Radio 4 to honour Humphrey Lyttelton with a tribute day on June 15th
30/04/2008 00:00 GMT

Posted by lisa

At the end of Radio 4's April 30th tribute to Humphrey Lyttelton, it was announced that the ISIHAC teams will be paying their own tribute to Humph on Sunday, May 11th.  The exact time is yet to be announced.

In addition, Radio 4 will honor Humph with a tribute day on Sunday, June 15th. The following news stories come from The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/30/bbc.radio1?gusrc=rss&feed=media) and Chortle (http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2008/04/30/6713/humphrey_lyttelton_day)


FROM THE GUARDIAN:

Radio 4 to honour Lyttelton with tribute day

Ben Dowell
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday April 30 2008

Radio 4 is to broadcast a Humphrey Lyttelton day in June to pay tribute to the presenter, who died on Friday aged 86.

The Radio 4 controller, Mark Damazer, has given the nod to a tribute programme to be broadcast on Sunday June 15 to mark the achievements of the veteran presenter of comedy panel show I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue.

This will be backed by a repeat of his Desert Island Discs episode and a repeat of his programme about jazz, The King of the Swingers.

In addition, his friend and fan Stephen Fry will present a specially commissioned profile of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue with extracts of the best programmes.

A Radio 4 spokeswoman confirmed the plans but declined to comment on the future of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, of which Lyttelton was chairman since its inception in 1972.

According to a Radio 4 source, however, the show is likely to continue. The source added that replacement presenter may be sought for Lyttelton but that this is unlikely to be filled by one of the current panel, which includes Graeme Garden and Barry Cryer.

Lyttelton, who celebrated 60 years as a bandleader in January, was admitted to hospital on April 16. He underwent surgery on Monday morning to repair an aortic aneurysm, but died following complications.

After his admission to Barnet general hospital in north London, the spring series of his show was cancelled, prompting a wave of goodwill messages from Radio 4 listeners.

As well as his jazz playing Lyttelton also had stints as a cartoonist, a restaurant critic for Vogue and a regular columnist on Punch.

But he became a household name for his broadcasting, most notably his deadpan performances as the innuendo-prone chairman of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, where he genially presided over games such as Mornington Crescent.


FROM CHORTLE:

Humphrey Lyttelton Day
R4 to broadcast tribute shows

Radio 4 is to dedicate a day of programming to Humphrey Lyttelton.
Shows will include a new tribute documentary, as well as repeats of both his Desert Island Discs episode and his programme about jazz, The King of the Swingers.

In addition, Stephen Fry will present a newly commissioned profile of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, with extracts of the best programmes.

The tributes will go out on June 15.

Meanwhile, speculation is rising about whether the 'antidote to panel games'
will continue following Lyttelton's death on Friday at the age of 86.

Although Humph's lugubrious presence and dry wit defined the show he hosted since 1972, insiders suggest the show is likely to find a new host.

Panellist Graeme Garden told the BBC's in-house paper Ariel: 'On a personal note, I do want the show to go on and the fans do, too. It can never be the same, bit I'd like to think it still had legs.'

But he said it would be a mistake to 'try to find a copy of Humph'.

Barry Cryer added: 'A few years ago, he jokingly said that if he went under a bus, there should be no misplaced loyalty and the show should go on.'

Rob Brydon stood in for Lyttelton on the last live date of the I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue tour.