Welcome back to Nostalgia Lane and our weekly romp down the path of yesteryear. Okay, for some of us it is more of a limp but that is life. I am going to start with a moan about our honours system regarding showbiz figures. I see a young actor, Tom Hardy, has been made a CBE, one lower than a knighthood, although he has only been in the business for a few years. How are these awards decided other than to gain media attention? I know nothing about Tom and I am sure he is a great guy but why such an award so early in his career? By doing so he outranks the likes of David Niven, Boris Karloff, Richard Burton and Cary Grant, to name a few who were never honoured. They only gave Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock and Ken Dodd awards when they were inches away from their graves. Personally I think honours for acting should be awarded for a long career rather than what will please the tabloid papers and make Whitehall look as if it is hip to the beat.

Well, having now killed my chances of a knighthood I must say I had an enjoyable evening at Elstree Studios last weekend. A pal of mine, Rich Davy, organised a celebration of the television series mainly shot at Elstree Studios in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a full house of fans and some of those stars of yesteryear.

I love these occasions and thank you to those who came up and told me they actually enjoy these weekly rambles. Writing these columns is obviously a lone occupation so feedback is always welcome. I think BBC Three Counties Radio should give us a monthly show to go down film nostalgia lane on air with a phone-in contribution. I would do it free of charge as I do this column as I think it could be fun.

Anyway, back to the event I attended. It was wonderful to meet Ian Ogilvy, who believe it or not I last met 40 years ago on the outdoor effects tank at Elstree Studios. Ian was then filming a series called Return Of The Saint in the title role. Naturally Ian did not remember me but did recall the scene in which he was a scuba diver and got an eye infection that lasted for days.

Ian told me: "I was luckier than Roger Moore in the original series as instead of having to pretend we were in Europe on the Elstree backlot we actually filmed there. The series was not renewed as Lord Grade wanted to move into making films, which proved a big mistake."

Ian and myself also chatted about a great 1960s film called Witchfinder General, which starred Ian and Vincent Price. Ian recalled: "It was not a happy shoot as the young director insisted that Vincent minimalised his performance to give it greater effect. That upset him during shooting but when he saw the finished product Vincent sent the director a thank-you letter."

At the event I also enjoyed enjoying a drink with my old friend John Hough, who worked on several series at Elstree in the 1960s as an assistant director and went on to direct the likes of Bette Davis. Look him up on the website IMDb. My only regret is that time is thinning out the names of the 1960s but that is life. If there was a better era than the 1960s, please convince me. I was young then so perhaps I am suffering from the rose-coloured glasses problem. I love the music and television of that era. I am not locked solely into that era and am currently watching my way through the 1970s television series Tales Of The Unexpected. I think there are 112 episodes but wrapped up in a warm bed these cold nights it is a joy and what great casts it has.

I am currently helping an American magazine do an article on the classic Village Of The Damned film shot at MGM in Borehamwood and on location at Letchmore Heath in 1960. It seems us old fossils still have some use and although now 10 years retired am happy to help. I am also contributing to a documentary about Peter Cushing. You are lucky to get literally a drink out of it but that never matters. Until I go the that studio in the sky I will always help celebrate the unique film and television history of Elstree and Borehamwood. Until next time, wrap up warm and thank you for your company.