Eric Morecambe

Barry Cryer: 'Tommy Cooper had a sadistic streak'

Tommy Cooper had a 'sadistic streak' which made him relish making people uncomfortable, Barry Cryer has revealed.

In 1954, the telly critic for the People wrote that the definition of a TV set was "the box they buried Morecambe and Wise in". Some 23 years later, the duo's 1977 Christmas show drew 28 million viewers - roughly half the UK. This festive cracker traces the journey of the beloved Des O'Connor-baiting pair, the specs-waggling clown and his "short, fat, hairy-legged" foil, from variety theatre to big ratings.

DVD review - Morecambe and Wise: Two of a Kind

We all remember the classic Morecambe and Wise sketches and Christmas specials that they made for the BBC, but their first TV success was arguably over on commercial television, at ATV in the 1960s. This series was Two of a Kind and it spawned some of the double act's most famous routines.

Morecambe and Wise statue unveiled in Blackpool

A statue of legendary comedy duo Morecambe & Wise has been unveiled at a ceremony in Blackpool.

New exhibit shows archive pictures of BBC comedians

Compton Verney exhibition charts 60 years of comedy, from Hancock's Half Hour to Miranda Hart.

Eric Morecambe's Jensen Interceptor for sale at £150,00

A sports car bought by comedian Eric Morecambe for £4,500 has been put up for sale for £150,000.

Radio Times review

Once upon a time the highlight of Christmas was settling down to watch Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise's sketch show. You can see in this compilation that the roll call of stars who were prepared to be humiliated by the duo was legendary: Glenda Jackson, Peter Cushing, Shirley Bassey, Des O'Connor and Angela Rippon among them.

The running gags were brilliant and even if you can recite the words of their sketches verbatim, they still make you laugh. Eric's assertion to "Andrew Preview" that "I'm playing all the right notes - but not necessarily in the right order" is as funny today as it was way back in 1971.

Great comedians can make anything funny. Eric Morecambe bleeding a radiator or Les Dawson reading out AutoTrader would be hilarious by default, but could modern standups work that same magic when, say, eating an entire watermelon or emptying a bathtub? Dave's new panel show hinges precariously on that premise, with a quintet of comics - this week including Frank Skinner, Tim Key and Roisin Conaty - performing acts at the behest of titular taskmaster Greg Davies. In practice, a premise unlikely to tickle the titter glands of many.

Eric Morecambe sculptor puts the boot in

The latest work from the man who created the Eric Morecambe Statue is quite a feat...or rather, a foot. Graham Ibbeson will cast the Eric statue's boot in bronze and sell it to raise money for a new Morecambe and Wise landmark in our town.