DOCUMENTARY PROFILE TV SERIES
FOCUSING ON BRITISH COMEDIANS & COMEDY ACTORS WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM
FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CELEBRITY FANS.
HEROES OF COMEDY
Excellent documentary celebrating the great British
comedians who emerged in the heyday of music hall and variety. With Victoria
Wood and John Sessions, plus vintage material from Benny Hill, Tony Hancock,
Morecambe and Wise, Hylda Baker, Max Wall, Tommy Cooper and many, many more.
Disc has a chaptered menu.
TRANSMITTED 31 DEC 1992 2 hours 7 mins
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
HEROES OF COMEDY TV SERIES:
DISC 1:
FRANKIE HOWERD
Paying tribute to Frankie Howerd with clips from early music hall
performances and stand-up routines, as well as film and television
appearances.
1994 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
JOYCE GRENFELL
Joyce Grenfell was one of the premier comediennes of her age - she had a
career that spanned the decades from the late '30s to the mid '70s. Her unique
appearance and seemingly gentle wit entertained generations of audiences and
established that one woman could perform her own show and keep the audience
captivated. Here, along with archive footage of Joyce performing her works, are
interviews with Sir David Attenborough, Clive James, Maureen Lipman and Victoria
Wood.
1995 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC 2:
KENNY EVERETT
Kenny Everett's anarchic humour incensed moral watchdogs but delighted fans
throughout his radio and TV career. With contributions from Barry Cryer, Barry
Took, Cliff Richard, Dave Cash, Jeremy Beadle, Terry Wogan, Steve Wright, Cleo
Rocos, Jo Gurnett (manager and friend), and Eric Gear (friend and walking
companion).
1997 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
BERNARD MANNING
A stand-up institution, Bernard Manning was adored for his comic style and
gags. Others loathed him for being rude, outrageous, a racist and proudly
politically incorrect. Controversial but always funny, behind the beaming smile
hid a humble, generous family man. Contains Swearing And Offensive Material.
2000 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC 3:
ATHUR HAYNES
Arthur Haynes was the highest-paid TV star in the 60s and he was set to
become one of the nation's best-known comedians. However, his untimely death in
1966 robbed the country of a genius and he has become one of the forgotten
heroes of comedy.
1995 1 hour DIGITAL TV
NORMAN WISDOM
A tribute to Norman Wisdom whose slapstick films of the 1950s and 60s made
him a household name. With contributions from Bruce Forsyth, Gary Wilmot, Rick
Wakeman, Elaine Page and the man himself.
1999 1 Hour DIGITAL TV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC
4:
BARRY HUMPHRIES
This edition of the series celebrates the comedy craft of Barry
Humphries. Joan Rivers, Larry Hagman, Jeffrey Archer, Kylie Minogue and Dame
Edna Everage are among those paying tribute.
1999 80 MINS DIGITAL TV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC 5:
MAX MILLER
Heroes of
comedy looks at the career of British Music Hall and variety Comedian Max Miller
'The Cheeky Chappie' with contributions from barry Cryer, Roy Hudd and Bob
Monkhouse.
1995 1 Hour
DIGITAL TV
THORA
HIRD
A profile
of actress Thora Hird, who is perhaps best known for her roles in Last of the
Summer Wine and In Loving Memory. Featuring contributions by Pete Postlethwaite,
Duncan Preston, Celia Imrie and Alan Bennett
1999 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC 6:
ERIC SYKES
Documentary
on comedian and comedy writer Eric Sykes. A range of colleagues and admirers
give insights into Sykes' character and working method. Sykes talks about his
early life in Leeds, his family, the army, demobilisation and writing and
performing comedy, the actress Hattie Jacques, and his current situation of
being both deaf and blind, with comments from ear consultant and friend John
Ballantyne. The programmes includes clips from: a HARRY SECOMBE SHOW from 1953
featuring Sykes and Spike Milligan in performance; SYKES AND A BATH (1961);
SYKES AND A HAUNTING (1962); SYKES AND A LOG CABIN (1964); SYKES AND A CAT
(1972); and the PLANK (1967).
1999 1
HOUR DIGITAL TV
ALASTAIR SIM
A celebration of the life and work of the great comic actor and star of the
original `St Trinians' movies, Alastair Sim. With contributions from George
Cole, Nigel Hawthorne, Stephen Fry, Ian Mckellen and patricia Routledge.
1997 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC
7:
HATTIE
JACQUES
A tribute to Carry On star Hattie
Jacques, famous for her matronly roles and her partnership with Eric Sykes. With
contributions from Miriam Margolyes and Mo Mowlam.
2001 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
KENNETH
WILLIAMS
A tribute to the explosive energy and
rapier wit of Kenneth Williams, whose extrovert persona enlivened many of the
Carry On films. With John Sessions and Nigel Havers.
2000 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC
8:
SID JAMES
A tribute to comic actor Sid James,
best known for his loveable rogues in the Carry On films. Featuring
contributions from Bruce Forsyth, Liz Fraser and Barry Norman.
2001 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
TERRY THOMAS
Terry-Thomas shot to stardom in Britain in 1946 when he appeared in
Piccadilly Hayride at the Prince of Wales Theatre. From there he went on to star
in cabaret, revue, radio, television and more than 70 films - becoming, in the
process, many people's idea of the perfect English gentleman.
1995 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC
9:
ARTHUR ASKEY
A tiny, loveable, bespectacled,
genuinely funny 'silly little man', Arthur Askey entertained four generations of
an admiring British public until his death in 1982. In a tribute packed with
clips from 1937 onwards, Askey appears at his very best in live TV spectaculars
and series, films and Royal Variety performances.
1998 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
TONY HANCOCK
Marking the 30th anniversary of his death, colleagues and admirers explore
Tony Hancock's versatility as a performer, and the conflicts which contributed
to his comic persona. The programme includes clips from his earliest television
series THE TONY HANCOCK SHOW from Associated Rediffusion in 1956, which includes
singing an operatic duet with June Whitfield. In addition, the programme also
features interviews with George Fairweather, a concert party performer who was
the first person to help Hancock in his show business career, and Phyllis
Rounce, Hancock's first agent.
1998 1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC 10:
KEN DODD
Profile
of Ken Dodd who reflects on his showbusiness career and discusses the craft of a
comedian.
1999 1
HOUR DIGITAL TV
RONNIE
CORBETT
The
spotlight is turned on Ronnie Corbett, one of Britain's best loved comedians,
with contributions from Ronnie Barker, Harry Hill and Stanley Baxter.
2002 1
HOUR DIGITAL TV
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC 11:
RONNIE
BARKER
A profile
of the comedy actor and writer, featuring extracts of some of his most
celebrated performances.
Features an interview with Ronnie Barker in which he discusses his comedy, love
of words and language, his long friendship with Ronnie Corbett, his idols, his
hatred of writing comedy material, why he retired, and his one remaining
ambition.
2000 1
HOUR DIGITAL TV
LES
DAWSON
Celebrating
the comedy of Les Dawson with clips from his shows and tributes from friends,
colleagues, and his widow Tracy. Extracts are included from THE DAVID NIXON
SHOW, THE DAWSON WATCH, PARKINSON, DAWSON & FRIENDS, SEZ LES, BLANKETY
BLANK, THE LES DAWSON SHOW, THE GOOD OLD DAYS, HOLIDAY WITH STRINGS, a situation
comedy that was written specially for Dawson by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, two
Royal Variety Performances, and an appearance on the Open University in 1981.
1997
1 HOUR DIGITAL TV
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC
12:
BENNY HILL
Benny Hill touched the funny
bone of the whole world, but behind the comedy there was a very private person:
the loner, a shy and humble clown.
1998 1 Hour DIGITAL
TV
MAX WALL
Profile of the comedian and
music-hall entertainer who died in 1990. Max combined physical comedy,
slapstick, surrealism and stand-up in his performances - a style that has
influenced a range of modern stars. With contributions from broadcasters Michael
Parkinson and Russell Davies; friend Celia Moreton-Prichard; actors Dora Bryan,
Jack Shepherd, Roy Hudd, Griff Rhys Jones, Simon Callow, Betty Driver, Elizabeth
Seal, Ewan Hooper, David Drummond, Angela Pleasance and Hywel Bennett; comedian
Terry Alderton; musician Larry Adler; friend and biographer Michael Pointon;
dancer Wayne Sleep; ballerina Deborah Bull; artist Maggie Hambling; and Max
Clifford.
2003 1 Hour DIGITAL TV
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISC
13:
TOMMY
COOPER
A celebration of the career of
legendary comic Tommy Cooper. Classic footage shows that Cooper's lumbering
bulk, manic laugh and anxious features belied his aplomb and perfect timing.
Among those paying tribute are his widow, Gwen Cooper, Jimmy Tarbuck, Spike
Milligan, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Sykes.
1995 78 Minutes DIGITAL
TV
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------