READER'S LETTER

Chips – the missing woman

SIR: The fifth person (marked anonymous) in the photograph accompanying the piece about Chips Channon in September’s Oldie is in fact my mother, Patricia Morrison-Bell.

As a child, I would listen unnoticed to many hushed conversations about Chips, and his deceptive, scurrilous behaviour among the grown-ups, before they spotted me and would say, ‘Pas devant les enfants.’

Jessica Douglas-Home, London W14

Peter Cook’s 100 guineas

SIR: The article ‘Showbiz doesn’t pay’ (October issue) reminded me of a story about Beyond the Fringe, which may even be true.

In their early days, the four protagonists were asked to do a one-off performance somewhere. Messrs Bennett, Miller and Moore, being amateurs at the time, were paid £100 each.

Peter Cook, being a professional, was paid 100 guineas – but had to pay