Duo reunite at Bristol's Slapstick Comedy Festival

Little and Large reunited for their first stage appearance in decades this weekend, as part of the Slapstick comedy festival in Bristol.

As they took to the stage of the Old Vic Theatre, Eddie Large, 77,  asked the audience: ‘Hands up who thought we were dead?’

Then both he and Syd Little, 75, shot their hands in the air.

The pair drew audiences of up to 15million for their TV sketch shows of the 1970s and 1980s.

But their show was cancelled in 1991, and the partnership ended, and the pair drifted apart – not least because Large developed a life-threatening heart condition that required major surgery in 2003.

He retired while Little – real name Cyril Mead – went on to work the cruise ships and run the restaurant in a pub in his hometown of Fleetwood, Lancashire.

In 2010, Large – real name Edward McGinn – admitted he hadn’t spoken to his erstwhile double act partner  in decades. But they did reunite earlier this year for a TV appearance on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

Richard Herring curated a strand at the festival, which concludes today.

In the wake of the poorly-received Inbetweeners Reunion Night on Channel 4, he hosted a more successful panel with its co-creator Damon Beesley and star Joe Thomas.

He also quizzed Tim Vine about his comedy favourites and interviews Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie about their new The Goodies  DVD box set.

Other highlights included:  a silent comedy gala hosted by Marcus Brigstocke;  a screening of the Harold Lloyd classic, For Heaven’s Sake with live music at Bristol Cathedral and Oddie introducing Laurel & Hardy’s Way Out West with the aid of Robin Ince.

All the pictures on this page are © David Betteridge

Published: 20 Jan 2019