A tight 5: June 17, 2013

THE unveiling of the statue to Frank Sidebottom in his native Timperley has been postponed. Campaigners raising the money for the tribute have blamed a delay at the foundry making the artwork for missing a tentative June 23 target. It is hoped the statue will now be unveiled in August, close to what would have been Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey’s 58th birthday on the 25th. He died in 2010 at the age of 54.

LENNY HENRY has won the lifetime achievement award in The Observer’s Ethical Awards, in recognition of his work for Comic Relief.

COMEDY rapper Doc Brown has signed a DVD deal. He will be recording his new show, Of Mic And Men, at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London on July 26. A regular on the circuit, he has recently been championed by Ricky Gervais, and he appeared in The Office Revisited, recording Equality Street alongside David Brent.

STAND-UP Diane Morgan, of the Two Episodes Of MASH sketch duo, has been cast in ITV’s new comedy series Cabbage and Pat alongside leads Cherie Lunghi and Barbara Flynn, who discover a new lust for life in their older years.

BERNIE SAHLINS, who co-founded the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, died yesterday at the age of 90. The institution has been instrumental in defining US sketch comedy, with former members including Bill Murray, John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and John and Jim Belushi.

Published: 17 Jun 2013