'Independent' humourist Kington has last laugh

Miles Kington, the humourist, broadcaster, musician and Independent columnist who died in January, once observed that "whenever I attend someone's memorial service, I am always struck by one notable absence: the late lamented himself".

His own memorial took place at a packed St Martin-in-the-Fields yesterday, and his idea had been to record a video of himself to be played to the gathering of friends. But it never got beyond the planning stage, which Miles said summed up the life of a freelance writer pretty well: "When he died, he was still working on his farewell speech."

It was left to others to make good the omission - among them the former Monty Python star Terry Jones, a friend who met Miles at Oxford University in 1963, and the actresses Stephanie Cole and Joanna Lumley. There were musical contributions, including one from the jazz band Instant Sunshine, of which Miles was a member for 19 years. Tributes were paid by family, friends and colleagues from The Independent.

Miles, who died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 66, wrote a humorous daily column for The Independent for more than 20 years, a feat of sustained wit and creativity unparalleled in newspapers. His last piece appeared the day before he died, Miles having kept colleagues at the paper completely in the dark about his illness.

Simon Kelner, The Independent's managing director and editor-in- chief, recited one of Miles's most celebrated pieces, a ballad about Melvyn Bragg, and reflected on the fact that, throughout his stint on the paper, Miles never once visited the office. "I can honestly say that Miles is one of the few writers who has been no more trouble in death than he ever was in life," Mr Kelner said.

Jones read a passage from Someone Like Me, Miles's largely fictional autobiography. Lumley brought the house down with a piece of vintage Miles "Franglais". And Stephanie Cole, a Somerset neighbour of Miles and his wife Caroline, did likewise with one of Miles's "Pub Talks". Richard Ingrams, the Independent columnist and editor of The Oldie, recited one of Miles's Oldie pieces, and Adrian Hamilton, the comment editor of The Independent, recalled the "supreme craftsman" who filed his copy without fuss every day. There were contributions from Miles's daughter, Sophie Jones, his step- daughter, Isabel Russo, and his brother Stewart.

Alan Booty spoke for Limpley Stoke, the village that was Miles's home and where Miles introduced boules and organised carol singing so successfully that when the choir went round there was never anybody in because they were all outside performing. "Miles never pretended to be different," Mr Booty said, "but he always made you think differently."

MILES KINGTON, PAGE 36

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