My father, Don Chapman, who has died aged 91, was a feature writer who entertained many readers with his witty use of words.
An oddball story always appealed to him. At the age of seven he made a primary school teacher laugh by ending a composition: “Then the giant picked me up and blew his nose on me!” His sense of humour was sustained by a liking for treading the fine line between fact and fiction. The all-star variety bills his parents took him to at the New Theatre, Oxford, and the comedy shows they listened to on the radio, helped fan a talent to amuse. As a student at Oxford University, he began to write about the theatre after realising he was no good at acting or directing.
