Steven Bowditch recalls an indelible memory of a night at the theatre in 1963, when he saw Spike Milligan perform in The Bed-Sitting Room. As a 16-year-old, Bowditch attended the show on a trip organised by his church youth club. Due to double selling of tickets at the London theatre, his group was placed in a box next to the stage.
During the performance, Milligan climbed up the outside of the box and peered over. He shouted: 'There will come a time when all those in the box will sit at the back of the theatre and all those at the back will have the best seats!' He then added: 'You’re not on complimentaries, are you?'
On the way home, the coach driver stopped to see why scores of people were on otherwise empty streets buying the late-night final. The date was 22 November 1963. The headlines were about the assassination of John F Kennedy. Bowditch notes that some memories never leave you.
