And one of them turned to me, ... and said, 'Oh my God! Eric Idle!'

Ronnie could turn himself into any character. He did it with an effortless ease.

I think you learn a lot about a country from its art. To me, it's part of the drama of life. It teaches you that there are places, moments and incidents in other cultures that genuinely have a life of their own.

Eric Idle 's Personal Best,

Around the World in Eighty Days

a straightforward, down-to-earth man who had this extraordinary ability to make the nation laugh - probably more often than anyone else I know.