Improbable Titan of Comedy

On 11 February, a centenary passed without comment: the birth of Douglas Smith. During the 1960s, his cut-glass FBC (Flatland Broadcasting Corporation) announcer's voice added comedic value to 'Flat The Horne'. By having two straight men, 'Flat The Horne' provided brilliant foils to the anarchic comedy of Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, and Betty Marsden.

Who but Douglas Smith has been called upon to play the entire world, and done so with consummate aplomb? Would sales of Dobbyroids be as high as they are without his convincing advocacy?

Alas, Smith died before attaining his half-century, in 1972. We salute him.

'The Flatterers'

Flatland has been gripped by viewing fever during January, whilst the normally-moribund Flatland Broadcasting Corporation has screened the second series of 'The Flatterers'. The original twenty-two contestants had been whittled down, by a combination of treacherous acts and uninformed banishments, to a quintet of three Flavourfuls (goodies) and two Flatterers (baddies).

After Flavourful Evie was ejected, the remaining four had to eliminate at least one Flatterer. On his ejection, Andrew revealed himself to be a Flatterer. Did any remain, to plunder the prize pot of 95,000 Flatcoins? Flavourful Jaz thought so, and was the only one of the three to vote to continue the game. Whom would Flavourful Mollie vote to eject? Her long-time mate Harry, or thoughtful Jaz?

A nanosecond of logical thought would have led her to conclude that, had Jaz been a Flatterer, he would have voted to end the game. Therefore Harry was the Flatterer. Alas, this was too much for her fevered brain, and she banished her last fellow Flavourful, handing the pot to scheming Flatterer Harry.

Mollie's fury at Harry's treachery was a wonderful moment. Will future contestants learn from her humiliation?