Duo's musical homage

Gordon Peters is bringing his homage to the musical equivalents of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise to Queen Mary’s College Hall on Saturday (September 11).

The show is a highlight on the Basingstoke Lions Club’s calendar and will raise funds for the club’s chosen charities.

Peters, who brought his The Humour of Gilbert & Sullivan show to the town last year and will again be singing with David Carter as his accompanist, said the show is a performance rather than an impersonation.

He said: “I don’t just stand there and sing the songs. It’s a proper production with lighting and I move around and there are lots of gags along the way.” Actor and singer Michael Flanders and composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann collaborated over several years, writing and performing comic songs and were at their height in the 1950s and 1960s.

Peters said: “They gained popularity through word-of-mouth because of their originality and freshness, which is still there. There was nobody like them.

“Separately, they were experts in their own field but it’s one of those things where they just gelled together to be a successful double act.

“They were good friends as well, unlike Gilbert and Sullivan who didn’t get on. Gilbert was a grumpy old sod but a wonderful wordsmith and Sullivan had all the charm.”

He added: “Michael Flanders had a wonderful command of the English language. He comes up with words I’ve never heard of!”

Peters, who teamed up with Carter five years ago, has been in the entertainment industry for five decades as a stand-up comic, director, actor – including Dad’s Army and One Foot in the Grave – and has produced three one-man shows. The duo are currently working on a new show about Noel Coward.

More information about the show is at gordonpeters.co.uk. It starts at 7.30pm and tickets, at £10, are available from Maurice Hockley, on 01256 421867, or by writing to mauricehockley@hotmail.com or from Toucan Travel at Chineham Shopping Centre.