunch of crap!'

But the second night went down a storm. They recorded it, released it and it became the one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.

Not sure what my point is, but I've always been a big fan of Newhart and it's still on iPlayer ;-)

I listened to this the other day, it was very interesting. I never realised he was so new to comedy when they recorded that.

I used to love the brothers Daryl in Newhart.

I love Bob Newhart. I read his biography (more a series of anecdotes really) and really enjoyed it. The driving instructor has to be my favourite.

I remember when "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" was a big hit on radio programs. I heard some of the routines for the first time on Bob Crane's morning show on KNX Radio in Los Angeles. (Crane, of course, went on to star in the television sitcom "Hogan's Heroes.") As much as I love Bob Newhart, I found his autobiography to be only mildly amusing. My favourite among his terrific routines would probably be "The Grace L. Ferguson Airline and Storm Door Company." In my opinion, "The Bob Newhart Show" was one of the best series in the history of American television. Great writing and comedic timing!