Eric Sykes, CBE (May 4 1923 - ) was born in Oldham, Lancashire (now Greater Manchester) and is a British comedic writer and actor. He is widely regarded as an unsung hero behind much of the British comedy scene over the past 50 years.
He is perhaps best known for his BBC television sitcom with Hattie Jacques and Deryck Guyler, called Sykes. However, he was well-known on radio during the 1950s, both behind the scenes and in front of the microphone.
He also helped Spike Milligan with The Goon Show after Milligan's depression. He had first collaborated with Milligan on a radio special called Archie in Goonland, which was a crossover between The Goon Show and the "radio ventriloquism" show Educating Archie starring Peter Brough and his dummy Archie Andrews, which Sykes had been writing. Archie in Goonland was not a success, and all existing recordings and scripts have been destroyed, but Milligan and Sykes collaborated on numerous Goon Show scripts and shared an office for years afterward.
One of Sykes' best known creations is his classic wordless slapstick routine, The Plank, which began as a sketch in his TV series. It was later expanded into an enduringly popular 45-minute film in 1967, co-starring Sykes, Tommy Cooper, Jimmy Edwards, Roy Castle, Graham Stark, Stratford Johns, Jim Dale, Jimmy Tarbuck and Hattie Jacques. A third version was made in 1979 as a half-hour special, with an all-star cast including Charlie Drake, Charles Hawtrey and Wilfred Hyde-White . More recently, Sykes appeared as Mollocks, the servant of Dr Prunesquallor, in the BBC's mini-series adaptation of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast. He continues to act on stage, despite his advancing years.
Sykes became profoundly deaf as an adult. His "trademark" spectacles contain no lenses, but are rather a bone-conducting hearing aid.
In the New Year's Honours List published 31 December 2004 he was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Drama.
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Television
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Sykes
- Curry and Chips
- Dress Spectaculars
- Eric Sykes Show
- Gormenghast: It's Your Move
- Mr H is Late
- The Nineteenth Hole
Film
- If You Go Down to the Woods Today
- Invasion Quartet
- Kill or Cure
- Monte Carlo or Bust
- One Way Pendulum
- Rhubarb
- The Spy With the Cold Nose
- The Plank
- Watch Your Stern
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The Others
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