Nicholas Parsons, 95, misses recording of his Radio 4 show Just A Minute for only the second time

Nicholas Parsons, 95, misses recording of his Radio 4 show Just A Minute for only the second time in 52 years after falling ill

  • Gyles Brandreth was called in after Nicholas Parsons was struck by a bad back
  • The episodes were being recorded at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for Monday
  • Parsons missed a recording for the first time ever in April last year because of flu 

He has been the much-loved radio show’s host for all of its 52-year run.

But Nicholas Parsons was absent from a recording of Radio 4’s Just A Minute last night for only the second time in its history.

The veteran broadcaster, 95, was forced to pull out of taping two episodes after falling ill.

It meant writer Gyles Brandreth was called in to ensure panellists Paul Merton, Lucy Porter, Ed Byrne and Fred MacAulay spoke without hesitation, repetition or deviation. 

Nicholas Parsons (right) was absent from a recording of Radio 4’s Just A Minute last night for only the second time in its history as Gyles Brandreth (left) was called in

Brandreth joked that Parsons, who was said to have been struck down by a bad back, was with a ‘masseuse’.

The episodes were being recorded at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for broadcast on August 19 and 26 as part of the show’s 85th series, which began airing on Monday.

A Radio 4 producer told the audience packed into the BBC tent: ‘We apologise, Nicholas is ill tonight. I’m sorry we hate to disappoint but Gyles Brandreth will bravely cover both of tonight’s recordings.’

A source close to the programme said: ‘It’s nothing serious. He’s just got a bad back.’

The episodes were being recorded at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for broadcast on August 19 and 26 as part of the show's 85th series, which began airing on Monday (pictured in 1969)

The episodes were being recorded at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for broadcast on August 19 and 26 as part of the show’s 85th series, which began airing on Monday (pictured in 1969)

Parsons, who has hosted more than 930 episodes of the comedy panel game since it started in December 1967, is due to begin a four-night run of his show Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour at the Edinburgh Fringe tomorrow

Parsons, who has hosted more than 930 episodes of the comedy panel game since it started in December 1967, is due to begin a four-night run of his show Nicholas Parsons’ Happy Hour at the Edinburgh Fringe tomorrow

939 episodes, no hesitation 

  • There have been 939 episodes of Just A Minute, in which guests must speak for 60 seconds without hesitation, repetition or deviation
  • The BBC had wanted Jimmy Edwards as host but he was unavailable. Nicholas Parsons reluctantly took his place
  • The pilot show featured Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Wilma Ewart – a neighbour of Parsons – and Beryl Reid
  • Freud appeared a record 544 times. He once spilt a glass of water over Gyles Brandreth to distract him
  • Kenneth Williams was the fastest-speaking panellist, at 6.1 words a second

Parsons, who has hosted more than 930 episodes of the comedy panel game since it started in December 1967, is due to begin a four-night run of his show Nicholas Parsons’ Happy Hour at the Edinburgh Fringe tomorrow.

Brandreth, 71, a regular guest on Just A Minute, started the programme by joking: ‘Nicholas can’t be here tonight as he’s auditioning for Naked Attraction on Channel 4.’

Parsons missed a recording for the first time ever in April last year because of flu. Brandreth also stood in then to host two shows.

Parsons made his acting debut in 1947. Following a number of film roles, he became a television regular on The Benny Hill Show and hosted the long-running ITV game show Sale Of The Century.

He has been married to his second wife, Ann, since 1995 and received a CBE in 2014 for services to charity. The BBC and a spokesman for Parsons were contacted with a request for comment.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk