Guess who bought Eric Morecambe's glasses? Robbie Williams!
'His spirit has been salve for my soul'
The Eric Morecambe fan who paid £20,000 for a pair of the comedy icon’s glasses has been revealed to be none other than Robbie Williams.
The specs made five times their higher estimate when they went under the hammer at Hanson Auctioneers last month.
Now the singer has revealed that he was the mystery buyer in an Instagram post.
Illustrated with photos of himself wearing the glasses and pipe – which may also have come from the auction – he said he treated himself to a 51st birthday present, adding that he always saw the comedian as an ‘uncle of sorts’.
The Angels singer said he cried ‘happy, childlike tears’ after submitting the top bid.
Williams appointed a employee called Mike to bid on his behalf as he was about to board a plane as the auction got under way, but said: ’As it happens, I got to watch the lot being auctioned live.’
And he was apparently egged on by his wife, Ayda Field.
Williams wrote: ‘"What should I do Ayd’s?" I nervously kept asking my wife. "Keep bidding" Ayda says with the steely determination of someone bursting through an electronics store door on Black Friday.
‘"Keep going Mike," I say. This vignette of conversation would repeat itself several times over the next 10 minutes.’
Describing his joy at winning the auction, he added: ‘I guess we all need friends-we-never-meet from off the telly. Eric has always been mine. An uncle of sorts.
‘To the very core of me, Eric Morecambe's spirit has been salve for my soul. How Eric made me feel is how I want to make people feel.
‘What a gift to be able to create such joy and have that joy be present just by thinking of them.’
Here’s the moment the glasses were sold:
Published: 9 Feb 2025
