Morecambe and Wise: the Christmas specials The pair had been successful on ITV throughout the Sixties, but it was a move to the BBC at the end of the decade and the arrival of chief writer Eddie Braben which saw a shift in style and gave them their greatest success. "Until then, Ernie was more the orthodox straight man, but Eddie blurred the edges," explains Cryer. Realising how potentially funny Ernie was, he turned him into the pompous little playwright we all loved on the shows. Braben's involvement was crucial to their success, but Cryer believes it was Morecambe who still exercised creative control. "One reason their style is timeless is because they avoided topical sketches," says Cryer. On one of the festive shows, Eric told everyone not to refer to Father Christmas, holly or cotton-wool beards. When asked why, he replied, "We'll never get a repeat." Sure enough, that show was repeated the following Easter. Morecambe was also known not to suffer fools gladly. Cryer recalls an incident at the height of the duo's fame. Eric was cornered by a man pontificating to him about showbusiness. I thought, "Oh boy, you're going to get it because this is Eric Morecambe you're talking to." He said to Eric, "I always think, to be in showbusiness you need three things..." Eric butted in, replying, "If you've got three things you should be in a circus!" As Cryer got to know Morecambe and Wise, he began to realise that writing for friends could be difficult. I remember writing something for Eric and presenting it to him in a room full of people. He looked at it and said: "No, Barry, this isn't what I asked for - you weren't listening, try again!" I went off to the bar in a sulk. Not long after, he arrived and asked what the long face was for? I reminded him that he'd told me off in front of everyone and he replied: "That was there, this is here, what are you drinking?" I was a friend and he was able to separate work from his social life. Cryer believes that the pair never took anything for granted. They weren't complacent; in fact, Eric always said their happiest days were those when they weren't top of the bill. After reaching the pinnacle, the responsibility became so great. Before going on stage, Eric would pace up and down, plucking away at his pocket handkerchief, muttering to himself. In 1978 Morecambe and Wise returned to ITV with a contract that would allow them to make feature films. But the shows failed to reach the heights of their BBC heyday (their Seventies Christmas specials had seen audiences figures reach 25 million) and things came to an abrupt halt in 1984 when Morecambe suffered a massive heart attack on stage and died. He was 58. Wise died in 1999. Nearly three decades later, Morecambe and Wise are still held in high regard by viewers and contemporary comedians - Miranda Hart has described Morecambe as an idol. "If you ask any of today's comedy performers who their key influences were, Morecambe and Wise would be among the most important," says Cryer. They were the Premiership leaders in the double-act genre. In terms of personality and style, there won't be anyone like them again.