Gimlet and Finchley 10 - Gimlet and Finchley

Gimlet addressed the church.

“Forty years ago, Ted was nobody, working as a travelling insurance salesman, with dreams of fame but no act to speak of.”  

“I didn’t know that,” said Finchley.

“Of course not, you didn’t know him then.”

“Neither did you.”

“I looked it up.”

Finchley turned away from Gimlet and scanned the audience. “Get on with it, we’re losing them.”

“Then he walked into a toy shop and found his vision.”

“Should’ve gone to specsavers.”

Gimlet gave Finchley one of his stares.

“I mean he found his future, his act, his stars. Myself and my good friend Finchley.”

“And he never looked back.”

“And WE never looked back. We were unique in show business, we had a treble act.”

“Some would say a terrible act.”

“Then we got our break,” said Gimlet. “A two-minute slot on Crackerjack.”

“That was a ten-minute slot,” said Finchley.

“We were only booked for two. We sort of took over, they didn’t know how to get us off.  And on the back of that success, we got our own show.”

“The Gimlet and Finchley show,”  Finchley didn’t like it when Gimlet did all the talking.

“It was called the Gimlet and Finchley show,” said Gimlet, “but Ted was there too.”

“He was. I remember,” said Finchley. “He had his hand up our backsides.”

A nervous laugh from the congregation.

“After that fame followed – chat shows, panel shows, there was even talk of a movie.”

“It’s not too late, if anyone from Hollywood is here today,” said Finchley.

“It is for one of us,” said Gimlet.  Gimlet paused so that a silence could fill the church.

Gimlet continued. “We became the best-known puppets on television. We worked hard so that Ted could raise a family, including his two sons and daughter, who are in the church today. And he would be proud to see a church full of family, friends and celebrities.”

“And Bobby Davro,” said Finchley.

“So we say, Ted Elliot, this was your life.”

“Oh, are we doing that as well?”

“No, of course not, get back to your seat. We’re done here.”

“Okay,” said Finchley. “You always have to have the last word don’t you.”