Morecambe and Wise Christmas Shows

From 1969 to 1977 the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show was the highlight of Christmas night viewing for millions of viewers.

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise were the nation’s most popular double act, a fact confirmed by the calibre of the stars who seemed to be queuing up to appear on their specials. Their popularity peaked with the 1977 Christmas Show, when a phenomenal 28 million viewers sat down to watch, the most watched comedy programme in British television history.

The Morecambe and Wise Show came to the BBC in 1968, following several successful years at ITV. Eric and Ernie entered their golden age with the second BBC series, in 1969, when Eddie Braben became their main writer.

Braben developed Eric and Ernie's comic personas, so Ernie was less of a traditional straight man to Eric, getting his own laughs. The Christmas Shows were longer versions of the main series, with more big name guests, and bigger routines.Eric’s heart condition limited their output in later years, but this only added to the sense of anticipation when the Christmas Show came around.

Eric and Ernie went back to ITV in 1978, but never recaptured the momentum of their BBC years. Although both comedians are now dead - Eric died in 1984 and Ernie in 1999 - their influence can be seen in double acts such as Reeves and Mortimer.