David Suchet On Sid Field: Last Of The Music Hall Heroes

David Suchet uncovers the lost story of Sid Field, whose unique brand of comedy thrilled wartime audiences and made him one of the greatest comic stars of the 1940s, but who is virtually unknown today.

David discovers that Birmingham-born Sid started touring the country aged just 12 and took two decades of hard slog until his big break in the West End in 1943.

The likes of Eric Sykes, Leslie Phillips and Nicholas Parsons reminisce about Sid's stage show, Strike A New Note, with a mixture of awe and nostalgia. David reunites two of the original cast of the show and they reveal the secrets of the first night.

Sid was a pioneer of sketch comedy and camp, and Julian Clary helps David show his camp side and shows him his comic techniques.

There is little archive to show Sid's genius - he only made three films and the biggest, London Town, was a flop. Before he had the chance at a television career, Sid died aged just 45. David hopes that with this film he can put him back on the comedy map.