On what would have been his 100th birthday

ITV is to broadcast Eric Sykes's epsiode of This Is Your Life to celebrate the centenary of the comedian and writer's birth.

The special episode which originally aired on Christmas Day, 1979, will stream on ITVX from April 30, just a few days before what would have been Eric Sykes’ 100th birthday on May 4. The special will also air on ITV3 on the same date. 

Sykes famously recalled his appearance on the show in his autobiography If I Don't Write It, Nobody Else Will…  where he described being lured to the New London Theatre under the guise of attending a press interview, before being greeted by Eamonn Andrews, holding a large red book. 

The 45-minute episode featured tributes from Eric’s family, as well as showbiz greats including Bill Fraser, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howerd, Max Bygrages, Spike Milligan, Johnny Speight, Harry Secombe  and Sean Connery 

ITVX will also be making classic British comedy The Plank available from  April 1, which was written, directed by and starred Sykes, alongside contemporaries Tommy Cooper, Jimmy Edwards and Roy Castle. 

Skyes died in 2012 at the age of 89.

Published: 25 Mar 2023