Phill Jupitus looks back at the career of one of our most remarkable funny men, as broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
In the course of a career which spanned five decades, Peter Sellers rose from aspiring television mimicry to international fame and fortune. He was one of our biggest stars, loved for his role as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films and his appearances in The Goon Show.
Yet his formative years, in the world of travelling show people, almost put him off the theatre for ever. He grew to hate the smell of greasepaint, but his early observation of voices and accents led to the discovery of an uncanny gift as an impressionist.
With the help of archive material from his early days on radio and television, much of it among Sellers' own private collection, Phill Jupitus recounts the incredible career and talent of this "compulsive imitator".
Along the way he canvasses the opinion of Sellers' friends and colleagues, including Shirley MacLaine, David Lodge, Sir George Martin, Sir Harry Secombe and Michael Palin.