''Eric and Ernie'' is a 2011 British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

based on the early career of the British comic double-act

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, working i ...

. The film was produced by BBC Wales, completed in 2010, and premiered on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

on 1 January 2011. It was watched by 6.65 million viewers. Since then, it has been repeated several times on

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

Plotline

Several years before World War II,

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 ...

man, a precocious and confident child performer, is signed up by influential impresario

Jack Hylton Jack Hylton (born John Greenhalgh Hilton; 2 July 1892 – 29 January 1965) was an English pianist, composer, band leader and impresario. Hylton rose to prominence during the British dance band era, being referred as the "British King of Jazz" ...

. In

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

, pushy stage mother Sadie Bartholomew drags her slightly reluctant son

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

, an eccentric dancer, from one audition to the next until he too is employed by Hylton. At first glance the boys do not initially get on but Sadie sees a way to use their cross-talk to form a bantering double act, originally known as Bartholomew and Wise. But as time goes on, Sadie comes to the conclusion that their name is stopping them from getting noticed, so after reading the local newspaper, ''The Morecambe Visitor'', she suggests that they should change their name to Morecambe and Wise. After war service they become successful on stage and on radio but their attempt to crack the new medium of television is a disaster because they have been forced to accept a script which will make their Northernness acceptable to Southern viewers. As a result, the duo go their own ways and split up. However, Sadie knows that their formula will work and pushes Eric, now married to dancer Joan, into contacting Ernie, who is married to dancer Doreen. They decide to reform, and to completely rewrite their own act that would become one of the most successful performing duos ever in British comedy.

Cast

In credits order: *

Victoria Wood Victoria Wood (19 May 1953 – 20 April 2016) was an English comedian, actress, lyricist, singer, composer, pianist, screenwriter, producer and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over se ...

as Sadie Bartholomew, Eric's mother *

Daniel Rigby Daniel Rigby (born 6 December 1982) is an English actor and comedian. He received a BAFTA TV Award for his leading role as Eric Morecambe in the 2011 television film ''Eric and Ernie''. Early life Rigby was born in Stockport, Greater Mancheste ...

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 ...

Bryan Dick Bryan Dick (born 1 February 1978Birthdayday (from Twitter)) is an English TV, stage and film actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Ernie Wise in the BBC's BAFTA-winning biopic of Morecambe and Wise, ''Eric and Ernie''. Career Aged 11, ...

* Jim Moir as George Bartholomew, Eric's father *

Reece Shearsmith Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of '' The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he l ...

as Harry Wiseman, Ernie's father *

Emer Kenny Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny (born 10 October 1989) is a British actress and screenwriter. Career Kenny made her professional debut in the 2007 BBC television drama ''Coming Down the Mountain'', and, in 2009, she made her film debut in Phil Clayd ...

as Joan Bartlett, Eric's wife *

Hannah Steele Hannah Steele is a British actress known for her roles in ''Wolf Hall'' and ''The Night Manager''. In 2016, she appeared in " Shut Up and Dance", an episode of the anthology series ''Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology ...

as Doreen Blythe, Ernie's wife * Josh Benson as Little Ernie * Thomas Atkinson as Little Eric * Thomas Aldersley as Club MC *

Ted Robbins Edward Michael Robbins (born 11 August 1955) is an English comic, actor, television presenter and radio broadcaster. He has performed as a warm-up artist for numerous pre-recorded comedy shows that have been filmed before live studio audiences i ...

* Jonah Lees as Young Eric *

Harry McEntire Harry McEntire (born September 14, 1990) is an English actor. He is known for his roles in Tower Block, for his numerous theatre roles, such as in the award-winning London production of '' Spring Awakening'', for starring in the English localiz ...

as Young Ernie * Ria Jones as Boarding House Landlady * Pam Shaw as Lily *

Esmé Bianco Esmé Augusta Bianco (born 25 May 1982) is a British actress and neo-burlesque performer, who is best known for her recurring roles as Ros on ''Game of Thrones'' and Jane Chatwin on '' The Magicians''. Career Bianco has posed for painters Chri ...

as Naked Showgirl * Andrew Greenough as Gordon Noval, Eric and Ernie's manager * Marcus Taylor as Stage Door Keeper #1 *

Lee Oakes Lee Oakes (born 1976) is an English actor best known for his role as Munch Wilkinson in the British comedy '' Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' and as Kev in the British television series '' After You've Gone,'' a friend and fellow bui ...

as Stage Door Keeper #2 *

Fine Time Fontayne Ian Crossley (born 1951), better known by the stage name Fine Time Fontayne, is an English actor and stage director. Early life Fontayne was born in Wombwell, West Riding of Yorkshire (now South Yorkshire) into a mining family. In the 1960s, h ...

as Stage Door Keeper #3 * Robert Willox as Doug, Glasgow Empire stage door keeper * Ian Ross-Henderson as Glasgow Empire Heckler *

Julian Wadham Julian Neil Rohan Wadham (born 7 August 1958) is an English actor of stage, film and television. He was educated at Ampleforth College and the Central School of Speech and Drama, third son of Rohan Nicholas Wadham DFC and Juliana Wadham, née ...

Ronnie Waldman Ronald Hartley Waldman (13 May 1914 – 10 March 1978) was a British radio presenter and television executive for the BBC. Biography Born in London, he was the eldest son of Michael Waldman OBE JP, a sometime Mayor of Hackney, and was educa ...

* Alex Price as Nigel, BBC writer * Stephen Aintree as Vernon Arnold * Martin Walsh as Fishmonger *

Angela Curran Angela Curran is an English actress, known for '' Death at a Funeral'' (2007), ''Jane Eyre'' (2011) and '' The Danish Girl'' (2015). In 2003, Curran had her own one woman show, ''Happy Talk'', broadcast on Radio 3. She appeared as security gu ...

as Edna, Sadie's friend *

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...

as Billy Crackers, warm-up comedian *

Carolynne Good Carolynne Willey (née Good; born 5 August 1980) is a British singer-songwriter, actress and former model from Leeds, England. She is a founding member of the Carolynne Good Band, based in Leeds and London. She is best known for finishing in ...

as Girl from Vasaria, in TV sketch * Clara Darcy as Theatre Usherette * Nicky P. Smalley as audience members

Filming locations

Amongst the locations used for filming include:- * Stockport Plaza and

New Mills New Mills is a town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a deep gorge cut t ...

Art Theatre for the various theatre interior shots *

O2 Apollo Manchester The O2 Apollo Manchester (known locally as The Apollo and formerly Manchester Apollo) is a concert venue in Ardwick Green, Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 (2,514 standing, 986 seats). History The ...

Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was originally ...

for the filming of their first TV series ''

Running Wild (1954 TV series) ''Running Wild'' was a comedy sketch show originally broadcast by BBC television, the first TV series by English comedy double-act Morecambe and Wise. The first attempt by the pair at a television series, it aired for a single series of six epi ...

'' *

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

for the various outdoor shots * Stockport Air Raid Shelters *

Morecambe Winter Gardens The Winter Gardens is a Grade II* listed building in Morecambe, Lancashire, England. Designed by architects Mangnall and Littlewood, with Frank Matcham as a consulting architect, it was originally built as the Victoria Pavilion Theatre in 1897 and ...

where Ernie performed his solo tap dance routines *

East Lancashire Railway East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway line in North West England which runs between Heywood, Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire. There are intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, , Summerseat and Ramsbottom, with ...

* Victoria Baths

Awards

Daniel Rigby won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor at the 2011 BAFTAs for his performance as Eric Morecambe.

References

External links

*
TV review: ''Eric and Ernie''
on

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

TV review: ''Eric and Ernie''
on

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

{{Victoria Wood 2011 television films 2011 films BBC television dramas British biographical films Films scored by Ilan Eshkeri Films set in 1938 Films set in 1940 Films set in 1941 Films set in 1942 Films set in 1943 Films set in 1946 Films set in 1954 Films set in Glasgow Films set in Lancashire Films set in London Films set in Manchester Morecambe and Wise Biographical films about entertainers Cultural depictions of comedians Cultural depictions of British people Films shot in Greater Manchester 2010s British films