Eric Morecambe’s son reacts to recovered The Morecambe and Wise Show episode: “It’s absolutely hilarious”

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It’s always thrilling when a lost piece of television history is rediscovered, and Gary Morecambe is especially delighted this time. A 1968 episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show, previously thought to be missing, offers a chance to see his father, Eric, and his comedy partner Ernie at the peak of their careers. The duo were incredibly popular, drawing record-breaking audiences in the 1960s and 70s.

“What perfect timing!” exclaimed Gary. “It’s wonderful that this is happening now, especially in his 100th year.” The discovery came almost exactly a week from the anniversary of Eric’s birth – May 14th, 1926. Since Ernie was born in November 1925, it’s nearly a double celebration of centenaries. “You absolutely have to mark 100 years!” Gary said with a smile. “My sister and I have a full week of events planned in Morecambe, including unveilings, appearances, and question-and-answer sessions.” (Eric’s birth name was Bartholomew, but he chose his stage name after the seaside town where he was born.)

Gary marvels at the discovery, wondering how anyone could still unearth lost treasures. He usually finds them himself! He’s remembering five years ago when he found a missing 1970 edition of Morecambe and Wise while cleaning his family’s attic. After restoration, it aired on BBC Two on Christmas Day in 2021. He thought that find was the last one, but now he’s surprised by further discoveries and wonders what might turn up next.

Film Is Fabulous, the charity that recently rediscovered two missing Doctor Who episodes for the BBC, has once again found a rare piece of television history. This time, it’s an episode from 1968 that hasn’t been aired since its original broadcast. The episode, originally shown in color on BBC Two on September 16, 1968, was later repeated on BBC One in black and white in 1969. It came from the collection of a film industry worker who has since passed away; their family wishes to remain private. One fan, Gary, remembers being a child when it originally aired and likely watched it at the time.

In 1968, Eric and Ernie made a successful comeback to the BBC after several years at ITV, and their return was featured in TopMob magazine. They had already been performing as a comedy duo for 28 years, since they were teenagers, and Eric playfully told RT magazine, “I’m thinking of divorcing him – he talks too much!”

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Many of the original episodes in that early color series are still missing. This recent discovery is a black and white film recording. According to John Franklin, head of FIF, it’s a “cutting copy” used for internal technical checks at the BBC and was likely put away in storage by staff, similar to what happened with some recent Doctor Who episodes. These weren’t copies sold to international markets. He’s very pleased with the episode, especially a particularly funny sketch at the end that takes place in a nudist camp.

The show was designed like a typical half-hour variety program, and included performances by the vocal group the Paper Dolls, as well as actresses Jenny Lee-Wright and Ann Hamilton, who often playfully challenged Eric and Ernie. Writers Sid Green and Dick Hills worked on the show, and Gary notes that this was an early step in developing their later, more famous collaboration with Eddie Braben.

Even though Eric Morecambe passed away in 1984 and Ernie Wise in 1999, people still love their comedy. Later this year, Morecambe’s influence will be highlighted by a new BBC film based on his children’s book, The Reluctant Vampire. Gary says the film stars the talented Lenny Rush, and the writing team – Neil and Rob Gibbons, known for their work on Alan Partridge – skillfully captured the spirit of Eric in their scripts, which is a remarkable accomplishment.

Authors

Patrick Mulkern
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2026-05-04 19:58