I am sad to hear of the recent death of comic genius Eric Sykes – last of the Vaudevillian style entertainers.

He scripted so many marvellous comedy shows like THE PLANK and SYKES and wrote for others. So many great comedians appeared in his shows, many also sadly gone, but who can ever forget Eric, Deryck Guyler, Hattie Jacques, Richard Wattis in SYKES and Tommy Cooper, Spike Milligan, Jimmy Tarbuck, Jimmy Edwards and Roy Castle, etc in THE PLANK.

SYKES was the longest running TV sitcom ever made, starting in the early 1960’s and ending in 1980 and still holds that title. Eric wrote every script for that sitcom and kept it going with a passion, fighting for its total existence for nearly twenty years. THE PLANK was made in 1966/67 and was probably the last successful slap-stick comedy film ever made. Others were tried at later dates, but the public mood moved away from that type of comedy by then.

When I wrote a book about Wednesbury/Walsall born Richard Wattis between 2003 – 2005, Eric contacted me with this memory :

“I have so many memories of Richard, he was a wonderful actor. There is one particular memory that always makes me smile when I think about Richard.

I had been asked to do a world tour with the show and Hattie Jacques and Deryck Guyler were delighted, however Richard came to me with that wonderful look he had and told me that he couldn’t possibly join us all on the world tour because he had such a fear of flying. I tried to talk to him in the hope that I would convince him that everything would be all right. I’ll never forget he looked at me and said ‘Eric, infact I have to take a Librium to cross the road’.

I never did persuade him and we went ahead with the world tour but it was never the same without Richard”

Eric was a real gentleman and a kind person, with an affinity for his fans – may he RIP. He is probably meeting all those he knew and worked with in the big theatre bar in the sky as I write. He is missed already and will be missed for many years to come. Sadly we will never see or meet his ilk again.

Keep up the good work !!

BW,

IAN PAYNE.

PS :

http://cms.walsall.gov.uk/news/new_look_at_walsall_screen_star.htm