[basil ransome-davies]

Originally Posted by Brian Allgar

Aaarghhh! You mean that by using Nicholas Holbrook, I've been lying and laundering? Oh, the shame! Oh, the degradation! Oh, the cash!

Seriously, though, if I send in more than two entries, I like to think there is at least a hypothetical chance of the others winning.

As John pointed out, the great Martin Fagg is said to have won all the prizes on one occasion. The question is, did he do so under recognized pseudonyms, or did he lie and launder?

And one last footnote. I never met Martin Fagg, but I did meet E. O. Parrott (they were probably the Bill and Basil of their day) at a New Statesman "do" where nibbles were on offer. He seemed, as you would expect, an amusing fellow, but during our conversation I received an almost uninterrupted stream of cake-crumbs in my face ...

Ah yes. The latterday Eric was a great splutterer. And since he was deaf as a wossname you had to get close to dialogue with him, which kept you in range.