My tears for thoroughly lovely man and comic genius

I have a collection of souvenirs of my favourite celebrity interviews and in pride of place is a “Bendy Bully” given to me by Jim Bowen, with my Ken Dodd tickling stick resting in its arm.

It made me cry yesterday when I heard that genial Jim had died. Because, like Doddy, the former Bullseye host was a thoroughly lovely man and a comic genius. I visited Jim at home in Melling, Lancashire, in 2012. He was recovering from two strokes, still partially paralysed and struggling to speak. Yet our chat turned into a comedy masterclass. Self-deprecating and WARM Rachael & Jim deadpan, Jim fired off gags about his show... and his talent for cock-ups. “I was absolute c**p,” he said. “People watched Bullseye because they couldn’t believe it was so bad. We grew on people ... like a wart.”

But Jim added: “I genuinely believe if you put us back on TV next week we’d blow them out of the water.” They would have done. Because Jim was super, smashing and one of the greats.