RUMOURS that Cannon and Ball are to star in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! have rocked the North Yorkshire half of the duo.

The first Tommy Cannon heard of his impending trip to the Australian bush was when a friend phoned him.

"I got a phone call last Sunday morning, about nine o'clock," said Tommy, who lives a few miles outside York.

"He said, 'Tommy, you never told me you were going in the jungle!'

"I said, 'how the hell do you know that?' He said, 'It's all over the papers.'"

The reports suggested he and comedy partner Bobby Ball had been picked to star in the ITV1 reality series alongside EastEnders actor Sid Owen and Carol Thatcher, the former Prime Minister's daughter. But that, says Tommy, was the first he'd heard of it.

"I telephoned my manager to ask what was going on. He said, 'don't ask me, it's pure speculation'."

Tommy said neither he nor his manager had been approached about doing the show. "I haven't a clue where they got it from. I think they're trying to whet people's appetite."

In the past, Tommy has bemoaned the rise of reality TV, preferring traditional variety shows. But he says the comic double act would not automatically turn down an invite to join Ant and Dec in Oz (although they did decline to appear on Wife Swap).

"At the end of the day with reality TV some are better than others. If something did come up, we might consider the jungle one.

"There's a bit of an adventure to it, more than Big Brother, where you're just sitting in a big house."

The only problem - I'm A Celebrity might clash with their Hull panto, rehearsals for which start at the end of the month.

So has Tommy been preparing for a possible Bush Tucker Trial by eating live grubs?

"No. I like my fish and chips too much."

THE revival of Steptoe and Son as a stage play at York Theatre Royal has created quite a stir.

Even so, we were surprised to see the advert on auction internet site eBay.

"Steptoe and Son are back!!!!" it hyperventilates. "Ray Galton has teamed up with comedy writer John Antrobus to revive one of TVs greatest comedy double acts."

And what fantastic souvenir from this unique event was up for sale?

"You are bidding on an original flyer for the premiere of Murder At Oil Drum Lane at the York Theatre Royal from 24 October 2005. The flyer measures 4ins x 8ins. A classic piece of Steptoe memorabilia. Buyer pays 75p p&p UK."

The stampede expected for this extraordinary valuable, erm, piece of paper strangely failed to happen. The only bidder secured the flyer for £1.99.

Meanwhile, the scrap merchants are entertaining audiences at the Theatre Royal until November 12.

YORK historian David Poole is in touch with a wonderful discovery from the archives.

He tells the Diary that it is nearly 40 years since the first traffic warden was appointed by York City Council (now there's an anniversary worth celebrating).

The first warden, James Wright, was engaged in June 1966, and a few weeks later a second warden, Walter Reginald Ong, was appointed. "So," Mr Poole points out, "the first two traffic wardens were Mr Wright and Mr W.R.Ong."

Updated: 10:34 Friday, November 04, 2005