Eric Sykes' Comedy Heroes

Book excerpt: A legend in his own right, in this book Eric Sykes has assembled his very own Comedy Hall of Fame, paying tribute to those who have inspired him, entertained him, and made him laugh. Eric's heroes include: Norman Collier; Tommy Cooper; Les Dawson; Ken Dodd; Charlie Drake; Jimmy Edwards; Bill Fraser; Will Hay; Laurel and Hardy; Dickie Henderson; Frankie Howerd; Hattie Jacques; Jimmy James; Spike Milligan; Peter Sellers; Leon Sherkot; Johnny Speight; Jacques Tatti; Terry Thomas; Julie Walters; Wilson, Keppel and Betty; Rob Wilton; and Victoria Wood. demobbed from the Army after World War II and his old friend Bill Fraser asked him to write some material. Eric quickly found himself in great demand behind the typewriter, producing scripts for both Bill Fraser and Frankie Howerd and going on to write for hit BBC radio shows such as Educating Archie and Variety Bandbox. first scriptwriters. He wrote for Peter Sellers and Stanly Unwin and appeared himself in a number of television variety shows. In the mid-50s he co-wrote some of the famous Goon Shows with Spike Milligan, but he really found fame in his own right when he created, along with Johnny Speight, the first series of his sitcom in which he played a bumbling character called Eric who lived with his sister Hattie Jacques. The show ran to 128 episodes over a period of 20 years. Flying Machines, The Plank and 2002's The Others with Nicole Kidman. He was also named Oldie of the Year in 2002 and received the Bernard Delfont Award for Outstanding Contribution to Showbusiness.