Morecambe and Wise: the Whole Story

Episode two
Continuing on from last week’s splendid opening act, the second and final part of this mammoth Eric & Ernie documentary picks up in 1968, where we find the lads comfortably ensconced at the BBC and poised to conquer the small screen. The Christmas shows, the dancing newsreaders, the ‘Plays Wot He Wrote’ and Andre Previn are all present and correct, but it’s to the programme’s immense credit that it never – well, rarely – feels like a simple excuse to trot out a parade of much-loved routines.

And while things are undoubtedly a little more familiar this time round, there are still plenty of nuggets to be mined from vintage news footage, sundry chat show appearances, E&E’s reaction to the satire boom, and behind-the-scenes bust-ups with writers and directors. The sketches aren’t bad, either.