TWO giants of stage and screen have bowed out within days of one another. Alan Bates and Bob Monkhouse were very different performers, but shared a lifelong commitment to entertain.

Alan Bates was the original angry young man of Sixties Britain who matured into one of our greatest acting talents. Bob Monkhouse's game show host persona almost obscured his brilliance as a comedy writer and stand-up for more than half a century.

Only the best stay at the top for so long. It would be nice to think the pair are even now swapping a lifetime of showbiz anecdotes.

Updated: 09:30 Monday, December 29, 2003