Morcambe and Wise

Another pair of comedians that simply cannot be left out of any collection of great British comedians. These two were on TV for most of my early life and became a national institution, and the 'Morecambe and Wise Christmas show' became the one that HAD to be watched on Christmas day.

The biography below comes from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morecambe_and_Wise#History

Eric and Ernie first joined forces in 1941 when booked separately to appear in Jack Hylton's revue, Youth Takes a Bow. War service broke up the act but they reunited by chance in 1946 when they joined forces again. Initially appearing in music hall, they made their name in radio, transferring to television in 1954. Their show, Running Wild, was not well received and led to a damning newspaper review: "Definition of the week: TV set - the box in which they buried Morecambe and Wise." Eric apparently carried this review around with him ever after and from then on Eric and Ernie kept a tight control over their material. In 1956 they were offered a spot in the Winifred Atwell show with material written by Johnny Speight and this was a success.

They had a series of shows over twenty years:

Two of a Kind (ATV, 1961-1968. Writers: Dick Hills and Sid Green).
The Morecambe and Wise Show (BBC, 1968-1978. Writers: Hills and Green for one series and thereafter Eddie Braben).
The Morecambe and Wise Show (Thames Television, 1978 until their final show together at Christmas 1983. Writers: themselves, Barry Cryer, John Junkin, and from 1980, Eddie Braben). The Thames shows were generally felt to be disappointing compared to what had come before.

During the 1960s the pair starred in three feature films (The Intelligence Men (1965), That Riviera Touch (1966), and The Magnificent Two (1967)) but these are not generally considered a great success.

In 1976, they were both awarded OBEs.

In short, these two were part of the TV I watched and loved for many years. They made me laugh so much my sides hurt, and even today years after there deaths, if a tribute show comes on TV, I will watch it and still laugh out loud. They are very much missed in this world of rude offensive comics, who cannot get a laugh without resorting to filth.