The dream team

For most of the 70s and 80s and even part of the 90s, JAM usually finished the season with its top team - Kenneth Williams, Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud and Peter Jones, then Derek, Clement, Peter and Wendy Richard, then later Paul Merton.

The habit fell away about 12 years ago, so I was very pleased to have this season finish with the team of Paul Merton, Tony Hawks, Graham Norton and Sue Perkins - close to if not the best team JAM can put together. The Gyles Brandreth fans could argue that he belongs there too, perhaps instead of Sue. Still the team was a strong one and they seemed to hugely enjoy teasing each other. Nicholas referred to it as the dream team.

I think this season may well be the best ever and it's interesting that pretty much all of JAM's most frequent players of recent years - Julian Clary, Charles Collingwood, Chris Neill, Josie Lawrence, Liza Tarbuck, Jenny Eclair, Pam Ayres - were all featured. The only one missing in that sense was Kit Hesketh-Harvey. (Others might mention Tim Rice or Stephen Fry or Sheila Hancock, but they have done just one recording each in three years.) No-one new was tried.

And it worked. People seemed very relaxed and the fun and laughs flowed like water. Even Nicholas was at his funniest.

Take a bow, Claire Jones, Nicholas, Paul and team - well done.

The only downer was that the announcer said JAM won't be back until August! Usually it returns in July. I hope that doesn't mean a short season.