THAT great star of theatre, music hall, stage and screen, Count Arthur Strong, showed his Wyvern audience how a true show business legend triumphs in the face of adversity.

The original show, he told us, had to be cancelled because of a restraining order imposed by a vindictive magistrate, and he was also in the midst of a bitter dispute with a printer in Doncaster over a misspelling in the posters.

In spite of this, the consummate performer treated us to an hour and a half of poignant reminiscences and music.

Nobody who heard, for example, his anecdotes about the poverty-stricken childhood of his great friend Sir Rex Harrison will ever forget them.

The young Sir Rex, we learned, had a budgie called Billy, and taught the creature to do tricks such as jumping through burning hoops.

The bird also learned phrases including “Billy wants a cracker” and “Billy’s on fire” but sadly ended up having to be fried with some potatoes one especially hungry day.

The sheer breadth of Count Arthur’s talents cannot be overstated. He regaled us with tales of his time as a balloon modeller, when his specialities included a giraffe with no discernible neck.

He has also performed an exorcism at his local church, but sadly didn’t realise that the man speaking in terrifying demonic tones wasn’t possessed but came from Liverpool.

For the finale, a unique tribute to the Beatles, he was joined by a talented assistant and a stagehand who bore a remarkable resemblance to a character called Eggy in a popular situation comedy.

Count Arthur gave the audience his all. What a pity, then, that the audience responded not with the respect he deserves but by laughing helplessly throughout.