Road Rash Reviews

Morecambe and Wise: Xmas at ITV Review****-

Cert PG | 300 mins | 1978-1983

4 star festive blast from the past.

Morecambe and Wise: Xmas at ITV features the final six Christmas specials starring Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise and made for Thames Television, as shown on ITV between 1978 and 1983.

These episodes are presented here on DVD, three of them for the first time since they originally aired, courtesy of Network Distributing.

“I’ve got a card here, it’s a forgery. It says musically yours, Max Bygraves.”

This is an excellent feel good collection of sketches from this beloved English comedy duo. As always, they mix song and dance routines with lambasting the greats of the time, with guest stars such as Sir Harold Wilson, Leonard Rossiter, Robert Hardy, Rula Lenska,  Glenda Jackson and many many others.

There are a few stand out moments, in 1978 they conned the fantastic Frank Finlay into making a film called Nasteigh Manor, absolutely hilarious. One of the most interesting shows was 1979, which was filmed not long after Eric Morecambe had suffered a heart attack and took the form of ‘This is Your Life’. hosted by David Frost and featuring previous sketches and visits from many of the regular guests from the TV shows.

“I’m not a complete idiot you know.”

“Why? Which part’s missing?”

As the years progress, there is a feeling of things slowing down and of course 1983 was to be the final Christmas special, as Eric Morecambe sadly passed away the following year.

Although they don’t perhaps have quite the energy or commitment of their time at the BBC, these are nevertheless extremely entertaining and still something to be thoroughly enjoyed at Christmas time.

It’s great to see shows like these committed to modern formats for future generations to appreciate and this glorious release is the perfect stocking filler. Well worth adding to your collection.

“I’ve got enough problems of my own. I’ve just heard that Des O’Connor has made an unbreakable L.P.”

Morecambe and Wise: Xmas at ITV is available to buy now on DVD.

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DirectorKeith Beckett, John Ammonds, Mark Stuart
GenreComedy
StarringEric Morecambe, Ernie Wise, Leonard Rossiter, Des O'Connor, Glenda Jackson
Available to buy on : Own Morecambe and Wise: Xmas at ITV on DVD
Category: dvd, Review