Helter-Skelter

My mother's newspaper has a picture of a bishop on its front page. Hmm, bishops interest me. I read his name and- well I never- it's the Bishop of Lynn, Jonathan Meyrick- my old school chum. He was a little younger than me but we palled around a bit because we both had the acting bug. Theatrical experience is useful if you're going to be a priest. For instance I always knew from being on stage- by the reverb, by instinct- I'm not sure which- how to pitch my voice to the furthest corners of any given building.

Oh, I could tell you stories...

Actually, I couldn't, Jon Meyrick was one of the nicest, sweetest people you could hope to meet. If he had a fault- and not really a fault but only annoying if you weren't in the mood- it was bounciness.

Becoming a bishop hasn't sobered him any. Search the archives and you'll find pictures of him singing rock and roll with a 60s tribute band, riding a bicycle while wearing a mitre and sat in a dodgems car in full canonicals.

In the Telegraph's picture he's preaching in front of the helter-skelter they've had installed in Norwich cathedral over the summer. His sermon included the lyrics of a Bee Gees song.

The kill-joys hated the helter-skelter because their god is a touchy old cove and has absolutely no sense of humour- but it seems to have drawn in the punters.

I wonder if the helter-skelter was Jon's idea. It would have been in character.

What a trouper.