It’s a long way from St Albans to Los Angeles but Tony Hendra made that journey to become one of the most successful satirical writers in the United States.

He studied at St Albans School for Boys and went on to Cambridge, where he acted with John Cleese. Then he moved to the US to become an original editor of top-selling magazine National Lampoon.

Hendra was also one of the first writers on Spitting Image, the TV series that used rubbery puppets to satirise the UK's politicians of the 1980s and 1990s.

But for all his success, Tony Hendra was dissatisfied with this life. Time and again, he sought a listening ear from Father Joe, a Benedictine monk living in a monastery on the Isle of Wight. He had first met him in his teens.

It was a friendship that bridged two worlds – the frenetic bustle of the media and satire, and the tranquil monastic life.

Only when Father Joe died did Hendra discover that Princess Diana had also sought advice from the wise monk.

This summer I read ‘Father Joe,’ the book in which Hendra tells the story of their remarkable, lifelong friendship. He describes the monk as ‘the man who saved my soul.’

Maybe everyone needs a Father Joe – someone or something that gives us a glimpse of God in the everyday busyness of life. A quiet church could be a good place to start.