Portrait unveiled to mark Innes' birthday

This portrait of Neil Innes is being unveiled in his hometown today.

The comedian and musician – often dubbed the ‘seventh Python’ for his collaboration with the groundbreaking comedy troupe – was born in the Essex village of Danbury, though spend much of his childhood in Army barracks in Germany, where his father was stationed.

Known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and the Beatles pastiche The  Rutles, which he created with Eric Idle, Innes died on  December 29, 2019

The new image has been painted by artist Dave Miles, who lives in Whitburn, near Edinburgh, and will be unveiled in Danbury village hall at 11am by Chelmsford mayor Susan Sullivan, marking what would have been his 80th birthday.

Miles told Chortle: ‘Meeting Neil and chatting to him before a Rutles concert up here in Scotland was an amazing ten minutes. I’ve never forgotten it a this is my way of remembering a lovely man.’

Earlier this year, Miles donated a portrait of another comedy great, Marty Feldman, to go in the Uxbridge Arms pub in Notting Hill, West London – one of the star’s regular haunts.

Many of Innes’s former collaborators and fans paid tribute at a gig in London last month. Read our report about the show –How Sweet To Be An Idiot – here.

Published: 9 Dec 2024