Having recently underaken work for a big-name
publisher, and with plenty on the horizon too, I
found myself pondering the legal issues of Fair
Usage as it applies when material has been not
so much collected or collated as sent in.
As it's entirely legal to go trawling the charity-
shop sector for valuable items which one then
sells via a car boot, market stall or, in this new
fantastic computer age, eBay, I found myself
flicking through a little tome from the '70s:
The Puffin Crack-a-Joke book it's called.
Now, when I heard neither Ronnie Corbett nor
the late Ronnie Barker wished to be known only
for "The Two Ronnies", I couldn't help thinking
of Mel & Sue.
Now, obviously, dear readers, you may think.
Moreover, yes, yes, Moreover. Will you be
quiet Madam? Now where was I? Ah yes,
moreover, you may think "Ah, but the Two
Ronnies had both done solo work. Ronnie
Barker with classic sit-com '****ridge', and
Ronnie Corbett in the 'Time Bandits'. Now
Mel and Sue haven't."
But this is where you'd be wrong. In the 1st
edition copy I have of the Crack-a-Joke Book,
proceeds of which went to Oxfam and which
had been scheduled in and amongst the runs
at the printers for that year so it could also be
called "THE 1000TH PUFFIN BOOK", there
is a list of contributors.
Tim Brooke-Taylor takes the lead, pulling the
rug from under anyone's assertions that in
The Goodies all he did was play himself, and
wrote the Introduction.
Even then people couldn't get their facts
right and Tommy Byd slipped off of the Magpie
presenters' list, and all the BBC radio stations'
names are accompanied by frequencies in m.
But, tucked away at the back, in the list of
contributors, including Mike Berry (London)
and Leslie Crowther (London) and Beryl Reid
(London), is one...wait for it...Melanie Giedroyc,
Leatherhead.
I certainly shouldn't have taken it upon myself
to comment on the condition of her scalp but,
at the end of the day, it bears out what those
who've been asking themselves not only why
did they get commissioned in the first place
but why did they get a second run have wanted
to know.
Mel is the one with the talent; though it's possible
she peaked early.
One other thing it clears up is that it's always
worth using your own name, I mean what kind
of sad sack social inadequate would hide under
a pseudonym unless they spent their real life
all on their Jack Jones and didn't want word
out amongst those there might be a risk of
impressing?
I mean, I ask you.
SIPSTON
COPYRIGHT (C) 2006 SIPSTON
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