When comedian Malcolm Hardee drowned in the Thames in January last year, anecdotes flew like wildfire. He'd fallen in the water trying to step, drunkenly, from a dinghy on to his houseboat/pub; he'd sunk due to the weight of coins he'd just won on the horses; he'd drowned 'with a drink in his hand'.
True or not, all were fitting tales for the anarchic Glastonbury/Edinburgh festival regular who loved a practical joke, who was often in trouble with officialdom and who loved to get naked on stage. Fellow comedian and friend Arthur Smith called him 'the South London Rabelais'.
But as a manager, agent and club compere (he ran Up The Creek in Greenwich), he was responsible for nurturing many acts, becoming an integral figure on the alternative comedy scene.
His legacy meant that 2005 wasn't short of tribute shows. But this one, organisers hope, will be annual and definitive, with acts performing bits of their own sets and sharing their memories of Hardee. They've put together an awesome bill, too, mostly made up of Hardee's friends and those whose careers were boosted by him.
Among the stellar names are Johnny Vegas and Jeremy Hardy (Jo Brand has had to pull out). Smith will be there too, alongside old-time Hardee friends Jools Holland and Glenn Tilbrook, plus circuit favourites such as Boothby Graffoe, Jim Tavare, Ricky Grover and Martin Soan (performing as part of the Greatest Show On Legs).
If that's not enough, there will be newer comics and the promise of more top names whose identities the organisers are keeping under their hats.
The result will be a five-hour marathon, which should be one of the top comedy events of the year.
Sun, Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street E8, 6pm, £15 to £22.50. Tel: 020 8985 2424. www.hackneyempire.co.uk Rail: Hackney Central
