Whenever things risk getting personal, you can practically hear Coward repurpose a threat from “Blithe Spirit,” his smash hit about a disgruntled ghost: Stop fawning on me or I shall break something.

As the clips became more plentiful, this became a not only deeply researched but also rather captivating portrait of a one-off — even if every time he sang one of his ditties I couldn’t get Monty Python’s “Penis Song” spoof out of my head.

The final invention, from uneducated to the highest paid writer in the world came through a means that still should be recommended to every child, no matter what their circumstances.

All told, Barnaby Thompson has crafted a lively portrait of a once-in-a-generation talent who suffered his share of disappointments, but always managed to find ways to reinvent himself and to stay relevant.