Barry Cryer pays tribute to comedy greats
...in a new series for Sky Arts
Barry Cryer is to celebrate some of the Giants of Comedy who he’s worked with in a new series for Sky Arts.
Comedy Legends will commemorate the lives and careers of stars including Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Barker, Joan Rivers, Bob Hope, Kenny Everett, Frankie Howerd and Morecambe and Wise.
Cryer, 83, has been involved in comedy since his student days at Leeds University, and got his big break when David Frost saw him at Danny La Rue’s London nightclub and recruited him to the writing team of The Frost Report, which also included John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman.
His most regular writing partner was John Junkin, pictured with him above, with whom he wrote for Morecambe and Wise. He also wrote for Kenny Everett with Ray Cameron, father of Michael McIntyre.
Cryer has also written for Dave Allen, George Burns, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Bruce Forsyth, Spike Milligan and many more’ while his performing career includes hosting the 1970s panel show Jokes Wild and being a regular panellist on Radio 4’s I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue since it began in 1972.
Comedy Legends has been made by 3DD Entertainment, whose other credits include Murder Maps and Hitler’s Olympics for UKTV’s Yesterday channel.
Others contributing to the ten-part series, which starts on October 10, includes Tony Hawks Clive Anderson, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Steve Punt and Sunday Times comedy critic Stephen Armstrong.
Sky Arts has just started screening the second series of CNN’s History Of Comedy from the US, too, with the second episode airing at 9pm this Wednesday focussing on sketch comedy from Monty Python's Flying Circus to Saturday Night Live.
The full list of Comedy Legends episodes is:
1. Tommy Cooper
4. Joan Rivers
5. Bob Hope
7. Morecambe & Wise
8. Jack Benny
9. George Burns
10. Phyllis Diller
UPDATE 27/9/18: The episode running order has changed and the series now runs for eight episodes. New details here.
Published: 3 Sep 2018
