A public scolding is not a pleasant experience for any child, and is even less so when that child has grown up and left home - and the telling off comes in the form of a letter to a newspaper.

Last month we featured an interview with comedian Ian Stone, in which he commented on a number of matters, including use of Yiddish, growing up in West Hendon, and his mother.

Little did he know that the lady who brought him into the world, Helena, is an avid reader of the paper, and was rather put out by more than one of his comments. She kindly wrote to us pointing out a few of her son's inaccuracies.

In the article Ian claimed: "I went to a school with 1,500 Jews and not one of them became a comedian", but luckily Helena has put things straight by reporting that one of her son's fellow pupils was, in fact, David Baddiel.

Admittedly not everyone would consider Frank Skinner's side-kick funny, but he is a professional comedian.

Mr Stone also pointed out that West Hendon was only slightly better than Harlesden, where he had previously lived, but not by much. In her letter, Helena resolutely defends the area, where she still lives, explaining how kind her neighbours are, and the excellent transport links through the west of the borough.

Her final bone of contention came with the use of the Yiddish word kike', pointing out that her son could hurt other people's feelings by using the derogatory term for a Jewish person which dates back to the early 20th Century. A bit of a slap on the tuchus Yiddish for backside, then, for the man who regularly appears on TV comedy shows and is currently performing at the Edinburgh Festival.

It is clearly not the first time Helena has had problems with young Ian; she signs off her letter Mrs Helena Stone - mother, sometimes exasperated by Ian'. As another well-known comedian once said: "If it's not one thing, it's your mother."