Alison Kennedy

Today's comics on Spike Milligan: the godfather of alternative comedy

He was the shellshocked genius who channelled his anarchic brilliance into The Goon Show. Ian Hislop and Nick Newman explain why they've written a play about Spike Milligan - while comedians remember a legend.

Brian Logan, The Guardian, 27th January 2022

Based on one of the nation's favourite love songs, this smart romantic comedy by AL Kennedy offers witty dialogue, warm characters and heartfelt performances. After 23 years as a self-proclaimed corpse in a suit, Oliver Beecham (Bill Nighy) is fired for punching his boss. Disheveled, hungry and feeling very sorry for himself, he climbs a tree to spy on heartthrob Jo (Amelia Bullman) as she passes on her way to work.

What begins as a series of comic encounters with bothersome passers-by Mrs Henderson and park keeper Leonard Craft, ends in a confession of madness, inner turmoil and love. Nighy is particularly in his element here as the stuttering office worker, hoping for one last shot at redemption.

Tom Goulding, Radio Times, 26th June 2012

Bill Nighy stars as Oliver, jobless, nervy, utterly deracinated, and in love with Jo (Amelia Bullmore). He is scared of telling her, so he climbs a tree in a garden that he knows she will visit. Why? Because he thinks that if he's up a tree he won't be able to back out of confessing his passion. AL Kennedy's summery romance is a bit of a departure for this writer, but wry comedy is becoming her forte (witness her recent reflections on adventures in America on Radio 4). Does the brilliant casting mean this could presage a series?

Gillian Reynolds, The Telegraph, 25th June 2012