Eddie Braben

Eddie Braben created the legend of Eric and Ernie

Neil Forsyth says "It was Eddie Braben who made them famous - and who paid the price."

Neil Forsyth on writing Eric, Ernie and Me

Neil Forsyth is the writer of the Bob Servant books which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4 and television. He has also written two episodes of the Urban Myths series. His new drama Eric, Ernie and Me, the story of Eddie Braben, the writer behind the immense success of comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, is on BBC Four on 29th December.

How a market trader helped to make Eric & Ernie

A profile of Eddie Braben.

The genius writer who brought all of us sunshine

Morecambe and Wise are our two most treasured comedians, their television career as a comedy double act will never be eclipsed.

Memorial plaque plan to remember Eddie Braben

The family of Liverpool comedy legend Eddie Braben - the third man behind the success of Morecambe & Wise - hope to pay tribute to him with a plaque in his Dingle birthplace.

Making a Christmas special 'special'

"Eric Morecambe and Eddie Braben [Eric and Ernie's principal writer] used to tell me that they started thinking about the Christmas shows in January," recalls Barry Cryer.

The concluding part of this heartfelt tribute celebrates the superstar years of Eric and Ern: the monster ratings, the game-for-anything guests (Bassey, Previn, Jackson, Keith) and vital collaborators. We're treated to sketches last seen in the 60s, discover important inspirations and hear the honest thoughts of writer Eddie Braben, Eric's son Gary and dance-mad producer Ernest Maxin.

People forget that Morecambe and Wise were a quartet on TV - writers Dick Hills and Sid Green appeared with the boys on screen, even after their move from ITV to the BBC. But after Eric's first heart attack in 1968, Hills and Green left and Eddie Braben took over. It was a marriage made in comedy heaven.

Looking for a way forward, the duo remembered what had made them in the first place, and brought the warmth of the theatre to the cold technical space of a TV studio.

There's a priceless story about a fretful Morecambe convinced the Nothing like a Dame routine wouldn't work - Maxin's mime of Eric's face as he watched the final edit is especially moving. "He turned around," adds Maxin, "he put his arms around me, gave me a big kiss and the glasses filled up with tears... with relief that it had worked!"

There are some fabulous memory-joggers, too. Remember Janet Webb, the mystery woman who took all the applause at the end of their early 70s shows, even though she'd done absolutely nothing to earn it? "Goodnight, and I love you all!"

You'll be gripped by every step of the story, and look around you at the end to see if you can spot a dry eye.

A new and unseen Morecambe & Wise comedy routine

Eddie Braben never stopped writing sketches and jokes for Eric & Ern, even after they were long gone. Here's one of his never-seen-before and brand new favourites.

Miranda Hart: Eddie Braben brought us all sunshine

Miranda Hart recalls meeting her hero Eddie Braben - the genius scriptwriter behind Morecambe and Wise - who died last week.