I'm have to agree with Eric T.R about Mike Harding. It always a tragedy when someone like M H gets sucked into one of those British institutions which seem to suck the life blood out of innovative and rebellious individuals.

It must have been in the early seventies that I saw MH at a the Thelwall FC on the outskirts of Warrington. In those days the Mersey was generally somewhere under 6 ft of foul smelling pink foam, and SELNEC busses had NO SPITTING notices on the upper decks.

Thelwall was rather on 'the bosses' side of town, and had the reputation, even in those days, of being a bit prissy. Harding was hilarious, outspoken,and brilliant. He succeeded in upsetting all the right people, not least the lady organiser who discovered him relieving himself in a wash-hand basin in the ladies loo during the interval.

I don't suppose he does that very often in the BBC.

SM