Advent Calendar 2023 Day 16: Bring Me Sunshine - A Tribute to Eric Morecambe

Eric Morecambe died in May 1984; six months later a variety gala at the Palladium, raising money for the British Heart Foundation and in the presence of their patron Prince Philip, assembled a remarkable line-up, treated like a Royal Variety Performance including the national anthem and a Michael Parkinson introduction. Ernie Wise opens the show with a song before leading on a stellar cast. In chronological order, deep breath... Max Bygraves, the Tiller Girls with special guest, Eli Woods, Roy Castle with unexpected hair and James Casey doing that same Jimmy James routine as always, comedy tumblers The Halfwits, Jim Davidson not even getting two minutes in before introducing the Chalky voice, Leslie Crowther, Bruce Forsyth at the piano and threatening to revive Sunday Night At The London Palladium, Petula Clark, Bertice Reading with Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, a parade of special guests from the Morecambe & Wise Show's history featuring an Arthur Tolcher run-in, Lionel Blair and Suzanne Danielle duetting on All That Jazz, Jimmy Tarbuck, Benny Hill making a rare stage appearance, Dickie Henderson, Wayne Sleep and Cherry Gillespie from the Hot Shoe Show, Cannon & Ball, Bonnie Langford involved in a song and dance routine with Ernie, Mike Yarwood, Des O'Connor and Elaine Paige. It even ends with a joke about Ern's parsimoniousness.