This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22607531
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Eddie Braben, Morecambe and Wise writer, dies at 82 | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Eddie Braben, the writer behind comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, has died at 82. | |
| He died on Tuesday morning after a short illness, his manager Norma Farnes confirmed. | He died on Tuesday morning after a short illness, his manager Norma Farnes confirmed. |
| He was a key member of their team, and was credited with contributing to their huge success by introducing comic elements of their off-stage relationship into their act. | He was a key member of their team, and was credited with contributing to their huge success by introducing comic elements of their off-stage relationship into their act. |
| Braben is also famed for writing for comedy greats such as David Frost, Ronnie Corbett and Ken Dodd. | Braben is also famed for writing for comedy greats such as David Frost, Ronnie Corbett and Ken Dodd. |
| He started writing with Morecambe and Wise in 1969, when he was invited to work for the BBC by the head of BBC TV light entertainment, Bill Cotton. | He started writing with Morecambe and Wise in 1969, when he was invited to work for the BBC by the head of BBC TV light entertainment, Bill Cotton. |
| Farnes said that Cotton "recognised the brilliance of Eddie's writing was the ideal marriage that would guarantee the success of Morecambe and Wise". | Farnes said that Cotton "recognised the brilliance of Eddie's writing was the ideal marriage that would guarantee the success of Morecambe and Wise". |
| Braben became a full-time comedy writer in the 1950s, and produced scripts for many of the comedians of the time, including fellow Liverpudlian Dodd. | |
| He worked with Dodd for nearly 15 years before being being lured to work at the BBC. | |
| His first experience of Morecambe and Wise was as a teenager when he saw them perform at the Liverpool Empire theatre where they were supporting Lena Hall. | |
| "I wasn't a fan when I first saw them," he told the BBC in 2004. "I thought they were too American: Ernie was abrasive and Eric was a bit silly." | |
| Pressure of writing | |
| Speaking to comedian Miranda Hart in March this year, Braben remembered the anxiety of working his the comedy duo at the height of their success. | |
| "The Morecambe and Wise Show became more important than Christmas," he said. | |
| "The real pressure came when I was sat in front of that typewriter with all those blank pages and there was a deadline and there was nothing happening. That's when you realised there were 20 million or 25 million people looking over your shoulder - all saying make me laugh." | |
| Although he kept the burden to himself, Braben admitted that he did "pay a price with health". | |
| Braben, who was born in Liverpool in 1930, sold his first joke to Charlie Chester for two shillings and six pence. | |
| Braben is survived by his wife Dee, three children and six grandchildren. | Braben is survived by his wife Dee, three children and six grandchildren. |