The night comic Steve Royle – and a lozenge - saved the show

C'mere, there's more from the Post's funniest columnist

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Hi readers. In this column I'd like to tell you about a show I did at the Woolton Village Club in Liverpool last month.

Come closer... there's more.

I'd just been 15 minutes into my act when I had a fit of coughing. It was the aftermath of a virus I'd had. Normally, I'd get the odd tickly cough towards the end of my set, and I would make a joke of it but this one was quite ferocious.

As Mrs Cricket raced to the bar to get a glass of iced water, a sympathetic audience that included Syd Little from the great double act Little and Large roared me on.

In fact, it being Liverpool, a few of the audience members actually coughed in harmony with me to help make me feel better.

And then happened...

Like the fairy godmother in Cinderella, my fellow comedian Steve Royle appeared at the front of the stage, and handed me a lozenge, whispering: “This works for me every time.”

And you know what folks? He was dead right.