9 DECEMBER 1978, Page 18

Stoppard hemmed in

Sir: Richard Ingrams wonders (2 December) whether his reaction to finding Tom Stoppard on television a bore is because he is a 'clapped-out man' or because the Bernard Levins of this world have misled him in their praise of Mr Stoppard's wit. Neither reason is right. Mr Stoppard was boring because he was hemmed into a format dictated by puerile questions put to him by a man who obviously had not the faintest idea how to stimulate and get the best out of 3 victim who looked bored throughout the interview.

Noel Barber 312A Kings Road, London SW3