I HAD a very unusual experience this week, spending three hours with Philip Tufnell, the so-called King of the Jungle.

Now, Tuffers is a big star on the telly after winning Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! But, for 10 years he played cricket for England - on and off - and for 18 years played for Middlesex.

He was the star of an evening at the Forum, in Malvern, with Tom Moody as the 'straight man' and me as host.

It's been my privilege to meet many well-known people, but never ever have I met anyone so unaffected by fame. The man is what he is.

There are nor pretensions. He's the same off-stage as on, and he's without doubt enjoying his new found fame and fortune.

He enjoys a drink, a fag and many other delights of life, and in sometimes colourful language told our audience exactly what his philosophy on life is.

Tom was also in form and, all round, it was good night for David Leatherdale's Benefit Fund.

Talking of Lugsy's benefit events, there was a Tarts and Vicars Night at New Road recently. A lot of men dressed up as Vicars and Bishops and the like, and a lot of women (and one bloke !) dressed up as Tarts.

Now some of the men looked like vicars but some of the tarts. Well, to say they took to the parts well would be understating the event. They loved it and, by Jove, there made a few happy men feel very old. Well done, girls!

Aren't the colours fantastic this autumn. I've been driving around a bit of late and the colours of some of the leaves are amazing. In the past, I've tried to do a bit of painting. You know, landscapes, not the bathroom ceiling.

If I'd put those colours onto a canvas, people would say they were wrong.

The highways and byways of the two shires look fantastic and I don't think I can remember a better autumn for a long time. By the time you read this, it'll probably have poured down for a couple of days, but it has been so very dry, and yet we haven't had a hosepipe ban anywhere round here this summer. How strange.

By the way, I've tried to do some more research into what spoon collectors are called, and received an e-mail from Roger Morris, in Worcester, Mass. It appears hereads things on the internet. In the US they're called Spooners. Not very exciting, is it?