WHEN Bruce Forsyth is laid to rest, he’ll be remembered with great affection by millions of people.

The vast majority only knew him through their TV screens, but what was the legendary entertainer like once the cameras were switched off?

Nigel Fick, of Stockton, is more qualified to say than most because he was lucky enough to have discovered at first hand what “a funny, enchanting” man he was.

Nigel’s enlightening encounter with the TV host came in 1977 when he appeared with his mother, Margaret, on the Generation Game in front of a Saturday night TV audience of 21 million.

Having performed a Cossack Dance that earned a record score of 19 out of 20, Nigel ended up trying to remember as many items as possible from the famous conveyor belt.

“What no one saw on telly was Anthea Redfern, out of camera-shot, whispering the answers to me,” recalled Nigel, above.

The radio cassette player, cheese rack, and all sorts of other goodies have long gone. However, Nigel has kept a set of animal prints and a Bre’r Rabbit Lamp. His mother, whose birth-sign happens to be Leo, has never parted with the lion cuddly toy to this day.

Over after-show drinks, Bruce and Nigel found they had a love of golf in common and, as you do, the entertainer said they’d “have to have a game sometime”.

He told Nigel to come and see him if he was ever performing nearby and he’d get him tickets for the show.

Nigel thought it was no more than a throwaway remark but when it was announced a while later that Bruce was appearing at Billingham Forum, he decided to give it a whirl. After work at Barclay’s in Billingham, Nigel popped over to the box office and explained that he’d been on the Generation Game, and that Bruce had told him to get in touch.

Thinking nothing would come of it, Nigel was at his till at the bank’s Queensway branch the next day when Bruce came through the door with a pair of tickets. It was a case of “Nice to see you, to see you nice” and Nigel was speechless.

“You could have knocked me down with a feather,” he said.

Bruce handed over the tickets but he wanted something in return – a game of golf. With Nigel playing off a handicap of one, and Bruce “lethal” off 12, they played a round at Billingham Golf Course. After every hole, Bruce would quip: “Let’s have a look at the scores on the doors.”

The round was followed with Bruce inviting Nigel to play in a charity pro-am tournament at Wentworth, putting him up overnight in a hotel.

“All I can say is that in the brief amount of time I spent with him, he was extremely funny, generous, honest and just a pleasure to be with,” said Nigel.

AS noteworthy as appearing on the Generation Game might have been, Margaret Fick has a much more important claim to fame.

Margaret, of Redcar, was one of the youngest codebreakers to work at the world-famous Bletchley Park during the Second World War.

Her son reports that she’s still fit and well, although her Cossack Dancing days are probably behind her.

ANOTHER telling insight into the man behind the TV legend has come from Darlington nurse Diane Murphy.

Diane explained that her mum had a friend called Gloria Park who was fighting a long battle against breast cancer.

When the nurses on Ward 42 at Darlington Memorial Hospital discovered that Gloria was a big Bruce Forsyth fan, a letter was sent to the star.

“He wrote to her, called her more than once, and sent her flowers,” recalled Diane.

How nice to hear it, to hear it nice.

RIP Brucie.

MEANWHILE, Pat Chambers, the Duracell Bunny of fundraising, has asked me to give an update on her latest mission.

Straight from organising a world record waltz attempt for Age Concern at Saltburn, Pat has recharged her batteries and is now throwing her energies into the appeal to raise £2.5m for two new MRI scanners at Darlington Memorial and Bishop Auckland Hospitals.

There’s a long way to go but the appeal’s going great guns. A week tomorrow, Pat will be at The Park Head Hotel when Bishop Auckland Rotary hands over a magnificent £7,000 to the appeal.

Further ahead, and also at the Park Head Hotel, Pat’s selling tickets for a “Ladies That Lunch” event on September 14. Tea and coffee on arrival, a two-course lunch, craft stalls and cupcakes.

There are floral tips from Charlton Florists and then an up and coming speaker called Peter Barron, who was once editor of The Northern Echo. All for £20.

Pat’s also promoting a Scanner Appeal Charity Ball at Hardwick Hall Hotel on November 17, with X Factor’s Keira Weathers as star attraction. The price is £65 a head, with tables of ten.

Tickets for both events are available from pat.chambers1@nhs.net or 07770-455651.

MY favourite story of the week was about racehorse trainer Heather Main who used to be an opera singer.

She now combines the two by singing classical music to her horses in the belief it makes them run faster.

Hats off to Martin Wood, of Darlington, for his thoroughbred suggestion that when Heather’s stable next has a runner, it might be worth sticking a tenor on.