This week’s guest President is Alex Armitage, Chief Executive of the legendary Noel Gay agency, and a man who knew Tony Slattery for much of his professional life, not least as his agent!
This is a particularly special meeting of Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club marks what would have been Tony’s 67th birthday on November 9th.
And who better to join us for the occasion than someone who witnessed so much of Tony’s extraordinary career from close quarters?
Alex takes us back to the early days, when he and his father recognised the remarkable talents emerging from Cambridge: Tony, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. He recalls the first time Tony caught his attention, in a sketch with Stephen Fry that demonstrated just how naturally, and unexpectedly, funny he could be. From there, we explore Tony’s remarkable versatility: the actor, the comedian, the musical performer, the improviser and the entertainer who seemed capable of turning his hand to almost anything.
There are stories from Me and My Girl and Radio Times, and some wonderfully revealing memories of the man behind the applause. Alex speaks candidly about Tony’s extraordinary gifts, his self-doubt, his occasional talent for shooting himself in the foot, and the particular challenge of being the person who sometimes had to tell him not to do it again. But above all, there is affection. Alex remembers a man who could be utterly brilliant, gloriously unpredictable and, despite his fame, wonderfully human.
There are tales about Tony's performance in a production of Romeo and Juliet for which Tony recorded the Prince’s speeches in a single take, and we reflect on the extraordinary emotional truth he brought to his improvisation. Alex would have loved to see him tackle Shakespeare, and believes he had the ability to reach the very highest levels of classical acting.
And, of course, the enchanted bingo machine has its say. Sir Stephen Fry provides the familiar narration as Alex joins Paul and Allan for two rambles: one on the subject of housekeeping, and another involving explosive technologies, a topic that proves rather more relevant to Tony’s theatrical history than we might have expected!
So, pull on your gloves, join us out in the great outdoors, and spend some time with a man who knew Tony not just as a performer, but as the extraordinary, complicated and much-loved person he was.
A very special birthday ramble, in memory of our President.
We miss you, Tony.
Paul's new podcast, A Life with Paul Carmichael, is out now on every podcast app!
iTunes-> https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-life-with-paul-carmichael/id6819710823
Spotify-> https://open.spotify.com/show/1aUTKyq2vZ1v9BGTEZCAmB?si=2Fc39XxgRsqzlhH6uaOb-Q&utm_source=copy-link
Presented by Paul Carmichael & Allan Lear with Sir Stephen Fry as the voice of the Bingo Machine.
Special Guest President: Alex Armitage
Music composed and performed by Michael Livesley & Andy Frizell
The voice of Pwfthhh- Michael Livesley
www.michaellivesley.com
Series Researcher- Soula Carmichael
Series Producers- Erica Lear and Mark Hutchinson
Producers- Alan Dyebing & Stuart Morris
Executive Producer- Mark Strickson
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Official Website- www.tonyslattery.com
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© Fanfaronade Productions 2026
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