WTF: Weekly Trivia File

WTF: Weekly Trivia File...

•‘Heckling is the avenue for the narcissistic imbecile discontent with the lack of focus they're getting mainly due to alcohol consumption.’ Pete Johansson

• Forget Stephen Fry’s revelations – actress turned comedy critic Kate Copstick tells blogger John Fleming: ‘The very first place I ever encountered cocaine was on Play School.’

• Meanwhile, Mr Fry reports that Princess Diana was a big fan of Spitting Image. As she and Prince Charles were leaving his house after tea one day, the Princess whispered in Fry's ear: ‘Sorry to leave early, but secretly I'm quite glad. Spitting Image is on tonight – I want to watch it in my room. They hate it of course, but I absolutely love it.’ As long ago as 1996, the satirical puppet show was fuelling rumours about the relationship between Charles and Camilla, by showing the pair snuggling up in bed while Diana faced the other direction.

• Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown was given a £50 parking ticket – while stopping at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough to make a personal £5,000 donation. Hospital chiefs admitted they made a mistake and said the comedian found the mix-up ‘highly amusing’.

• Tommy Wiseau, creator of cult bad movie The Room is to unveil his sitcom The Neighbors, with seven screenings in New York this weekend. Here is a typically classy scene:

• In his new autobiography, Only When I Laugh, Paul Merton recalls playing a pub gig in the 1980s that was being ruined by two drunk men sitting in the front row, shouting out nonsense over the other acts’ punchlines. Merton formulated a plan, and on taking to the stage said: ‘I’m getting a bit long in the tooth to work under these conditions…’ and asked the audience to collect their drinks and follow him. He took them outside to where there was a garage door with a light above it, and performed his set there. The two drunks, bemused by what was going on, had opted to stay inside the pub – and those who went outside bonded over an unusual performance.

• Comic Carl Hutchinson has bungee jumped 160ft off Middlesbrough’s Tees Transporter Bridge this week. It was a charity stunt to claim the title of most extreme pizza delivery stunt after fellow Geordie comedian Chris Ramsey – whom Hutchinson is supporting on tour – managed to get pizza delivered to an intercity train between Newcastle and King’s Cross earlier this year. Watch tithe jump here.

• Tweets of the week
Nick Motown (@NickMotown ): I was at the Sergeant Major of the Year Awards last night. You could have cut the TEEEEEEENNNSHUN! with a knife.
Roger Quimby (@MrRogerQuimby): I have a lot in common with Ed Miliband. I've forgotten his speech as well.
Paul Eggleston (@ pauleggleston ): To celebrate the opening of the prestigious Taxidermists' dog show, each visitor will be entitled to an official 'Stuffed Crufts' pizza.

Published: 26 Sep 2014