Dear Followers,

I'm not really in much of a mood to write in my normal upbeat manner tonight, as we have received grim news from Yorkshire about our former colleague and Head of English, John Mayall, whom many of you will no doubt remember. He has (colonic, we think) cancer, and he has been battling against it for a long time now. Today we learnt that he has moved out of his house and, in his own words, 'will not be returning'. One can only hope that he does not suffer while he is in the hospice into which he has been admitted, and that his passing will be as peaceful as is possible, under such awful circumstances.

He was - is - a supremely talented man, and a first class schoolmaster, and few will know that he was part of the Alan Bennett fraternity, and someone who could easily have become just as successful, had his life taken a different turn. Alan Bennett remained one of his greatest friends, living just a few doors away from John.

Although John remains an intensely private man and one who does not allow the shutters to be rolled up, he and I once produced a play together, and I was able to discover alittle about the man behind the mask. (He would have disapproved, as will many of you, no doubt, of the mixed metaphors.) I hope that whatever will be said, sadly, I suspect, sooner rather than later, will reveal the many wonderful attributes, alongside so many hilarious anecdotes,. that John was able to enjoy in happier times.

Tom C was one of his former tutees, and it is no exaggeration to say that John was an inspiration to him. He wrote movingly to him tonight: I only hope that John will receive it.

Goodnight.