For the seasoned M&W watcher, the 1982 Christmas special contains an awful lot of recycled material. Quite why Eric & Ernie revisited so many of their old routines during their last few years together is a little bit of a mystery. Several possibilities have been advanced – maybe Eddie Braben was running out of ideas or it might have been that Morecambe & Wise (especially following Eric’s second heart attack) were less confident with fresh material and so preferred to work with scripts that they knew should guarantee them laughs.

The show opens with a bombshell – Eric announces that they are retiring. Given that they were approaching the end of their career, there’s something slightly uncomfortable about this. Although at this point it does seem more like a gag rather than a coded statement – it was during 1983 that Eric began to have serious doubts about continuing and began to look forward to a peaceful retirement as a writer.

During the show, Eric phones up a number of potential guests – Denis Healey, Glenda Jackson, Andre Previn, Jimmy Young, Diana Dors – all of whom he manages to insult (causing them to slam down the phone and shake their heads). This was another old BBC favourite of course, although back in the BBC days they did manage to wangle some very big names (like Laurence Olivier). Today’s crop are perfectly fine, but (due to the fact that many already had an association with Eric & Ernie) their brief appearances don’t quite have the same impact.

Today’s sole musical guests are Wall Street Crash. They may be forgotten today (despite a lengthy career – albeit with numerous personnel changes – between 1980 and 2007) but their style of music chimed exactly with Eric and Ernie, who joins them in white top hats and tails for an entertaining musical item. This, like the rest of the show, features some familiar material (such as the reveal that Eric’s piano prowess is due to him having an impossible number of fingers on each hand).

A video shop sketch (with Valerie Minifie once again acting as a mostly silent stooge) is followed by a fairly lengthy piece (just over seven minutes) featuring Richard Vernon interviewing a pair of explorers – Eric & Ernie of course. Like Tommy Cooper, Eric seemed to adore props and gadgets and several are wheeled out here for a laugh. Vernon’s a good straight man, but possibly the problem is that he’s a little too straight, meaning that the sketch never really catches fire.

The best sketch of the evening takes place inside a lingerie store, where Little Ern (attempting to buy a bra for his sister) has to overcome his embarrassment with the lady behind the counter (played by Patricia Brake). Eric, of course, offers him his usual wholehearted support ….

A familiar sketch from the BBC era (show 4.3) it sticks very closely to the original. The one change is that Brake is made up to look dowdier than Ann Hamilton was, which means that Eric’s parting insult comes across as quite cruel.

The star guest power of today’s show doesn’t seem quite as great as, say, the 1981 special. Robert Hardy is wheeled on for another appearance – his front curtain banter with Eric & Ernie has all been road-tested before (the banana part with Sir John Mills, for example).

When you have every existing show to hand, this sort of thing can be a problem, but back in 1982 (when they were reusing gags from the previous decade that may not have been seen since their original broadcasts) it mattered less. After all, one of their most famous routines – with Andre Previn in 1971 – was a rehash of a sketch from their 1960’s days at ATV.

I enjoyed the Chattanooga Choo Choo skit, with M&W playing multiple characters. This leads into the play – set in the Yukon during the goldrush. The introductory text places us firmly in the early 1980’s (mentioning both British Leyland and Freddie Laker). Rula Lenska vamps it up very agreeably – a pity that she didn’t get a front curtain introduction before the play, but since this special only runs for fifty minutes (unlike some of the BBC specials which lasted over an hour) time was obviously a little tight.

So there we are. Taken in isolation, this is a perfectly enjoyable fifty minutes, although for me it’s impossible not to keep mentally referring to the original performances and comparing and contrasting. Mind you, if musicians can perform sets of their greatest hits, there should be no reason why comedians can’t do so as well …

The opening credits introduces us to the guest stars. This is a nice touch and something that hasn’t been done since the early 1970’s BBC specials.

Little Ern is told by Eric that he’s been made the next Lord Mayor of Peterborough. And to prove it he’s given an impressive chain of office (“Fidelity, Integrity, Diligence, Obedience”). Hmm, I wonder what the initials of those words spell out?

This is another example of a very familiar Eric and Ernie trope – Eric conning the gullible Ern into believing that he’s about to receive an honour. It works because (as always) their interaction is spot on (the business with the top hat, for example). The reveal of the statue is also a nice touch.

Throughout the show we frequently cut to a snooker match between Steve Davis and Eric (Ernie has a passive role as the referee). Steve can’t pot a ball and Eric can’t miss (thanks to slick editing). Having won his first World title earlier in the year, Steve was a good sport to play along and it looks like he brought the actual World Championship trophy for Eric to briefly handle.

Next we cross to the flat, where Ernie is preparing to meet not only Robert Hardy but also Sir Ralph Richardson. In story terms, Hardy’s presence seems superfluous (Sir Ralph is the one that Ern wants to nab for his latest and greatest play) but maybe there  were concerns that Sir Ralph wouldn’t be able to handle all the byplay, so possibly Hardy was brought in to help shoulder the load.

And it’s true that Richardson does seem to be a little disconnected (although that seemed to be his public persona at the best of times). He warms up as time goes on though and genuinely seems to enjoying interacting with Eric and Ernie. In years gone by, this sort of preamble with a guest would occur before they appeared in the play but that’s pretty much your lot today for Sir Ralph (other stars later pop up in a totally different play).

Suzanne Danielle arrives to provide a touch of glam for the big song and dance number which is followed by a Health Food shop sketch that’s fairly inconsequential (although it does later provide the tag for the play).

Alvin Stardust has to withstand a fair bit of front curtain banter from Eric (which he takes in good heart) and then has to perform a song with the boys doing their best to upstage him. This is another very familiar M&W trope – although it’s interesting that in earlier days the musical guest would then be given the chance to sing another song without interference (poor Alvin doesn’t get this opportunity though).

Tonight’s play is another Shakespeare remake – Julius Caesar. Ian Ogilvy and Susannah York are dragged out in front of the curtain for some pre-play banter. Susannah seems a little nervous – she begins by calling Ernie the wrong name (Eric being Eric, of course, can’t let a slip of the tongue like that pass without comment).

Given the period, it’s not surprising that the play rehashes some moments from the earlier Cleopatra (with Glenda Jackson). What interests me more is just how basic the set is – an intentional choice or evidence that Thames couldn’t afford the same budgets that the BBC did?

We conclude the show with the whole guest ensemble (including Sir Ralph) dressed in overcoats, scarfs and flat caps – exiting the stage in the time honoured fashion. A joyous way to end a strong festive special.

This December I’ve been tackling all of the Morecambe & Wise Christmas Shows (from 1969 to 1983).  My thoughts on the 1969 – 1979 shows can already been found elsewhere on the blog (having revisited the words what I’ve previously wrote, my opinions haven’t changed that much – I still find the 1972 and 1975 specials to be something of a slog, for example).

Following the low-key 1979 special, 1980 saw the boys back in harness. After a decent opening crosstalk (notable for the way Ern exits locked inside a life-sized wallet) we jump straight into a park-bench sketch with Eric, Ernie and Peter Vaughan. Vaughan plays to type as a menacing individual who intimidates the unfortunate Eric (Ern’s on hand to spur Eric on – which only serves to inflame Peter Vaughan all the more). Whether intentionally or not, this reminds me of a Hancock/Sid James scene. The sketch ends with the appearance of Mick McManus (a celeb who you have to be a certain age to recognise). I’m sure most of the readers of this blog will know exactly who he is ….

Next, Eric and Ernie invite Jill Gascoine round for Christmas dinner. This was a virtual word for word remake of an old BBC sketch with Ann Hamilton. It doesn’t work quite as well this time round (at one point Eric fluffs a line about the number of bottles of ginger wine Ern drinks at Christmas). The gag about Ann buying Eric an identical tie every Christmas worked because of her long association with the boys, so it’s a pity they repeated this with Jill as she didn’t have the same history (meaning that the moment doesn’t make any sense).

There then follows a musical number with Eric, Ernie and Jill dressed (of course) in police uniforms.

If you’ve got the original Network DVD of series one of the Thames M&W shows (with the second disc containing the first four specials) then it’s worth holding onto, as the more recent release (Morecambe & Wise at Thames) snipped out a four minute chunk which featured Eric dressed as Rolf Harris. On the one hand I can see why they did this, but it’s still an irritation. As someone who watches 1970’s/1980’s television on a regular basis, I frequently encounter people who are now persona non grata (I’d prefer to be the one to decide whether I watch them or forward on).

Glenda Jackson pops by for a quick sketch and Peter Cushing (more about him anon) is another familiar face who enlivens proceedings. Today’s biggest star guest though, is undoubtedly Alec Guinness. It’s a pity he doesn’t have more to do (although his sketch is still a good one). He does turn up at the end, but we’re cruelly denied the opportunity to see him sing Bring Me Sunshine with Eric and Ernie.

Hannah Gordon and Peter Barkworth are today’s front curtain banter guests. Hannah Gordon had previously crossed swords with M&W on the BBC but it was all new to Barkworth – and it’s a joy to witness his nervous apprehension as he desperately trys to wriggle out of his commitments. Off hand, I don’t think Peter Barkworth tackled comedy that often, which makes his appearance here more noteworthy.

The play (little Ern’s rewrite of Hamlet) is typical enough fare and (thankfully) unlike some of the later BBC Christmas show plays doesn’t outstay its welcome – it’s around the ten minute mark.

Throughout the show, there are numerous quickie sketches featuring Eric & Ernie as a pair of carol singers attempting to extract a few pennies from Number 10. The payoff – after the credits have rolled – is that (through sheer force of will) the unseen person inside Number 10 who has forced the boys to put their own money in the collection box is none other than Peter Cushing! After all these years he’s finally been paid ….

In March 1979 Eric Morecambe suffered his second heart attack.  Told at one point that he only had three months to live, it was a slow road to recovery.  His illness meant that a traditional Christmas Special was out of the question, so instead Thames gave us Christmas With Eric and Ernie.  This was essentially an extended interview conducted by David Frost which also saw a few special guests (Des O’Connor, Glenda Jackson) popping by to indulge in some banter.

It’s always a pleasure to see a relaxed Morecambe and Wise just sitting around chatting.  Eric is quite notably “on” for the early part of the interview, constantly looking to crack gags, but there are a few moments when he’s in a slightly more reflective mood.

“All comedy is based on fear” he says at one point.  Ernie then comments about tough houses – playing the Glasgow Empire and going off to the sound of your own footsteps.  Both of them delight in reminding Des about his disastrous time at the same theatre (he was so intimated by the audience that he fainted).  Morecambe and Wise went on the next week and offered the audience their impression of Des.  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen <thud>”.

It’s not a detailed career-spanning retrospective, although Frost does ask about the early days, enabling Ernie to give us a rendition of Let’s Have a Tiddly At the Milk Bar, which is a nice moment.  There’s a clip from the ATV years, which sparks some interesting comments from Eric about how his comedy persona had changed over the years.

Des O’Connor is on hand to receive some good-natured abuse from Eric and Glenda Jackson provides a link to the classic BBC years (not surprisingly there’s no clips).

They end with Bring Me Sunshine and the appearance of Janet Webb to take all the applause is a nod back to former glories.  The Parkinson interview from the 1970’s probably has the edge on this one (a pity it wasn’t included on the BBC Christmas Specials DVD) but this is still a joy.

Having jumped ship from the BBC to Thames in early 1978, this was their second special for ITV (the first was broadcast in October 1978).  Somebody who didn’t travel with them, at least to begin with, was Eddie Braben – so the show was written by Barry Cryer and John Junkin with additional material by Morecambe and Wise themselves.

The lack of Braben, and possibly having to work with producer/director Keith Beckett (who had produced the October special but still must have been an unknown quantity), might explain why everything feels a little laboured.

There’s the occasional ironic nod back to their BBC shows – most notably when they introduce Anna Ford and proceed to indulge in a trademark top hat and tails dance.  The joke, such as it is, is that this isn’t Ford but a lookalike – as becomes obvious when every opportunity is taken to shield her face from the camera.  Given that they were never short of real celebs, it’s an odd sequence – possibly a topical gag that hasn’t travelled down the decades too well?

The biggest waste of talent revolves around Leonard Rossiter’s appearance.  Things start promisingly with some decent cross-talk in front of the curtain – Rossiter tells them he’s not working here, just passing through on his way to the BBC.  Eric then mutters they might not be far behind!  All three then drag up as the Andrews Sisters and mime to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.  And that’s it – the mere fact that they’re dressed as the Andrews Sisters is presumably supposed to be hilarious (but alas, no).

It’s not all bad though.  There’s a nice flat scene with Frank Finley and the sequence with Eric, Ernie and the Syd Lawrence Orchestra is good fun.  The big moment is reserved for the end, as Harold Wilson pops round to the flat.  Irrespective of whether he’s funny or not, the novelty of seeing an ex-prime minister interact with the boys is worth the price of admission alone.  The look on Eric and Ernie’s face as Wilson receives a tumultuous round of applause from the audience is lovely to see and Wilson’s a good sport – receiving Eric’s jibe that he’s actually Mike Yarwood (and doing an impression of Tommy Cooper!) with equanimity.

Overall it’s pretty patchy stuff.  M&W still obviously had the audience’s affection, but they weren’t always well served by Cryer and Junkin’s material.