The Morecambe & Wise Show (1978)

No series was made in 1978 in an effort to make the Christmas Show stronger, but there was one hour-long offering (the same length as the BBC shows had been, but with adverts. This opened with an amusing sequence whereby a lorry with a BBC logo emblazoned on its side, appears at Thames Television's studios, the back doors are flung open, and Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise are thrown out, in a direct nod to the bad feeling that was present at the time the partnership had departed their previous employers. The format remained reasonably faithful to that used previously although Eddie Braben did not join them immediately. There's the familiar end-of-show play "What Ern Wrote", this time it is a pastiche of Dr Jekyll & Mrs Hyde: however, there is a more cinematic feel to the parody and it moves beyond the confines of being a single set stage piece. There is also a brilliant pet shop sketch with the memorable will he come out for a bit of kit kat? line, itself a nod to the fact the duo were now on commercial television.

The eyes of nation were waiting for their favourite double-act to deliver the goods having defected from the BBC and they were not disappointed. With a strong line-up of guest stars, notably Leonard Rossiter fresh from success in The Fall & Rise Of Reginald Perrin who provided the third Andrews Sister (!) in a Fabulous Forties segment and a spoof This Is Your Life' with the Royal Family opening the show the only let down was the fact that the press had leaked the fact that recently-resigned Prime Minister Harold Wilson was to appear. The show was a success nonetheless but would have been more so if the appearance of the ex-premier had been kept quiet. There is one particularly amusing incident when Wilson manages to upset Morecambe who disappears to the back of the flat, returning with a Maggie Rules O.K. banner, a reference to Margaret Thatcher who would soon become Prime Minister the following year.

This was the only television programme the duo made in this year, with Morecambe's heart attack ensuing a lull in their activities. To a certain extent, the duo's output was seen to be "playing it safe" by bringing back safe and established guest stars and this edition saw the return of actress Glenda Jackson and the inevitable Des O'Connor as well as newcomer to the show, David Frost who interviewed the duo about their long career. The show was more of an interview on the whole, but there was some newly-made material, the stand-out section being a mimed version of the novelty song I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat with Morecambe as the mischievous Sylvester the cat and Wise as Tweety Pie. Harking back to the duo's previous incarnation at the BBC the programme also featured Arthur Tolcher (not now, Arthur!) and Janet Webb who had appeared at the end of their show ten years previously as "the lady who comes down at the end. The show played heavily on the pair's previous success with their festive programmes, and further cemented their relationship with the viewing public by appearing despite Morecambe's poor health. As a joke on his recent heart by-pass operation, Morecambe was not permitted to descend the staircase in the studio and this duty was performed by Garfield Morgan. However, when Morecambe did appear, he ran up and down the same staircase several times to prove his fitness. When united with Wise the pair embraced and stated how good it was to be back together again.

Another outing sees further material re-used; the opening spot on-stage is however largely new and sees Eric presenting Ernie with a life-sized monogrammed wallet which he is at times. duly trapped inside; following this Mick McManus replaces Henry Cooper in a re-worked sketch, Jill Gascoigne visits the duo for dinner (previously Ann Hamilton had appeared in this sketch), a new Rolf Harris sketch also features, Alec Guinness is the doctor who sees two as one, and Peter Barkworth provides the butt for jokes in the Ernie Wise's Hamlet skit at the end.

This show marked in some ways the fact that Morecambe & Wise were no longer a prime asset; it was the first time in their television careers that their festive offering had not been broadcast on Christmas Night, the schedulers opting instead for 23 December. This was also because, until 1982, Thames Television only operated from Monday at 9.25am until Friday at 7pm; as Christmas Day fell on a Friday, London Weekend Television (LWT) held the franchise to broadcast that evening. The guest list was nonetheless impressive with Ralph Richardson heading up a stellar list, Suzanne Danielle doing a Razzle Dazzle routine with the boys, a re-hash of the BBC health food shop routine, now featuring Valerie Minfie, and the obligatory play, which was Julius Caesar, a thinly covered remake of the popular BBC sketch Antony & Cleopatra from ten years earlier. This show saw M&W use technology more to gain laughs with blue screen techniques being used in some sketches.

Returning from the previous seasonal show was All Creatures Great & Small star Robert Hardy, joined by both Rula Lenska, Richard Vernon who had appeared in previous shows; the opening routine perhaps prophetically discussed the retiring of the double act but this in itself was a further reworking of BBC material but somehow the pace of the dialogue was becoming lost. In an update of several older sketches, the Video Shop was offered as well as a Lingere Shop and a Chatanooga Choo Choo routine. Notable of this and many other shows was the absence of the favourite signature tune over the end credits. It was a very small omission but one that did not go unnoticed by the viewing public. Again, this show was not broadcast on Christmas Night but two evenings later.

What was to be the duo's final festive offering was billed once again as Eric & Ernie's Xmas Show and some re-hashed material from earlier BBC shows despite Eddie Braben's continued input. The most notable re-used ideas was the Harpenden Hot-Shots and the final play "What Ern Wrote" was entitled The Planter's Wife and featured Nanette Newman in the titular role. This sketch set in Malaysia has some good moments but the musical ending is done by some poorly realised puppets, perhaps a sign that Morecambe was no longer fit enough for an extended dance routine. The sketch that had aired originally in the 1976 seasonal show with Elton John ("sounds like an exit on the motorway...") was thinly re-worked here with Peter Skellern in the same role – although the timing here is off and Morecambe looks to be going through the motions. A song-and-dance number of 'Swinging Down The Lane' closes the proceedings but there's no signature tune to be heard.