Gary Morecambe

A history of the British television comedy double act Morecambe & Wise to coincide with the BBC drama about their early lives.

Morecambe & Wise are arguably the most popular and loved double acts ever to have been on television, but off it they built up quite an archive too - largely unseen until now - which reveals what Eric and Ernie were really like in the company of family and friends. Both Eric and Ernie were avid home movie makers, chronicling their rise to fame and recording key moments in their private and family lives, at home and abroad. Now for the first time, with access to Morecambe & Wise's entire home movie collection, this documentary shows Eric and Ernie at work and at play, on tour and on holiday, from summer season in Blackpool to trying to make it in the USA, from their pre-television fame days to the height of their career.

A series of sketches taken from the recently-unearthed Morecambe & Wise tape that contained footage which had not been seen for 50 years, and was believed to have been lost forever. The newly discovered half-hour show featured a series of gag-packed routines involving stage curtains, ventriloquism and a daring sketch in which Eric eavesdrops on a newly wedded couple in the flat next door. Now, contributors including Jonathan Ross, Ben Miller and Eddie Izzard look back at this rare slice of classic comedy once again.

When a homeowner and master burglar become aware they are in separate parts of the house, a frantic game of cat-and-mouse ensues.

Sir Lenny Henry and his special guests celebrate Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, mixing rarely seen archive clips with some more familiar favourites.