''Bring Me Sunshine'' was originally a three-part retrospective in tribute to

Eric Morecambe John Eric Bartholomew, (14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's d ...

and was hosted by the comedian and author

Ben Elton Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. He was a part of London's alternative comedy movement of the 1980s and became a writer on the sitcoms '' The Young Ones'' and ''Bla ...

, who is a big fan of Morecambe and Wise; the first episode was screened on 14 May 1994, which would have been his 68th birthday and featured interviews with many people who had guest starred in ''The Morecambe & Wise Show'' during its run from 1968 to 1977 and also had a host of memorable clips from the shows. Those interviewed included

John Thaw John Edward Thaw, (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles. He starred in the television series '' Inspector Morse'' as title character Detective Chief Inspector ...

Roy Castle Roy Castle (31 August 1932 – 2 September 1994) was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. In addition to being an accomplished jazz trumpet player, he could play many other instruments. Following a vers ...

who died a few months afterwards,

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in ''On H ...

as well as comments and tributes from modern day double acts Hale & Pace and Fry & Laurie. Such was the popularity of the show (which aired in a Saturday evening prime-time slot) that three further editions were hastily commissioned and shown on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

but the three later additions did not include interviews, just classic clips. This meant that the duo, having last performed together in late 1983, made an unexpected and triumphant return to prime time television after a break of over 10 years.

Ernie Wise Ernest Wiseman, (27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known by his stage name Ernie Wise, was an English comedian, best known as one half of the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, who became a national institution on British television, especially ...

was not asked to participate, which upset him; he was quoted as saying "''...you'd have thought they'd have asked for my memories...''". The BBC said they didn't want "Too many talking heads". However, the fact that Wise was recovering from a minor stroke he suffered just before Christmas 1993 might have been a factor in his exclusion. The programmes did much to lift the profile of the double-act, and began a resurgence of interest in their work. In August 1998, Wise was asked to take part in the documentary ''Bring Me Sunshine: The Heart and Soul of Eric Morecambe''. He agreed to do so but he was too ill by the time he was due to be interviewed in late 1998. He died on 21 March 1999.

External links

References

{{Morecambe and Wise 1994 British television series debuts 1994 British television series endings 1990s British comedy television series BBC One original programming British television specials Morecambe and Wise 1990s British television miniseries British English-language television shows