Skip to main content

The Shrine of Morecambe & Wise

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 110 Accesses

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Comedy ((PSCOM))

Abstract

This chapter details the persistence of the comic duo into the twenty-first century, tracing both their continuing popularity as well as their contested use in multiple discourses. The chapter establishes that Morecambe & Wise function today as multivalent symbols attached to a growing range of cultural artefacts, events, people, and places within British culture.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    This bibliography lists all texts cited in this book. Unless otherwise indicated, the place of publication is London.

Bibliography

This bibliography lists all texts cited in this book. Unless otherwise indicated, the place of publication is London.

  • Archer, Neil (2017) Beyond a Joke: Parody in English Film and Television Comedy. I.B. Tauris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arts Council England (2007) Memorandum to Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Inquiry into Public Service Media Content. January, Annex 1. publications.parliament.uk.

  • Aspel, Michael (1990) This is Your Life: Ernie Wise. Thames. 26 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayers, Mark (2018) The Morecambe and Wise Show: The Lost Tapes. BBC. 26 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banham, Martin (1984) ‘BBC Television’s Dull Shakespeare,’ in C.B. Cox and David Palmer, eds, Shakespeare’s Wide and Universal Stage. Manchester UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker, Francis (1997) ‘Nationalism, Nomadism and Belonging in Europe: Coriolanus,’ in John J. Joughin, eds, Shakespeare and National Culture. Manchester UP, 233–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barry, Christopher, Robert Johnston, and Lesley Scanlan (1998) ‘Are Faces ‘Special’ Objects?: Associative and Semantic Priming of Face and Object Recognition and Naming.’ The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 51A.4, 853–882.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BBC (1972) Handbook. BBC Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • BBC (1979) Annual Review of BBC Audience Research Findings 1977/1978. BBC Publications. bbc.co.uk.

  • Bhatia, Nandi (1998) ‘‘Shakespeare’ and the Codes of Empire in India.’ Journal of Comparative Politics, 18, 96–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, Harold (1998) Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boon, Richard (2004) ‘A Star in Two Halves: The Democratic Comedy of Morecambe and Wise,’ in Jane Milling, Martin Banham, and Peter Thomson, eds, Extraordinary Actors: Essays on Popular Performers. Studies in Honour of Peter Thomson. Exeter UP, 176–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowyer, Alison (2008) Dawn French: The Unauthorized Biography. Pan Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyle, Raymond (2018) The Talent Industry: Television, Cultural Intermediaries, and New Digital Pathways. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, Peter (1998) ‘Laughter from a Vanished World.’ New Statesman. 127.4409, 20 October, 45–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bramley, Zoey (2016) William Shakespeare in 100 Facts. Stroud: Amberley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brierley, Peter, ed (2001) UK Christian Handbook: Religious Trends 3, 2002/2003. Christian Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton, Paul (2008) The Morecambe & Wise Quiz Book. JR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr, Robin, dir (1987) Hello Mum. BBC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, Liam, dir (2016) The Morecambe and Wise Story: Look Back in Laughter. Channel 5. 23 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cassidy, Jim, ed (1998) ‘The Secret Years: Diana.’ The Sunday Mail. 20 December, 4–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chakelian, Anoosh (2017) ‘To Stay Here After Brexit: Scientists are Swotting Up on Morecambe and Wise.’ New Statesman. 10 March.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapple, Mike (2005) ‘Ghost of Christmas TV Past.’ Daily Post. 12 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, Alistair (2012) Political Parties in the UK. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conboy, Martin (2011) Journalism in Britain: A Historical Introduction. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cotton, Bill (2000) Double Bill: 90 Years of Entertainment. Fourth Estate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, Mike, prod (1984) One of a Kind: An Appreciation of Eric Morecambe. Manchester: BBC Radio. 26 July.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, Richard (2007) Red Nose Day. BBC.

    Google Scholar 

  • De’ath, Roy (1971) ‘Let’s Boycott Common Market Goods.’ Acton Gazette. 4 November, 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobson, Michael (1992) The Making of the National Poet: Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Authorship, 1660–1769. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunkley, Christopher (2005) ‘Morecambe and Wise,’ in Annabel Merullo and Neil Wenborn, eds, British Comedy Greats. Octopus Publishing, 126–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, John (2005) ‘Importance, Significance, Cost and Value: Is an ITV Canon Possible?,’ in Catherine Johnson and Rob Turnock, eds, ITV Cultures: Independent Television Over Fifty Years. Open UP, 36–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, Phil (2018) ‘Awful!: But it Lifted the Gloom.’ Llanelli Star. 23 January, 10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faulk, Barry (2001) ‘Modernism and the Popular: Eliot’s Music Halls.’ Modernism/Modernity, 8.4, 603–621.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faulk, Barry (2004) Music Hall & Modernity: The Late-Victorian Discovery of Popular Culture. Columbus: Ohio UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Field, Clive (2017) Secularization in the Long 1960s: Numerating Religion in Britain. Oxford UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, John (2013/1973) Funny Way to Be a Hero. Preface.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gambaccini, Paul and Rod Taylor (1993) Television’s Greatest Hits: Every Hit Television Programme Since 1960. Network.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geddes, Louise (2017) Appropriating Shakespeare: A Cultural History of Pyramus and Thisbe. Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghose, Indira (2008) Shakespeare and Laughter: A Cultural History. Manchester UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghose, Indira (2010) ‘Jesting with Death: Hamlet in the Graveyard.’ Textual Practice, 24.6, 1003–1018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gillespie, Vincent (1999) ‘Review: Peter Lucas, From Author to Audience.’ The Review of English Studies, 50.198, 222–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, Julie (1982) ‘How to Spend It: Bird Watching for Christmas.’ The Financial Times. 4 December, 17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkes, Terence (1992) Meaning by Shakespeare. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hills, Dick (2002) ‘Eric Morecambe,’ in Michael Billington, ed, Stage and Screen Lives. Oxford UP, 233–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinojosa, Lynne Wallhout (2009) The Renaissance, English Cultural Nationalism, and Modernism, 1860–1920. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogg, James and Robert Sellers (2013) Hello Darlings!: The Authorized Biography of Kenny Everett. Bantam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoggart, Richard (2002) Between Two Worlds: Politics, Anti-politics, and the Unpolitical. Piscataway: Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoggart, Simon (2011) ‘Forgotten Laughter.’ The Spectator. 8 January.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holderness, Graham, ed (1988) The Shakespeare Myth. Manchester UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Martin (1972) Shakespeare and His Players. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Home Office, The (2013) Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents. 3rd Edition. Norwich: TSO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hudd, Roy (1976) Music Hall. Eyre Methuen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hudd, Roy and Philip Hindin (1997) Roy Hudd’s Cavalcade of Variety Acts: A Who Was Who of Light Entertainment, 1945–1960. Robson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, Terry, dir (1971–1987) The Two Ronnies. BBC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hume, Robert (1997) ‘Before the Bard: ‘Shakespeare’ in Early Eighteenth-Century London.’ ELH, 64.1, 41–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Humphries, Andy, dir (2013) Morecambe & Wise: The Whole Story. BBC. 24 November.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, Leon (1998) British Low Culture: From Safari Suits to Sexploitation. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkyns, Richard (2007) ‘Do We Need a Literary Canon?’ Prospect. 22 November.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnes, Martin (2016) Christmas and the British: A Modern History. Bloomsbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, Catherine and Rob Turnock, eds (2005) ‘Introduction: Approaching the Histories of ITV,’ in ITV Cultures: Independent Television Over Fifty Years. Open UP, 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kermode, Frank, ed (1975) Selected Prose of T.S. Eliot. New York: Harcourt Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, Paul, dir (2017) Miranda: Morecambe & Wise and Me. ITV. 1 January.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight, Andrew, ed (1977) ‘Give Them Back?’ The Economist. 9 July, 98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knowles, Sebastian (1998) ‘‘Then You Wink the Other Eye’: T.S. Eliot and the Music Hall.’ ANQ, 11.4, 20–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kynaston, David (2014) Modernity Britain, 1957–1962. Bloomsbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lanier, Douglas (2002) Shakespeare and Modern Popular Culture. Oxford UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, Simon, dir (2018–2019) Morecambe and Wise in America. UK Gold TV. 27 December–10 January.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lusted, David (1991) ‘The Glut of the Personality,’ in Christine Gledhill, ed, Stardom: Industry of Desire. Routledge, 251–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, Ali, dir (2017) Eric and Ernie’s Home Movies. BBC. 29 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Margolies, David (1988) ‘Teaching the Handsaw to Fly: Shakespeare as Hegemonic Instrument,’ in Graham Holderness, ed, The Shakespeare Myth. Manchester UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCann, Graham (1999) Morecambe & Wise. Fourth Estate.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, John (1981) A Good Night Out: Popular Theatre: Audience, Class, Form. Eyre Methuen.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, Joseph, dir (1985) Night Train to Murder. Thames. 3 January.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLoughlin, Jane (1987) ‘Books.’ Punch. 29 July, 54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Medhurst, Andy (2007) A National Joke: Popular Comedy and English Cultural Identities. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, Toby (2015) ‘Introduction,’ in Manueal Alvardo Milly Buonanno, Herman Gray, and Toby Miller, eds, The Sage Handbook of Television Studies. Sage, xix–xliv.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moran, Joe (2010) ‘‘Stand Up and Be Counted’: Hughie Green, the 1970s and Popular Memory.’ History Workshop Journal, 70, 172–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moran, Joe (2013) Armchair Nation: An Intimate History of Britain in Front of the TV. Profile.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Eric, and Ernie Wise (1964) Mr. Morecambe Meets Mr. Wise. EMI. CSD 1522.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Eric, and Ernie Wise (1973) Eric & Ernie: The Autobiography of Morecambe & Wise. W.H. Allen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Eric, and Ernie Wise (1979) Bring Me Sunshine: A Harvest of Morecambe and Wise. Futura.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Eric, and Ernie Wise (1981) An Autobiography by Morecambe and Wise with help from Michael Freedland: There’s No Answer to That!!. Arthur Barker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Eric, and Ernie Wise (2008) The Morecambe and Wise Show: The Thames Years. Network.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Eric, and Ernie Wise (2010) Morecambe & Wise: The BBC Collection. BBC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Eric, and Ernie Wise (2016) Morecambe & Wise: Two of a Kind. Network.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Eric, and Ernie Wise (2018) Morecambe & Wise: The Complete BBC Radio 2 Series. BBC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Gary (2009) You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Eric Morecambe. HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Gary (2013a) Eric Morecambe: Life’s Not Hollywood It’s Cricklewood Not Hollywood. Ebury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morecambe, Gary (2013b) The Treasures of Morecambe & Wise: Bring Me Sunshine. Carlton Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mroz, Ann, ed (2011) ‘Stop Asking Silly Questions.’ The Times Higher Education Supplement. 6 January, 64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nathan, David (1971) The Laughtermakers: A Quest for Comedy. Peter Owen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, Kate (2018) ‘Bring us Sunshine: No-Nukes Vow as Korea Leaders Meet.’ Daily Star. 28 April, 2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nolan, Philip (1995) ‘Wise Up: Bring Back Eric.’ Evening Herald. 28 December, 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parfitt, George, ed (1996) Ben Jonson: The Complete Poems. Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parris, Matthew, present (2006) ‘Morecambe and Wise.’ Great Lives. BBC Radio. 4 April.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paynter, R. and R. Davis (1970) The Morecambe & Wise Family Fun Book. Ipswich: Premiums in Print.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piper, Helen (2011) ‘Vintage Entertainment: Nostalgia, the Archive, and the Disappearing Pleasures of Collective Television Viewing.’ Journal of British Cinema and Television, 8.3, 411–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prescott, Paul (2005) ‘The Comedy of Errors.’ Shakespeare Bulletin, 23.4, 66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Purser, Philip (2004) ‘Tynan, Kenneth Peacock (1927–1980).’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pye, Dave (2002) ‘Attack of the Clones.’ Warrington Guardian. 17 May.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, Terry, ed (1995) ‘Ronnie Flips to the Other Side.’ The Daily Record. 14 February, 25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Revoir, Paul (2018) ‘Xmas TV a Total Turn-Off: Net Hits Ratings BBC & ITV Viewing Low.’ The Sun. 3 January, 23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, Bob (2017) ‘The Inadequate Folly That is The Current Labour Party.’ Blasting News. 8 May. uk.blastingnews.com.

  • Rudin, Richard (2011) Broadcasting in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, Kiernan (2015) Shakespeare’s Universality: Here’s Fine Revolution. Bloomsbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandbrook, Dominic (2005) Never Had It So Good: A History of Britain From Suez to the Beatles. Little Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandbrook, Dominic (2013/2012) Seasons in the Sun: The Battle for Britain, 1974–1979. Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saul, Rosalind (2017) ‘Hospital Takes ‘Morecambe and Wise’ Approach to Handling Patients.’ The Bolton News. 28 April.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seaton, Jean (2017) Pinkoes and Traitors: The BBC and the Nation, 1974–1987. Profile.

    Google Scholar 

  • Senelick, Laurence (1993) ‘Moonlighting in the Music Hall: The Double Life of Charles Rice.’ Theatre Survey, 34.2, 29–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, Fergus (2005) ‘Desperate Controllers in Search of TV Hits.’ Edinburgh: The Scotsman. 2 June, 24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shrosbree, Emily (2016) ‘United Kingdom Population Mid-year Estimate.’ Office for National Statistics, www.ons.gov.uk.

  • Shulman, Milton (1971) ‘Spice of Life?’ Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 25 November, 10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, Martyn, dir (2003) I’m Dreaming of a TV Christmas. Manchester: BBC. 24 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomons, Jason (2015) ‘Woody and I.’ Jewish Quarterly, 62.3, 9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, John, dir (2019) Trust Morecambe & Wise. UK Gold TV. 8–29 November.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark, Graham, dir (1970) Simon, Simon. Hemdale. 25 July.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, Simon and David Thompson (2015) ‘Does Comedy Kill? A Retrospective, Longitudinal Cohort, Nested Case-control Study of Humour and Longevity in 53 British Comedians.’ International Journal of Cardiology, 180, 258–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Talbot, Patrick, dir (2017) Morecambe & Wise Forever. ITV. 16–17 April.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tangney, John (2010) ‘Review: The Genius of Shakespeare. 10th Anniversary Edition. Jonathan Bate.’ The Sixteenth Century Journal, 41.4, 1240–1242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarbuck, Liza, present (2007) Morecambe & Wise: The Greatest Moment. UK Gold. 2 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, Gary (1989) Reinventing Shakespeare: A Cultural History, From the Restoration to the Present. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, Harry (1980) ‘Reviewing the Viewing.’ The Newcastle Journal. 20 September, 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tominey, Camilla (2017) ‘It Is Commonly Held.’ The Express on Sunday. 8 January, 29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tynan, Kenneth (1975) ‘The Maturing of Eric Morecambe.’ The Sound of Two Hands Clapping. New York: Holt, Rinehart, 70–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vauncez, Sidney (1963) ‘Variety Goes British.’ The Stage Year Book, 1963. Carson & Comerford, 15–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vickers, Brian (2004) Shakespeare, Co-Author: A Historical Study of Five Collaborative Plays. Oxford UP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagg, Stephen (2011) “They Can’t Stop Us Laughing’; Politics, Leisure, and the Comedy Business,’ in Peter Bramham and Wagg, eds, The New Politics of Leisure and Pleasure. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 169–194.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen Hamrick .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Hamrick, S. (2020). The Shrine of Morecambe & Wise. In: Shakespeare and Sexuality in the Comedy of Morecambe & Wise. Palgrave Studies in Comedy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33958-6_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics