On one of my very first days at , I remember bounding up to Simon in the playground and asking him to tell me another one of his jokes. His faced cracked with that enormous smile we all know and love and he duly indulged me.

I was new and nervous; trying my hardest to seem confident and to fit in. Simon, from the very beginning, was there. Being an entire school year above me, he would have been well within his rights to have batted me away like the annoying little child I (no doubt) was – but he didn’t! Instead, he graciously accepted my presence and appeared not to mind my hanging around with him. He never teased or talked down to me – he just made me feel welcome and he kept making me laugh – he’s been making me laugh ever since.

As the years past, the humour we shared was sometimes quite sophisticated, occasionally surreal but, more often than not, downright stupid, irreverent or just plain crude. It was fantastic to have someone with whom I could joke about (literally) anything and everything. We even spent a very drunken evening at my parents’ house trying to come up with THE most offensive joke in the world, ever – I’ll spare you the results.

For obvious reasons, most of our ‘discussions’ took place in hushed voices or quiet corners but some of them managed to seep out in the form of music. Anyone who remembers ‘Pugwash’ will be aware of how ‘diverse’ the subjects often became.

As I am writing, I am listening to a certain song about the late Jeremy Beadle (the only song about Jeremy Beadle of which I am aware) and a wry, impish smile is upon me as I think of Stroph.

This is a devastating loss and a heartbreaking thing to write about but, even now, I’m thinking about Stroph and I can’t stop smiling. Let’s just hope that Jeremy Beadle can take a joke.

I shall miss you, mate. We’ll all miss you.

Take care

Mark x