John Sessions did not act on stage between 1994 and 2013, but for many of those years and beyond he took part in the annual Private Eye performance at the National Theatre. This was a reading-out of Eye sketches from the preceding 12 months, chaired by Ian Hislop and performed, usually, by Sessions, Harry Enfield, Jan Ravens and Lewis MacLeod.
The last item of the evening was always one of that legendary old buffer Sir Herbert Gussett’s furious letters to the Daily Telegraph. In rehearsal it all went smoothly enough, but in performance Sessions did not just milk each joke, he creamed and yoghurted it. It was ridiculous, it was over the top and it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.
Each year, when Hislop announced Sir Herbert Gussett, there was a rumble of excited anticipation from regular attendees, and some of us could not help starting to laugh before Sessions had said a single word.
