just posted this on the blog but it might also provoke some discussion
here
This month marks a very sad anniversary - a year since the untimely, far
too early passing of Linda Smith. She died on February 27, 2006.
Those interested can find lots of tributes at the time in the blog -
look at early March 2006, and also the blog has frequent mentions of the
concerts and book on Linda that have been published since. It's been a
year where she has been very much missed from JAM and her other shows.
How unfair that such a comedic talent should have died so young.
Obviously JAM wasn't the most important part of Linda's life, but JAM
hasn't been an easy programme for the female of the species, and no-one
has yet stood up to claim Linda's title of the regular woman panellist
on the show.
One of my favourite writers is Christopher Hitchens - a couple of months
ago he wrote this article for Vanity Fair, arguing that women aren't
funny.
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/01/hitchens200701?printable=
true¤tPage=all
(You can see it debated here on the BBC current affairs programme
Newsnight with Christopher, Jeremy Paxman and Ruby Wax.)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2006/12/are_women_funny.html
I think if Christopher was a JAM fan, he might change his mind.
Anyway - I was thinking about how I could pay tribute to Linda and have
decided to devote this month to the women of Just A Minute. Every few
days I'll post an essay on one of the Queens of the programme, ending,
hopefully on February 27th, with my tribute to Linda.
So any fans of Sheila Hancock, Andree Melly, Wendy Richard, Aimi
Macdonald, Jenny Eclair, Geraldine Jones, Sue Perkins and of course
Linda - feel free to post your comments or email me with your thoughts
on any of these great women - favourite moments, tributes, anything you
like - and I'll try to incorporate them into the essays.