Barry Charles Cryer (23 March 1935 – 25 January 2022) was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including
Dave Allen,
Stanley Baxter,
Jack Benny,
Rory Bremner
Roderick Keith Ogilvy "Rory" Bremner,"Rory Bremner". '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. Wall to Wall for BBC One. 2 February 2009. No. 1, series 6. (born 6 April 1961) is a Scottish impressionist and comedian, noted for his work in political sati ...
,
George Burns,
Jasper Carrott
Robert Norman Davis (born 14 March 1945), best known by his stage name, Jasper Carrott, is an English comedian, actor and television presenter.
Early life
Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, in Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks G ...
,
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army f ...
,
Ronnie Corbett
Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promin ...
,
Les Dawson
Leslie Dawson Jr. (2 February 1931 – 10 June 1993) was an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter, who is best remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.
Early life
Les Dawson w ...
,
Dick Emery
Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English comedian and actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981.
Life and career
Richard Gilbert Emery was ...
,
Kenny Everett,
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series ''Sunday Nigh ...
,
David Frost
Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...
,
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
,
Frankie Howerd,
Richard Pryor,
Spike Milligan,
Mike Yarwood
Michael Edward Yarwood, (born 14 June 1941) is an English impressionist, comedian and actor. He was one of Britain's top-rated entertainers, regularly appearing on television from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Early life
Michael Edward Yarwood was ...
, ''
The Two Ronnies'' and
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, workin ...
.
Early life
Cryer was born in
Leeds,
West Riding of Yorkshire, England, to John Cryer, an accountant, who died when Barry was five, and his wife, Jean. After an education at
Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physical ...
, he began studying English literature at the
University of Leeds.
He later described himself as a university dropout: "I was supposed to be studying English Literature at Leeds, but I was in the bar and chasing girls and my first-year results showed it. So I'm 'BA Eng. Lit. failed' of Leeds."
Career
Cryer was a writer for Leeds-based Proscenium Players, the first Jewish amateur stage group, which was founded in 1948. After appearing in the university revue, Cryer was offered a week's work at the
Leeds City Varieties
The Leeds City Varieties is a Grade II* listed music hall in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
History
Leeds City Varieties was built in 1865 as an adjunct to the White Swan Inn in Swan Street by architect George Smith for Charles Thornton. Alo ...
theatre, home of ''
The Good Old Days'', which became the longest-running television entertainment show in the world. Cryer left university after learning his first-year results and travelled to London.
After impressing impresario
Vivian Van Damm
Vivian Van Damm (28 June 1889 – 14 December 1960) was a prominent British theatre impresario from 1932 until 1960, managing the Windmill Theatre in London's Great Windmill Street. The theatre was famed for its pioneering ''tableaux vivants'' ...
, Cryer began as the bottom billing act at the
Windmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude ''tableaux vivants'', which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians of t ...
in London, a theatre which showed comedy acts in between nude
tableau shows.
Cryer suffered severely from
eczema
Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can ...
and was hospitalised 12 times in eight years.
He was released from his contract by Van Damm and concluded that a performing career was not a wholly sustainable income choice because of his skin condition, so he chose to focus on writing.
Cryer joined the cast of ''
Expresso Bongo
''Expresso Bongo'' is a 1958 West End musical and a satire of the music industry. It was first produced on the stage at the Saville Theatre, London, on 23 April 1958. Its book was written by Wolf Mankowitz and Julian More, with music by David ...
'' (1957) with
Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. A three-time Emmy Award winner, she won for ''The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, '' The First Churchills'' in 1969, and for '' Van ...
,
Millicent Martin
Millicent Mary Lillian Martin (born 8 June 1934) is an English actress, singer, and comedian. She was the lone female singer of topical songs on the weekly BBC Television satire show ''That Was the Week That Was'' known as TW3 (1962–1963), a ...
and
Paul Scofield
David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was a British actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the US Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony for his work. He won the three awards in a seve ...
, during which he recorded the song "
The Purple People Eater
"The Purple People Eater" is a novelty song written and performed by Sheb Wooley, which reached No. 1 in the ''Billboard'' pop charts in 1958 from June 9 to July 14, No. 1 in Canada, reached No. 12 overall in the UK Singles Chart, and topped ...
", best known in the version by
Sheb Wooley. For contractual reasons, Wooley's version was never released in Scandinavia, Cryer's was, and reached number one in Finland. Cryer's first writing credits were four sketches for ''
The Jimmy Logan Show'', co-written with
Douglas Camfield
Douglas Gaston Sydney Camfield (8 May 1931 – 27 January 1984) was a British television director, active from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Early life
Camfield studied at the York School of Art and aimed to work for The Walt Disney Company. He was ...
.
Cryer became head writer with an occasional stage role for
Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue, (born Daniel Patrick Carroll, 26 July 1927 – 31 May 2009) was an Irish singer and entertainer, best known for his on-stage drag persona. He performed in drag and also as himself in theatrical productions, television shows and f ...
's London nightclub, where he was spotted by
David Frost
Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...
. This led to a writing role on the variety special ''A Degree of Frost'', which led to Cryer joining the writing team, which also included
John Cleese,
Graham Chapman and
Marty Feldman
Martin Alan Feldman (8 July 1934 – 2 December 1982) was a British actor, comedian and comedy writer. He was known for his prominent, misaligned eyes. He initially gained prominence as a writer with Barry Took on the ITV sitcom ''Boo ...
, on ''
The Frost Report'' from 1966–67. Frost used Cryer on a number of subsequent shows, which established Cryer as a comedy writer in the 1970s.
Cryer is seen serving the wine in the original performance of the
Four Yorkshiremen sketch
The "Four Yorkshiremen" is a comedy sketch that parodies nostalgic conversations about humble beginnings or difficult childhoods. It features four men from Yorkshire who reminisce about their upbringing. As the conversation progresses they try to ...
on ''
At Last the 1948 Show
''At Last the 1948 Show'' is a satirical television show made by David Frost's company, Paradine Productions (although it was not credited on the programmes), in association with Rediffusion London. Transmitted on Britain's ITV network in 19 ...
'', first broadcast in 1967. His most comfortable partnership was with Chapman, in pre-
Monty Python days. They wrote about 50 television shows together, including ''
Doctor in the House'' (ITV, 1969–70), and several for
Ronnie Corbett
Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promin ...
: ''
No – That's Me Over Here!'' (ITV, 1968–70), ''
Now Look Here'' (BBC, 1971-73) and ''
The Prince of Denmark'' (BBC, 1974). With other writers he contributed to ''The Ronnie Corbett Show'' (BBC, 1987) and ''Ronnie Corbett in Bed'' (BBC, 1971), and was also part of ''
The Two Ronnies'' (1971–87) team.
Cryer always preferred to write in partnership, so that should he dry up he was never left to deliver material. His regular partner during the 1970s was
John Junkin, and with Junkin performing as
Eric Morecambe and Cryer most often the role of
Ernie Wise, the pair wrote some of ''
The Morecambe and Wise Show'' in its BBC period (the 1972 and 1976 Christmas shows) when regular writer
Eddie Braben was unavailable. Cryer still enjoyed performing, appearing with
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE (17 July 194012 April 2020) was an English actor and comedian best known as a member of The Goodies.
He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at the University of Cambridge and became president o ...
and Junkin in the
BBC radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...
series ''
Hello, Cheeky!
''Hello Cheeky'' is a comedy series starring Barry Cryer, John Junkin and Tim Brooke-Taylor, broadcast on BBC Radio 2 between 1973 and 1979, and also broadcast on television - on the ITV network - in 1976. The format was short comedy sketches, ...
'', in which the three performers bounced jokes off each other.
He also appeared in the comedy television series ''
The Steam Video Company'' and provided the voice of the judge in the 1975 animated comedy musical ''
Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done''. He hosted the ITV comedy panel game ''
Jokers Wild'' (1969–74) and had a role in ''
All You Need Is Cash
''All You Need Is Cash'' (also known as ''The Rutles'') is a 1978 television film that traces (in mockumentary style) the career of a fictitious English rock group called the Rutles. As ''TV Guide'' described it, the group's resemblance to the ...
'', a 1978 spoof documentary about the
Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
parody band
the Rutles
The Rutles () were a rock band that performed visual and aural pastiches and parodies of the Beatles. This originally fictional band, created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes for a sketch in Idle's mid-1970s BBC television comedy series ''Rutland We ...
, as well as a cameo as a police inspector in
Kenny Everett's 1984 horror spoof ''
Bloodbath at the House of Death
''Bloodbath at the House of Death'' is a 1984 British comedy horror film directed by Ray Cameron and starring the comedian Kenny Everett and featuring Vincent Price. It is an over-the-top spoof loosely inspired by ''The Amityville Horror'' and oth ...
''.
With new comedians coming forward who wrote their own material, and age progressing and still wanting to perform, Cryer refocused his career to include more performance, touring with
Willie Rushton in ''Two Old Farts in the Night'' and, after Rushton's death, ''That Reminds Me''.
After a brief early stint as chairman, Cryer was one of the panellists on the BBC radio comedy programme ''
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'', which began in 1972. He also wrote and starred in ''
You'll Have Had Your Tea
Hamish and Dougal are two characters from the long-running BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'', played by Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden,
who later went on to have their own Radio 4 series, ''You'll Have Had Your ...
'' with
Graeme Garden.
He wrote an autobiography, ''You Won't Believe This But...'', as well as a book of miscellaneous anecdotes, ''Pigs Can Fly''.
In 2005 he toured the UK with ''Barry Cryer: The First Farewell Tour'', and in 2008 he toured with Colin Sell in ''Barry Cryer: Still Alive''. He remained a popular after-dinner speaker.
He performed comic monologues and songs on ''The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog'', which was recorded in 1982, and broadcast by
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...
in 1983.
In 1987 Cryer was the guest for
Michael Parkinson on BBC Radio 4's ''
Desert Island Discs'' where his musical choices included "
Bad Penny Blues
"Bad Penny Blues" is a fast instrumental blues written by Humphrey Lyttelton and recorded with his band in London on 20 April 1956.
Popular success
It was originally released as Parlophone ER 4184 and became a hit record in Britain at the time ...
" by
Humphrey Lyttelton and His Band, "
The Girl Can't Help It" by
Little Richard and "
I Get Along Without You Very Well
"I Get Along Without You Very Well" is a popular song composed by Hoagy Carmichael in 1939, with lyrics based on a poem written by Jane Brown Thompson, and the main melodic theme on the Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op 66,
by Frédéric Cho ...
" by
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), "The Right Thing ...
. He was the subject of ''
This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to:
Television
* ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards
* ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...
'' in June 1995 when he was surprised by
Michael Aspel at
Thames Television
Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992.
Thames Television broa ...
's
Teddington Studios.
Since 2018, his clip show ''Comedy Legends with Barry Cryer'' has been broadcast by Sky Arts, a programme paying tribute to a number of comedians such as
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army f ...
,
Frankie Howerd and
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
with "comedy experts"
Tony Hawks
Antony Gordon Hawksworth, MBE (born February 27, 1960), known professionally as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author.
Early life
Born in Brighton, Sussex, Hawks was educated at Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School and Brighton ...
,
Steve Punt
Stephen Mark Punt (born 15 September 1962)[Mr Stephen Mark Punt](_blank)
company-director-c ...
and critic Stephen Armstrong giving their opinions on the stars.
In 2021 Cryer was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the
British Music Hall Society
The British Music Hall Society is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. Its remits are to advance the education of the public in the traditions of the British Music Hall and the art of the present-day performer; and to preserve memorabilia in ...
.
Personal life and death
Cryer was married to Theresa Donovan, a singer and dancer known as Terry, in 1962. Interviewed by ''
Country Life'' in 2021 Cryer said that his stand-up performing career had been interrupted in the early 1960s by eczema. He attributed his recovery to meeting his future wife: he fell for her immediately on catching sight of her standing beside a piano at a
Piccadilly nightclub in 1960. He said "I was only in hospital once more after meeting her."
They had four children, three sons and a daughter. They also had seven grandchildren and, at the time of Cryer's death, one great-grandchild.
Cryer was appointed Officer of the
Order of the British Empire in the
2001 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours 2001 was announced on 16 June 2001 for the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), New Zealand (4 June), Australia (11 June), Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sai ...
for services to comedy drama. In July 2013
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The unive ...
made him an honorary Doctor of Arts. In July 2017 he received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the
University of Leeds.
He was a member of the entertainment charity the
Grand Order of Water Rats.
Cryer died at
Northwick Park Hospital
Northwick Park Hospital (NWPH) is a major National Health Service hospital situated near the town of Harrow, North West London, managed by the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. It is located off Watford Road in the London Boroug ...
in
Harrow on 25 January 2022, at the age of 86.
Books
* ''You Won't Believe This But...: An Autobiography of Sorts'' (1996), (repackaged as ''The Chronicles of Hernia'' (2009), )
* ''Pigs Can Fly'' (2003),
* ''Butterfly Brain'' (2009), (also a West End show)
* ''Barry Cryer Comedy Scrapbook'' (with Philip Porter) (2009),
* ''Mrs Hudson's Diaries: A View from the Landing at 221B'' (with Bob Cryer) (2012), The Robson Press,
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Barry Cryer– Comedy Zone
*
- at ''
The Independent''
"Peace & Quiet" performed by Barry Cryer with
Ronnie Golden
Ronnie Golden, born Tony De Meur, is a British singer, guitarist and comedian. He was the founder of the band The Fabulous Poodles. After the group broke up, he worked as a comedian as a member of The Comic Strip. From the early 1980s he made ma ...
at ''
Nerdstock: 9 Lessons and Carols for Godless People'', 2009.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cryer, Barry
1935 births
2022 deaths
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
Alumni of the University of Leeds
British male television writers
Comedians from Yorkshire
English comedy writers
English humorists
English male comedians
English television writers
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
Male actors from Leeds
Morecambe and Wise
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People educated at Leeds Grammar School
Writers from Leeds