My mate comedian Jack Diamond  was invited to appear on the very well liked programme "Opportunity Knocks with Hughie Green". Jack asked me if I would be willing to go with him, I was delighted to do so. We travelled down to London, and then onto the Thames Television Studio`s at  Teddington in Richmond-upon-Thames, I don`t know where they are based now.  But then the studio`s backed onto the River Thames at Teddington Lock. It was such a lovely place just to sit by the river and watch narrow boats pass by. The entrance had a small reception desk on the right as you went in; then doors leading to the inner sanctum and a staircase nearby. Along the back wall were some seating and we were asked to wait there and could take a while. When people appeared on the show, they would be introduced by a well known celebrity. We were informed that Jack would be introduced by a "Baddie" wrestler, Jackie Pallo. Jack and I looked at each other and quietly said, SOD IT, let`s go home. In every wrestling show there was always some wrestlers that were hated by the public, youv`e got it, it was Jackie Pallo. Then we thought, well, it just a part of show business. However, when Mr Pallo arrived with his wife. In my opinion Jackie Pallo  was imprudent, obnoxious, unceremonious and bloody rude. The F word came out in most sentence that he made and he was right in your face, a bloody horrible guy. Enough of him, we now come to the show. Jack was on the same bill as Neil Reid, a young boy that had won for several weeks running and who Jack affectionately described as "That bloody Scottish Midget". When Jack came on from the back of the stage, not where the acts usually came on from, from behind Hughie Green, who was sat in a large chair. Jack was carrying a large, brown leather coat, it was a three-quarter-length coat which was very heavy. As Jack passed Hughie`s chair, Jack threw his coat over the head of Hughie Green and walking to where he would begin his act. I thought that Jack did very well. After the show we saw Hughie Green in the foyer, Hughie said to Jack, "are you happy Jack", and Jack replied, I am but are you Hughie", Hughie said "Yes i`m ok thanks" and walked on. Unluckily, Jack did not progress further in the show. While we were in London, Mr Royston Mayoh a producer of many TV shows, left jack and myself two tickets at the box office of the very famous London Palladium, as he had known Jack a long time. We went to see the evergreen Dorothy Squires in concert, our tickets were in the front row in the centre isle, so had a wonderful view. Royston Mayho was in a box right above us and to the right. The compare for the show was the Radio and TV presenter Mr Pete Murray, who was a quiet, sophisticated gentleman, first known as a DJ on the famous Radio Luxembourg and various also on other Radio Stations including the BBC of course. Pete Murray told the audience that Miss Squires special dress had not arrived yet, she liked to keep people waiting,  I must say the show was great, I likened her to our own own Dame Shirley Bassey in some ways but not, as they say, not quite the same, after all Shirley was someone REALLY Special. After the show, we were invited to the backstage area of the London Palladium and had to literally walk around to the rear of the Palladium. There were many people hoping to get through the back gates, but when we showed our passes, they let us in. The backstage area was quite big and full of narrow corridors, all with several rooms leading off them. People went crazy trying to drink all the cases of Champagne.  Jack and myself together with a few other famous people and the little boy Neil Reid. Little Neil and myself were going around the tables in the room tipping what had been left in peoples glasses and tipping them into a Clean glass for Jack Diamond to drink and had a good time doing that. Some of the famous people in the room I knew by face only, I knew who they were, but not well enough to talk to. As I said earlier, Jack did not go on in the show, but guess who was the outright winner of Opportunity knocks, Yes Youv`e  got it, it was that "Bloody Scottish Midget" Neil Reid.