There was a time when the art of monologue held quite a hallowed place in our culture, as evinced by such names as Gillie Potter, Sandy Powell and Joyce Grenfell. Stanley Holloway was born in East London, but assumed the persona of a northerner, having perfected the accent during the First World War through enlisting in a Yorkshire regiment. Avid has gathered together 35 of his classic monologues, spanning 1930 to 1941, together with dialogue with Sir Laurence Olivier from the soundtrack of the 1947 film "Hamlet", concluding with his two celebrated 1956 recordings as Alfred P Doolittle of the two songs from "My Fair Lady". As is usual with Avid, superb restoration coupled with generous running time has produced a tremendous bargain.