The Unforgettable...

For much of his career The Unforgettable... Bob Monkhouse (last Sunday, ITV1) was only memorable in an off-puttingly creepy sort of way. It wasn't until near the end of his life that he found his bite and his subject - mortality. Then he became both brave and brilliant. Prior to that the bouquets had a pretty limp air: 'He was one of the great game show hosts.'

This was a franker tribute than most with his daughter, Abigail, recalling that the only way she could get to see her father was by watching him perform. A friend who visited Monkhouse in Barbados described how he pulled off his wig, patted his paunch and said, 'This is the real me.'

As a rather insecure and self-deprecating man, it would, I imagine, have amused him that this programme was sponsored by a bed manufacturer which promised its customers long nights of untroubled slumbers.

If, like me, you enjoy watching tributes to dead British comedians, you'll be familiar with their essential ingredients. The crème de la crème is a contribution from veteran comedy writer Barry Cryer, who knew and worked will all the greats and whose ubiquity demands the question: who will programme-makers turn to when Cryer passes on? Anecdotes about Les Dawson don't grow on trees, you know.

Other hardy perennials include promiscuous use of the word "consummate", usually in conjunction with "entertainer", "timing" or, in less guarded eulogies, "alcoholic" and explorations of private sadness behind the public mask. All were present and correct in The Unforgettable Bob Monkhouse.

Featuring candid contributions from people who knew him, rather than the usual roster of quacking heads, this documentary offered a fair and balanced account of a man who polarised public opinion throughout his long career. To some he was merely a smarmy game-show host, the epitome of shiny showbiz insincerity, whereas others recognised him for the imperial comedy craftsman he was.

Though not without his faults Monkhouse emerged from this profile as a shy, sensitive, bright and introspective man who carefully delineated between his public and private personas.

More self-aware than many gave him credit for, Monkhouse was hurt by accusations of insincerity, arguing that his gushing over-enthusiasm, especially in the presence of fellow comedians, was caused by genuine admiration for their talent. Monkhouse was, to his credit, an unabashed comedy nerd, as evinced by his support of younger comedians, his sprawling personal archive of films and TV shows (curiously not mentioned in the programme) and his famous hand-written joke books, containing thousands of gags on almost every conceivable subject, which made headlines when they were stolen in 1995.

That Monkhouse was devastated by their theft and tearfully overjoyed when they were returned, tells you everything you need to know about his dedication to the craft. He took comedy seriously, as only someone who really understands it can. Cryer made the point that Monkhouse wasn't an instinctive comedian, but rather he trained himself to become one through voracious study of the art. Perhaps that's why many thought him lacking in natural charm.

Very much a brisk skip through his life and work, this was nevertheless a fitting tribute. Neither sycophantic nor hagiographic, it doubtless would've pleased the man himself.

The Unforgettable Bob Monkhouse

The Unforgettable Bob Monkhouse was timely reminder of a much-missed star.

The Unforgettable Bob Monkhouse review

This excellent documentary shed light on his whole career, and gave a few more clues to understanding his complex personality.

The Unforgettable Bob Monkhouse

We saw interview footage of him stressing that his public performing persona was a deliberate construct that bore no relation to the inner Monkhouse.

ITV has been raiding the archives this summer more often than Katie Price is raiding the Fake Bake.

You can't switch on the channel without a celebration of the good old days. Not that we mind - a genial trip down memory lane is often preferable to a cop show repeat or yet another telly cooking competition.

And there's no one we'd rather remember from times gone by than Bob Monkhouse, one of our best-loved showmen, who kept us entertained for half a century right up until his death in 2003. It means that there's no shortage of clips from his old shows like The Golden Shot and Opportunity Knocks, and from his stand-up routines. Here, his showbiz friends and family members look back at Bob's great contribution to the British showbiz scene.

The Unforgettable Bob Monkhouse Review

Bob Monkhouse, as we're repeatedly told at the beginning of this unlikely homage, is "one of the most prolific entertainers", "a master of all trades", "the quintessential quiz show presenter"...and so it goes on. A more accurate assessment is provided by Barry Cryer who compares the permatanned presenter to Marmite.

A tribute to the joke powerhouse that will never be as interesting as reading his somewhat upfront autobiography, Crying With Laughter. As with so many comic biographies, the tragedy behind the showbiz is focused on here but scant mention is made of writing partner Denis Goodwin, save to say he rather faded in comparison to his more screen-friendly wingman and committed suicide some years after their partnership broke up. Monkhouse's only surviving child, his adopted daughter Abigail, provides the most telling commentary on what seems a rather unquiet life.

This brilliant documentary, part of a new series from ITV, is dedicated to whip smart comedian Bob Monkhouse, a legendary entertainer and one of the nation's favourite personalities. With a mixture of archive footage alongside fond interviews with friends and family it's a fitting tribute that looks back at both the man and his glittering career.

Modern comedy's unlikely hero: Bob Monkhouse

Ahead of an ITV tribute, we look at how today's comics owe much to a master joke-teller.