Jon was appearing in cabaret at the Webbington Hotel and Country Club, near Weston-Super-Mare. This was at a time when he was a 'cult' figure for his appearance in the title role of 'Dr Who' - and of course we started talking about this role.
"I believe that 'Dr Who' as a programme started to become more adult when I took it over," he said, as he settled into a rather large armchair in his room. "Since then we have played it absolutely straight and brought it down from space to a more earthly environment. The threats are happening to people on earth and the public can now identify with the series."
"Technically it is virtually impossible to film. We have an enormous special effects department, and I think our special effects are some of the best in the world. Star Trek is an excellent series, but one has seen on countless occasions their special effects falling down. Once I saw strings operating one of their fluffy monsters. Their budget is 20 times the size of ours of course, so we do achieve some remarkable things in our show."
Another milestone in his career was his contribution to the long-running BBC radio comedy series 'The Navy Lark.' This is a subject which he loves to talk about.
"In the Navy Lark I play many characters and do many different voices. This came about after Ronnie Barker left because he always used to do the eccentric voices, and I just played the 'Chief.' Now that Ronnie has left the show the field is wide open, and I can put in all sorts of new characters."
"The Navy Lark team is just a big family. We can literally just turn up, have a quick look at the script, and go straight into recording the whole programme. Leslie Phillips and I work very closely together and often we will deliberately blow a whole scene just so that we can do it again. We stick things in our ears, mess about, and behave quite outrageously making the audience giggle and start them laughing at us to build up the atmosphere."
"Some of the audience for the programme are very patriotic, and have been coming for years and years. They will go up to complete strangers and say things like 'excuse me - this is my seat, I have been sitting here for 12 years - now push off.'"
We talked at length about comedy through the ages, and about the comedians that he admired the most.
"I think that Jack Benny is a brilliant comedian because he does not actually do anything, except stand still and deliver. This is a sign of brilliance, to be motionless yet still be desperately funny."
"Dave Allen is a great friend, and I like him for the same reason. He used to do his act in American, and I used to say 'Dave - don't do that it is crazy, you have all the charm in the world, do it in your own lingo. He replied that nobody wanted to hear someone talking Irish - and just look where he is now."
" The greatest comedian I have ever seen in my life bar none was the late Sid Field, there was never anyone funnier than that man. I remember going to see him with friends of mine, Groucho Marx and Danny Kaye. In the interval they both said to me ' Oh my God, we give up, this man is a genius, we are going to retire.'"
With such a varied and exhausting work schedule, I wondered if Jon had any time for hobbies. I should have known better, because this was yet another cue for Jon to wax lyrical about some of his passions.
"I have many hobbies," he said, with a glint in his eye. "I water-ski, snow-ski, ride race motor cycles etc etc, but my main hobby is skin diving and this is a real passion."
He showed me a ring that he was wearing, and explained its' significance.
"This ring is one which I found in a Roman wreck off the coast of Spain. It is a coin which is 850 years B.C. - and it is set in a setting which is 72 A.D. This means that the sailor who was wearing it when he was drowned actually thought that it was an antique to him when he had found the coin. He then had the coin made into this ring."
"I am soon to go off to the North Coast of Africa, because I know for certain where there are 3 or 4 brass cannon, and of course where there are cannon there are bound to be other goodies for sure. We dive under strict codes of ethics, and make sure that all maritime laws are obeyed, and have to keep up to date with them as they are constantly changing."
Time had caught up with us, and although I was sure that Jon could have continued to talk for many hours, it was time to depart. A fascinating man, and a great loss to the entertainment world when he sadly died in 1996.
However, his memory lives on, not only through his work, but in another most unusual way. In recognition of his work in the Dr Who series, a star in the constellation of Orion has been named after him. A fitting tribute.