Charles Clews was yesterday recalled as a shining star who injected local theatre and radio with a sense of humour.

Author Frans Said described the late Mr Clews as a “spoonful of sugar” who came at a time of despair, and did away with the population’s pain.

The Charles Clews Garden and a bronze bust in Marsascala were inaugurated yesterday morning as a sign of remembrance to the comedian who died two years ago.

Mr Clews instilled laughter by adapting theatre for a new medium, which depended on sound rather than sight.

Maltese media tended to traditionally lean towards tragedy productions, and Mr Clews found it challenging to steer the audience towards a comedy culture, Mr Said said during the ceremony.

Mr Said commended the pioneer broadcasters of the post-war era, including Twanny Scalpello, Watty Cachia, Mary Camilleri, Ġużeppina Attard Montalto, Inez Soler, Guido Saliba and Victor Mercieca. During that time there were no other media to copy ideas from, and comedians had to breed original ideas. Mr Said said that during a time when the humour trade was dying a slow death, Malta should revive its airwaves with Mr Clews’ timeless productions.

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