Britain's Most Loved and Best Comedy Double Act

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John Ammonds

Eric and Ern at Thames
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How did that meeting go?
When I first told Morecambe & Wise that I had got Eddie Braben to write for them, they were apprehensive, a little worried. They only knew him for his work with Ken Dodd, totally different from their work.

I asked Eddie to write a script that he thought would suite Eric and Ern, and I asked the boys to look at it when it was done. They all agreed to that. When they saw it, they were both impressed.

Once we got Johnny Ammonds onboard too, we had the makings for something good. Johnny was a very experienced producer of comedy, he wasthe perfect go-between between the writer and the stars, he could get the best from both and end up with a great show.

During your time at the BBC, it was often considered the golden years. You had some of the biggest stars, the best shows and of course the viewing figures. Was there a plan in place, or was it just the right time?
To be honest I think both ITV and the BBC had excellent programmes at the time. The whole basis of all television then was run by producers, the people who knew what made a good programme. There was much less emphasis on money too, so they could concentrate on quality. We all still had a budget, but we didn’t have people running around worrying about it and checking it.

Because of that I do think it was a golden time, producers were free to produce. Having said that, at the time we were all still moaning about the conditions. Despite that, we still wanted to attempt the best of everything for everybody. Not only comedy, but drama and other types of prgrammes.

What happened with the move to Thames?
We had a very, very successful period with Morecambe and Wise. It was probably the greatest time in their career. One Christmas the Light Entertainment department held a party for the writers, performers and producers that worked there. During that party Eric told me that they had received an offer from Thames.

I asked what they had offered them and then when I found out I immediately said we would match it. Eric laughed saying that was fine and I thought no more about it; it was a party after all, and we were both drinking.

At the time I was about to leave Light Entertainment to be the controller of BBC1. I went over to America after the Christmas and was sat in a hotel; it was pouring with rain I remember. I had some kind of flu as well, so things were slightly depressing. Then I got a call from my secretary telling me that Eric and Ernie had gone to Thames. You can imagine how I was feeling at that time. It was like a divorce.

I understand that part of the lure was the offer of a feature film, which they never actually managed to do.

Wasn’t that Night Train To Murder?
No, they had plans to do another one. I don’t know the full details of it, but I understood that they never made.


© morecambeandwise.com 2008
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