NED SHERRIN, Winchester Guildhall

A GLITTERING array of stars from stage and screen - and a mighty supporting cast of the not-so-great - were out in force at Winchester's Guildhall theatre for an evening of scandal, titbits, wit and backbiting anecdotes.

The likes of Noel Coward, Rex Harrison and Dorothy Parker were not there in person, of course.

But they were brought to life via the brilliant storytelling of Ned Sherrin, director, author, broadcaster and, judging by this performance, an accomplished perfomer happy to hog the limelight.

Accompanied by just a handful of jottings, Sherrin takes us on a whistle-stop tour through the A to Z of theatre highlights and low-life, swiftly moving from a tale of two drunken old hams to stories of Gielgud's famous gaffes and Parker's best putdowns.

But perhaps the best stories were those of the humble hacks - in particular, the actor fired from a theatre company who, taking revenge in his final performance in Macbeth, bounces on tothe stage in the final scene to announce to a startled audience that the queen "is feeling a lot better".

Even the audience doesn't escape Sherrin's quick eye - in his funniest section, Things Overheard in Theatres, we hear of the woman walking out of Antony and Cleopatra who remarks to her friend that "something like that once happened to Monica".

Then, lastly, he turns his own wit on himself, reminding us that "everybody in England thinks I must be well-known in America, and everybody in America thinks I must be well known in England.

"In fact, I'm not well-known anywhere."

However, for anyone who sees this high-octaine show, the name Ned Sherrin won't easily be forgotten.