A set of hilarious inscriptions from poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman to a BBC cameraman have been revealed for the first - after coming up for auction.

John McGlashan, who worked on the arts show Monitor with directors such as Ken Russell, John Schlesinger and Ken Loach, often received mementoes from stars.

The Bafta-nominated lensman also shot classics including the documentary The Ascent of Man (1973) and TV shows such as Porridge and Doctor Who.

And following his death at the age of 86, the witty personal notes of one of his favourite personalities, the famed writer Betjeman, have come to light.

The poet's charm is evident in a signed and annotated cover for the audio reading of his verse collection Banana Blush, where he wrote: “Oh that I had more hair!”

A copy of Collins Guide to English Parish Churches, edited by Sir John, carries an inscription dated to 1972 that reads “on a hot July day” at Waddesdon, Bucks.

But on page 103, the book carries a typically farcical Betjeman addition - a circular stain annotated, “Gin spilt by John Betjeman… Waddesdon 6/7/72.”

The men’s shared humour is further evident in an inscription on a copy of a first edition of Betjeman’s book, London’s Historic Railway Stations.

It reads: “John McGlashan Horn Captain, for good service to the Horn, John Betjeman 1972 Front Row Shoot.”

Betjeman added his City of London address for Cloth Fair and phone number to the book.

The pair became firm friends after they worked together on some of the poet’s classic documentaries, famed for their gentle whimsy and personal approach.

These included Metro-Land (1973), A Passion for Churches (1974) and the poet’s childhood autobiography in verse Summoned by Bells (1976).

Betjeman's spidery handwriting was notoriously difficult to read and parts of the inscriptions are indecipherable.

The pieces will come up for sale on January 23 at John Nicholson’s of Fernhurst Auctioneers.

Other items that will appear in the auction include signed and inscribed works by Dame Freya Stark, Molly Keane and Sir Laurens van der Post.

There's also an item with a personal note from Jacob Bronowski, with whom McGlashan made The Ascent of Man, and from Sir John Betjeman’s wife, Penelope Chetwode.

Another piece has a signed and inscribed copy of Rabbit is Rich, a novel from the famous series by John Updike.

In it, Updike writes: “For John McGlashan my very own cameraman with esteem and warm regards, John Updike”.

Ian Marr, Books specialist at John Nicholson’s, said the gifts and their inscriptions formed a “significant slice” of TV history.

He said: “This cache of books with very personal tributes to John McGlashan is a treasure trove of friendships made during the making of some of the most remarkable programmes of the past 50 years and more.

“The sums involved are not massive compared to other works of art – the Betjeman lot has a top estimate of just £500 – but in terms of the chance to acquire a significant slice of history, they are really priceless.”