Eric and Ernie, John and Paul, Jennifer and Dawn … ‘Lost’ tapes by comedy duo highlight creative power of friendship
The lost episode of the Morecambe and Wise Show screened this Christmas dates from 1970, just as the comedy duo had made it to BBC One. They would go on to be Britain’s most popular entertainment act, with their Christmas special seven years later drawing over 20 million viewers – by some estimates an extraordinary 28 million.
Of course, that was in the days of only three TV channels, and no internet or smartphones. The viewing figures this time round will be considerably smaller. But what of the comedy itself? How will it have aged?
