Writer Wally K Daly, an actor and ASM at London's Mermaid Theatre in the sixties, remembers the impact made by Spike Milligan's play The Bed Sitting Room - which faced battles with the censors - and recalls a particularly memorable trip to buy costume supplies.

The 1963 production of The Bed Sitting Room, written by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus, was scheduled to rehearse for only a fortnight and no more than three hours each day. The argument was that this post-atomic comedy would be dead on its feet through constant repetition if it was rehearsed more.

None of the cast at the Mermaid Theatre argued with this. Lots of time off is not usually viewed as a problem. Getting the script accepted by the Lord Chamberlain's office, however, was something of a problem.

The usual wheeze of putting in lots of swearing and unacceptable business for the censor to cut out - so that he would not actually notice the stuff you were trying to get past him - did not seem to be working very well. Some fine censorial stupidities developed as the script went backwards and forwards between the theatre and the censor's office.

The Daz song in the play had the immortal line 'You get all the dirt off the back of your shirt with Daz, Daz, Daz'. This was deemed to be unacceptable by the Lord Chamberlain's office. The compromise suggested by Spike - 'You get all the dirt off the front of your shirt' - was considered to be fine.

Watching rehearsals, I realised what everyone already knew - that Spike Milligan is a comedy genius. My true delight was to watch him perform, night after night, from the wings.

One piece of business was put in on the first night when a mote of dust flew down from the flies and Spike nonchalantly swatted it away with the fly swat he carried. By the end of the run, it was a silent, showstopping ten-minute routine. Genius.

During the run of The Bed Sitting Room with Spike Milligan, each member of the audience was given a brown-paper packet containing a shining penny coin "with the compliments of Spike", he then was able to say he had to pay people to come and see his show.

© Barry Lategan - Photograph from the bed sitting room kindly supplied by Barry Lategan.

From the March 1963 edition of Theatre World Magazine.