Barry Cryer dies aged 86
- Comedian Barry Cryer has died at the age of 86
- The "hack and entertainer" died peacefully in hospital on Tuesday afternoon
- In a hugely prolific career he may be best remembered as a regular on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue
Comedian and comedy writer Barry Cryer has died with cancer, aged 86.
A statement released by his family says he died "peacefully, in good spirits and with his family around him" at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, north west London, on Tuesday afternoon (25th January).
The I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue star was an extremely prolific writer and comedian with a lengthy career on television and radio. He wrote both with and for the biggest names in British comedy, as well as many international comedy stars when visiting the UK.
His CV includes work with comedy stars such as The Two Ronnies, Bob Hope, Tommy Cooper and Morecambe & Wise.
Cryer's family continue: "Dad was a talented comedy writer and comedian in a particularly golden vintage. Incidentally he never really liked the terms 'comedy writer' or 'comedian', instead preferring hack and entertainer, and always thought the term 'national treasure' meant he'd just been dug up. He was, in his words, arrogant in his humility.
"He had a gift for friendship (as anyone who still has a landline will testify) and a genius for putting people at their ease. Oh yes, and he made many people laugh. A lot. Over many years."
Their full statement can be read at the bottom of this article.
Cryer was born in Leeds on 23rd March 1935. Attending a local independent grammar school, he later studied English literature at the city's university but only completed one year before quitting for showbusiness. An appearance in a university revue lead to work at the historic Leeds City Varieties, and he was soon working in London for noted impresario Vivian Van Damm, for whom he appeared as a comic performing bottom-of-the-bill between the nudes at Soho's famous Windmill Theatre.
A severe eczema condition soon led him to focus more on writing than performing, with his first credits being for The Jimmy Logan Show. He soon became the head writer for Danny La Rue at his Hanover Square nightclub. It was here he caught the attention of David Frost, who championed his work and talent across a range of television series, eventually propelling Cryer to stardom.
It was in 1966 that Cryer was invited by Frost to join the writing team for satirical show The Frost Report. There he found himself working alongside a number of future stars. From that show, he went on to work on a number of other programmes - such as The Dick Emery Show - and established himself as one of Britain's top comedy-writing talents.
He also returned to performing. Cryer's first notable television role was as host of ITV comedy panel game Jokers Wild. Made by Yorkshire Television, the gag-telling contest ran for 150 episodes from 1969. From 1973 he appeared alongside his then regular writing partner, John Junkin, and Goodies star Tim Brooke-Taylor, in five radio series and two television series of Hello, Cheeky!, airing first on BBC Radio 2 and later on ITV.
His wide array of other work includes regular contributions to various incarnations of The Morecambe & Wise Show, particularly when lead writer Eddie Braben was unavailable; co-writing Kenny Everett's various television comedy series with Ray Cameron; Stanley Baxter's Christmas Box; as a writer for comics as diverse as Frankie Howerd, Tommy Cooper, Jim Dale and Max Bygraves; and - with Graham Chapman - penning a trio of Ronnie Corbett sitcoms, No - That's Me Over Here!, Now Look Here..., and The Prince Of Denmark.
Barry Cryer was awarded an OBE for services to comedy in 2001. The Queen told him to "keep on making people laugh" as she handed him his medal.
The comedian married his wife Theresa in 1962 and together they have four children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
In recent years, Cryer has appeared on a number of TV documentaries to talk about comedy, and since 2018 he has fronted Sky Arts documentary series Comedy Legends, with 40 stars profiled and discussed across hour-long episodes. That same year also saw him "deeply honoured" to be awarded the British Music Hall Society's Lifetime Achievement Award.
The brainchild of friend Graeme Garden, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue - a spin-off from I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again and self-styled "antidote to panel games" - launched in April 1972 as a parody of then strait-laced radio and TV panel games. In 1974 Cryer and Willie Rushton were invited to join existing regulars Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and host Humphrey Lyttelton, as regular panellists. He was last heard on the programme in December, in episodes recorded recently at the Hexagon Theatre in Reading, and in 2020 a Radio Times poll named ISIHAC the greatest radio comedy show of all time.
Last month Barry Cryer and his son Bob launched their own podcast, Now, Where Were We?. Described as the show "he has been waiting 86 years to make", it saw the pair talking to guests in a pub. Episodes with Stephen Fry, Danny Baker, Miriam Margolyes and Sanjeev Bhaskar have been released to date.
Fry tweeted today: "Such sad news, one of the absolute greats of British comedy, Barry Cryer, is no more. A glorious, gorgeous, hilarious and gifted writer and performer who straddled all the comic traditions. Universally beloved ... farewell, Baz."
Cryer was due to appear at an 'Audience With' event for Bristol's Slapstick Festival on 27th March of this year. The festival said: "He embodied that golden age of comedy where comedians seem to just glide onto the stage and have you in a laughing fit before they even reach the mic."
Gyles Brandreth, who met recently with Cryer, tweeted the following picture and tribute:
See X post
Speaking in a 2014 interview with British Comedy Guide, Cryer revealed his favourite joke:
"A man, driving down a country lane, ran over a cockerel. He was very upset and went to the farmhouse and knocked on the door. A woman answered the door and he said 'I appear to have killed your cockerel. I'd like to replace him.' And she said, 'Please yourself, the hens are around the back.'"
The Cryer family's full statement reads as follows:
It is our sad duty to inform you that our dear dad Barry (or Baz to his mates) died on Tuesday afternoon (25th January 2022) at Northwick Park Hospital, in Harrow. However, we're pleased to say that he died peacefully, in good spirits and with his family around him. He was 86.
Dad was a talented comedy writer and comedian in a particularly golden vintage. Incidentally, he never really liked the terms 'comedy writer' or 'comedian', instead preferring 'hack' and 'entertainer' and always thought the term 'national treasure' meant he'd just been dug up. He was, in his words, arrogant in his humility.
He had a gift for friendship (as anyone who still has a landline will testify) and a genius for putting people at their ease. Oh yes, and he made many people laugh. A lot. Over many years.
Baz was, firstly, a loving husband for Terry for nearly sixty years and a gentle father to Tony, David, Jack [and] Bob. He was a friend to their partners Jayne, Matt, Garry and Suzannah. As a grandfather, Ruby, Tom, Evan, Archie, Hope, Martha and Connie all loved him and more recently, Ruby's daughter Isobel, had the good fortune to spend time with him as a great grand father.
"Never lose touch with silly" he said, quoting his idol Humphrey Lyttelton - something we've all been very grateful for in the last few days.
The family want to place on record our thanks to the doctors, nurses and consultants on Crick and Gaskill Wards for the compassion, dedication, skill and respect they showed to him at Northwick Park. We'd also like to acknowledge the care taken by Dr Denton and Liam and Nisan at MacMillan for their comforting words and guidance. It'll be of no surprise to those that knew and worked with him that he was telling an Archbishop of Canterbury joke to a nurse not long before he died. That was one of his gifts, making strangers feel welcome. Making them laugh.
A funeral of close family and friends will take place in the coming weeks, as well as a more inclusive memorial service in the coming months. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of opportunities over the coming year to raise "just the one" to the old man.
Details of both the funeral and memorial service will be posted on Twitter at @barrycryer80
If you would like to leave a message, photo or video for Barry and his family, you will be able to access a book of condolence (where you can also donate to Barry's chosen charity). Details to follow on Twitter at @barrycryer80.
[...]
He leaves behind him a life of fun, joy, love and silliness and we'll all be doing our best to maintain that legacy. He regularly told fantastic stories and anecdotes about others - the many brilliant and fascinating people he worked with and knew - but as he was loved and admired by so many - why don't we start telling some stories about Baz and his brilliant and mischievous life and career?
And to end, as Dad would say, "Same time tomorrow?"