Vicar Of Dibley writer reveals why he is ‘quite glad’ he has Parkinson’s

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Scriptwriter Paul Mayhew-Archer has revealed he is “quite glad” he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s because using humour to deal with the experience sparked an unexpected career in stand-up comedy. It's a new career and it's extraordinary Paul Mayhew-Archer “So I now travel around the country wherever there’s any sort of audience and inflict my show upon people whether they like it or not. It’s a new career and it’s extraordinary.” “In fact, on whether I’m glad I’ve got Parkinson’s disease – I know in time to come I won’t be, but at this very moment in time I am quite glad because it has given me opportunities that I would never have realised,” he added. “We take serious illnesses too seriously all the time, and we need to allow ourselves an opportunity to laugh whenever we can because it’s so important.” The comedian co-wrote The Vicar Of Dibley with director Richard Curtis and his solo writing roster also includes BBC sitcom Office Gossip.