He is certainly wonderful. I get no clue from the whiskers but I can see that a famous Australian comedian Grahame Bond must have seen this photo before he created his persona “Aunty Jack” - it’s a dead-ringer mate.

I came here to mention the passing of dear Dougie Hayward:
from The Tele obit
“Hayward lived in a flat above his shop, and spent weekends at a house on Lord Hambleden’s estate in Oxfordshire. But he remained proud of his Cockney roots; and every week until her death in 1984 he visited his mother, Winifred (who had worked in a bullet-making factory during the war), presenting her each time with a £1 note to pay for her meals-on-wheels.

When she died the family found this money preserved in 15 ice-cream boxes under her bed, along with a note reading: “This money is to get Doug out of prison when they finally get him.” She did not believe that her son could earn so much money as a tailor, and assumed that he must have criminal connections.

Hayward, who himself liked to dress elegantly (he had a particular fondness for colourful tweeds), also sold hand-made shoes and his own line in watches and leather luggage. He lectured at the Royal College of Art on tailoring, placing particular emphasis on cutting.

That is a MARVELLOUS story. Ben, you’ve got me beat: this fellow certainly cheered my day, but no clue at all I’m afraid. Coming back today I’m a little cheered to see that no one else has got it either!

Sorry. Too many cheereds. You know what I mean though & it’s late.

Excellent stuff about Dougie Hayward, Dysthymiac.

And, Ms B, here’s the story behind the mystery man and his Dundreary Weepers.

I love the story of the dinner-party hoax and suspect that yet another Australian comedian (see comment above) must have read about Sothern 40 years ago; our Barry Humphries used to do that kind of thing at the time he was developing Edna Everage as the ‘ultra-ordinary’ housewife she was in her debut.
Humphries arranged cohorts to hand various courses of breakfast to him in his rail carriage as the morning commute train journeyed upline - a tremendous effort of planning just to gobsmack other passengers (in the early Sixties when gobsmacking was easier than it is now).

Sorry not to get back before now; this was very entertaining. I love it even more now I know he’s a character, and not mad.

no idea who he is but … would

Hi Ben

I’ve tagged you with a lovely challenge for which you will obviously adore me. You must write a short story in six words. The origin of the Meme is Hemingway’s famous answer:

For sale, baby shoes, never worn.

xxx Pants