DIDN'T he do well? As a legion of cosmetically enhanced thespians were preparing to sashay down the red carpet at The Oscars, big-chinned Brucie was being honoured in a BAFTA tribute show (BBC1, Sunday).

If nothing else, the seven-decade career of Bruce Forsyth proves that once upon a time you could be stick-thin with really bad hair and a profile that calls out for surgery, as long as you were talented. And boy was Brucie first in the queue when they handed out entertainer genes!

Fortunately he came to the fore when image was not the first thing TV executives consider when handing out the jobs. These days 'Sunday Night At The London Palladium' would probably be fronted by a pair of irritating drama degree graduates with perfect looks but zero talent (just check out the average children's TV presenter of today for the template).

Much was made in this glide through the great man's career of his musical gifts, and he is surely one of the best song and dance men we have ever produced. But the quality that set him apart from his contemporaries was his ability to interact with the new audience on the other side of a television screen, when that revolutionary invention found its way into British homes.

His career can apparently be dated back to a 1939 talent show at a time when he started to perform as The Mighty Atom. It was during the 1950s, however, when ordinary folk in this country joined the television age, that Brucie found his true stage.

If you can remember 'Sunday Night At The London Palladium' with its famous 'Beat The Clock' segment, you will recall the twinkle-toed one in his prime. It was here that he primed his skills in making contestants from the audience into stars of the small screen for one night in their lives.

Later, he was to bring the same talent to 'The Generation Game', a high point for family entertainment in the Saturday night schedules for the BBC during the later decades of the 20th century. Nothing since has replaced that show in the affections of the viewing public - not the efforts of Noel Edmunds (remember him?) and certainly not a succession of moronic 'vehicles' for the clueless Ian Wright.

How appropriate it is that the Beeb's biggest Saturday night winner currently is 'Strictly Come Dancing', hosted by you know who! But did that have to be the slim excuse needed to inflict the annoyingly ubiquitous Natasha Kaplinsky on us, as a contributor to the tribute? It's time this particular 'flavour of the month' joined Sudan 1 in being taken off our viewing 'shelf'.

As Brucie tinkled the ivories and tapped around the stage in Sunday's tribute, nevertheless, I was cheering him on. After all, here is a man who became a star despite his physical appearance, not because of it - and how many TV presenters of today can say that!

SOAP POSER:

FOR light relief, Corrie has the continuing rib-tickler of Weatherfield's answer to Richard and Judy's Book Club. EastEnders has Pauline being embarrassed by Martin and Sonia's loud 'night time activities'. And they wonder why viewers are deserting in droves!