Ooh vicar, titter ye do!
NAY, nay and thrice nay! What a shame an am-dram production of Up Pompeii! has been banned from a United Reformed Church hall in London because the minister thought it would be bawdy and ‘denigrating to women’ (Mail). It is disturbing a play can be judged on hearsay. I am a member of a drama group, and we decided to mark Frankie Howerd’s 100th birthday with a production of Up Pompeii! in York, his place of birth. I played Lurcio, Frankie Howerd’s character, and we did not have a single complaint. Had the minister read the script or attended a rehearsal, he would have been reassured: there is no swearing or nudity. It is just British humour at its best. I agree some TV comedies were of their era and would not be suitable for a modern audience, but Up Pompeii! is not one of them.
DAVID ROSE, York.