TREVOR HEATON, EDP Whats On Editor Westacre River Studios

TREVOR HEATON, EDP Whats On Editor

When Kenneth Williams' diaries were published in 1993 they revealed a tortured man far away from the braying camp actor of Carry On fame. The cliché of the "tears of a clown" was pitifully inadequate.

And in a sell-out show at this intimate West Norfolk venue, David Benson brought his acclaimed West End production giving something of the flavour of this most complex of characters, portraying him from intellectually arrogant ("I am one of the finer things in life") to self-pitying attention seeker.

Benson's show was much more than just a series of impressions of Williams ,although his ability to switch across the gamut of Williams' many voices and mannerisms bordered on uncanny at times.

He wove a narrative based on Williams' final day with some hilarious and poignant accounts of his own life – and his own curious link to the Carry On star. When he was a

13-year-old Birmingham schoolboy Benson wrote a story for Children's programme Jackanory, which was read on air by Williams.

Friday's two-hour performance was a tour-de-force of technique and comic timing.

On the way Benson treated us to not just Williams but also Frankie Howerd, the Dad's Army cast, Noel Coward and even Maggie Smith.

Westacre River Studios is to be congratulated for bringing David Benson's superb, funny and moving show to Norfolk audiences.