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| Eddie Braben, Morecambe and Wise writer, dies at 82 | 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. | 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". |
| Comedians have been paying their respects on Twitter including Jack Dee who tweeted: "What a great and lasting contribution Eddie Braben made to British comedy." | |
| David Baddiel called him a "man who, comically, played all the right notes, in the right order, all the time," on his Twitter feed. | |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | 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." | "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 | 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. | 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 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." | "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". | 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, who was born in Liverpool in 1930, sold his first joke to Charlie Chester for two shillings and six pence. |
| 'Mesmerised' by radio | |
| He was a big fan of Arthur Askey, who rose to stardom in the first regular radio comedy series, BBC's Band Waggon. | |
| "As a small boy I stood mesmerised standing in front of that small box called the wireless," said Braben, whose first aim was to be on the radio. | |
| It was not until the mid 70s that he starred in his first radio comedies, including The Show with Ten Legs in which he starred alongside Dad's Army actor Bill Pertwee. | |
| In 2001, Braben collaborated with Hamish McColl and Sean Foley on the Olivier award-winning The Play What I Wrote, a tribute to the relationship between Morecambe, Wise and Braben. | |
| Directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring actor Toby Jones, it opened at the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre before transferring to London's West End. | |
| Braben is survived by his wife Dee, three children and six grandchildren. | Braben is survived by his wife Dee, three children and six grandchildren. |