28.06.25.
The Perry Winkle 108
The latest issue of The Perry Winkle is once again a great tribute to editor Roger Robinson and his team.
Sons Day in Ulverston
Come and join the Sons of the Desert for an afternoon of socialising, fun and merriment.
We'll be meeting in one of our favourite places (a pub!) then will be gathering at the Laurel & Hardy Museum for a short parade to the Laurel & Hardy Statue.
After that, it's on to more pubs!
Gary Winstanley
Boys at the Bull
Thanks to David Tomlinson for sending the link to some wonderful pics. http://www.laurelandhardynottingham.uk/boys-at-the-bull/
Mike Jones
Neil Brand tour
I was looking online and came across a new show that Neil Brand is going to be touring in 2026 to mark 100 years since Stan and Ollie appeared together in their first Roach film (pre-teaming). The show has been described as follows:
Following the success of his 2023/24 tour, Neil Brand invites you to celebrate the centenary of Laurel and Hardy with a brand-new show. In 1926, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy signed separate contracts with Hollywood film mogul Hal Roach, and appeared for the first time in a film together. The following year they would become an official comedy partnership that would set the whole world rocking with laughter. Nobody could have anticipated at the time how this unlikely Anglo/American comedy duo would become global icons in over 130 countries around the world.
We are pleased to announce and celebrate those 100 years with the brand new production of Neil Brand’s “Evening with Laurel & Hardy” 2026 Centenary Tour. Neil has established himself as the foremost exponent of silent film and improvised piano accompaniment.
Thanks to new restorations of their silent films, and the rediscovery of some of their lesser-known comedies, Neil will uncover gems of hilarity from the team whose comedy never ages, and bring them to jaw-dropping life with the demanding live piano improvisations for which he is so famous. Featuring extended scenes from the best of their silent comedies, particularly You're Darn Tootin, The Finishing Touch and The Second Hundred Years.
Neil’s concerts have proved really popular with his personal contact with the audience and his unique insight into Laurel & Hardy and the birth of the cinema industry. His engaging easy-going style, along with his Q&A at the end of the show answering all the questions from the audience, followed by his after-show ‘Meet and Greet’, makes for a highly entertaining evening.
Currently working on a television documentary and a new book about 'The Boys’, Neil is once again looking forward to sharing his knowledge and expertise with audiences around the country, and celebrating the life and times of comedy legends, Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy.
A full list of tour dates can be found on Neil’s website:
https://www.laurelandhardypresentedbyneilbrand.co.uk/tour-dates/
Stan Fan
Laurel and Hardy's Yorkshire Adventures
Laurel and Hardy's Yorkshire Adventures is available to view on the Encore website. It says join to watch for free but there is a subscription fee!
https://www.tptvencore.co.uk/.../laurel-and-hardys...
Spiff Up
A few photos by Gary Winstanley were on the Brats Tent page on Facebook from the 2025 Spiff Up in Wigan. Next year the event will be held in Glasgow.
https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1418449166014259
1981 convention remembered
Mark Wall and myself were having a good chat recently about the Boys while we were in Thetford. I was recounting one of my great memories in life... catching the train from London with another couple of SONS up to Largs in '81. I was nearly 15 and next year I'll be 60. But what a weekend... the gathering in the town and the cinema afternoon and evening. We watched Bonnie Scotland. And my Fra Diavolo costume complete with toy blunderbuss and a perfectly cut black wig as Ollie... for the fancy dress.
Some memories you never forget. And all the hospitality in Largs was wonderful. My first convention. Thanks again for making it such a memorable convention.
Jonathan Pertwee
Jonathan is the son of actor Bill Pertwee and is a member of the One Good Turn Tent.
Saps at Sea meeting arrangements
I had a phone call from the manager of the Naval & Military Club where we hold our meetings in Southend on the 2nd Sunday of the month to inform me that we need to finish our meetings half a hour earlier. I therefore made the executive decision (haha) to move the start time forward by half an hour to 5pm, finishing at 8pm. The July meeting will still start at 5.30 as I said I didn’t have enough time to notify people so the new times will start from the August meeting (10th).
Ray Dempsey
Ray, with Roger Robinson, was off to Düsseldorf for a week and meeting up with Harry and Sandra, Peter and Wolfgang and Vera.
Ray adds, “I am venturing north in September. I am stopping in Birmingham for the Laughing Gravy Tent meeting and then on the Friday I am heading for Barnsley to spend time with friends for a few days but I’m going to go to the Laurel and HarDay in Wigan on the Saturday.”
...and finally
From Steve Barlow