Morecambe & Wise statue for Blackpool
- A statue of Morecambe & Wise is to be erected in Blackpool in October, the duo's "spiritual home"
- The widows of the double-act say "We never dreamt of seeing a statue unveiled to both Eric and Ernie"
- The new bronzed sculpture will be unveiled at Blackpool Winter Gardens on the 14th October
Work is under-way to erect an 8-foot tall statue of Morecambe & Wise.
Commissioned to mark the 75th anniversary of the legendary comedy double-act first appearing on stage together, the statue will be erected in Blackpool this October, the town dubbed Eric and Ernie's "spiritual home". The duo performed in Blackpool more than 1,000 times during their long career.
Eric Morecambe already has a statue, erected in 1999, in the home-town after which he took his stagename. The now famous landmark made headlines in 2014 after a man removed it with a saw. It has since been fixed. Meanwhile, Ernie Wise had a statue unveiled in his Yorkshire home-town of Morley in 2010. However, this is the first statue of the duo together.
Renowned sculptor Graham Ibbeson, who previously created the statue of Morecambe, has worked on the new design. He has now finished moulding the clay, which shows the stars together in one of their trademark poses.
He says: "I am delighted to have brought the boys back together so the nation can see them as they should be - Eric and Ernie alongside one another."
Morecambe's widow Joan, speaking on behalf of herself and Ernie's widow Doreen, commented: "This is a day which Doreen and I never expected to happen. It was so exciting when the statue of Eric was unveiled in his home town of Morecambe in 1999 and I know Doreen was equally delighted when the statue of Ernie was unveiled in Morley, West Yorkshire, in 2010. We never dreamt of seeing a statue unveiled to both Eric and Ernie in Blackpool, a town that we have so many happy memories of from all the many shows the boys performed there over the years. It will be a day that will live with us forever."
The new statue will be erected in the Blackpool Winter Gardens. Michael Williams, the managing director of the gardens, says: "The statue is wonderful and we cannot wait to see it unveiled at the entrance of the Winter Gardens where Morecambe & Wise performed so many times in their career. This will be a permanent tribute to the nation's favourite comedy double act which I am sure fans from around the world will want to come and see. Graham has done a wonderful job and we cannot thank him enough for all his hard work together with the families of Eric and Ernie who decided Blackpool - the boys' spiritual home - was the fitting location for this long overdue tribute to these two comedy greats."
Elaine Smith, of the Winter Gardens Trust, adds: "It is wonderful this is finally coming to fruition, and this is a brilliant spot for it. I saw Morecambe and Wise perform over the years at just about every theatre in Blackpool and they were so funny. They only had to walk on stage and there would be uproar. I know the statue in Morecambe brings in a lot of fans, and I think this will do the same for the Winter Gardens."
Morecambe & Wise also appear on the Comedy Carpet in Blackpool, a large expanse of ground covered in quotes. Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of Blackpool Council, says: "Their section of the Comedy Carpet is one of the largest and most popular on the artwork and it's wonderful people have donated the money to honour them again."
The new statue will be unveiled at the Winter Gardens on the 14th October. Eric's widow Joan, his son Gary and his daughter Gail will be amongst those attending the ceremony.
The below picture shows Gary Morecambe and Joan Morecambe visiting sculptor Graham Ibbeson's workshop:
