:00:21. > :00:26.Good evening, it's wonderful to be with you once again. The first ever
:00:27. > :00:31.reunion for school dancers took place tonight at the Albert Hall and
:00:32. > :00:34.was a huge success with over 3000 people standing in the same corner.
:00:35. > :00:38.He made us laugh as one half of one of the most famous comedy double
:00:39. > :00:41.acts of all time, but today brought very sad news with the death
:00:42. > :00:46.At just five foot tall, he was a giant of British comedy.
:00:47. > :00:49.Tonight, in a packed show, we'll be paying tribute to the man
:00:50. > :00:51.who made the nation laugh for over five decades.
:00:52. > :00:54.And we want to hear from you if you were lucky enough
:00:55. > :00:57.to have met Ronnie and managed to get a photograph of you both.
:00:58. > :01:00.Please send it to us, tell us where and when it was,
:01:01. > :01:03.and we'll show as many as we can later in the show.
:01:04. > :01:06.Tonight, we'll also be enjoying some of his work and talking to friends
:01:07. > :01:09.Later we'll be talking to comedy writer David Renwick,
:01:10. > :01:11.who created some of the Two Ronnies classic sketches.
:01:12. > :01:14.But first, with us in the studio are two of his earliest
:01:15. > :01:22.collaborators and lifelong friends, Michael Palin and Barry Cryer.
:01:23. > :01:33.Hello. Barry, your thoughts today, hearing this news. It is a shock,
:01:34. > :01:37.not a surprise. We heard he was not well. I was out and about today in
:01:38. > :01:44.London and I got the phone call from the One Show saying, sorry, didn't
:01:45. > :01:49.you know? It shatters you. I am coping but they will grow on me as
:01:50. > :01:55.time goes on. Having said that, I can't think about him without
:01:56. > :02:00.starting to grin. Michael, what is your favourite memory of Ronnie?
:02:01. > :02:05.There are an awful lot of brilliant sketches, but I run the him once on
:02:06. > :02:09.the film fierce creatures, and he was playing a zookeeper who had to
:02:10. > :02:14.throw fish into the water and sea lions would come out. Working with
:02:15. > :02:20.animals took a long time. Ronnie was wonderful at keeping everybody
:02:21. > :02:24.patient. On the 14th take, he was asked to carry a dead ostrich and he
:02:25. > :02:29.finally flipped. It was wonderful to see him go. He did not shout a lot,
:02:30. > :02:38.he just quivered and you thought, stay away! Barry, you have been part
:02:39. > :02:45.of his TV career from the beginning. It must be difficult to choose a
:02:46. > :02:50.favourite memory. Memory of The Frost Report has just come to me.
:02:51. > :02:56.There is so much to remember. Ronnie Barker standing at the bottom of a
:02:57. > :02:59.shoot, a laundry chute in a hotel, and Ronnie Corbett comes down the
:03:00. > :03:03.chute at high speed and stands up and says good evening and he leaves.
:03:04. > :03:09.What is going on? It keeps happening. Ronnie Corbett keeps
:03:10. > :03:15.appearing. He is being thrown out of a room up there and stuffed into the
:03:16. > :03:21.dumb waiter or something. And it was just his dignity, the nonchalance. I
:03:22. > :03:23.have just come down and it is very embarrassing but I will just say
:03:24. > :03:30.good evening and walk out the other side. He was brilliant at that. And
:03:31. > :03:35.the legendary four candles sketch. Ronnie Barker just gave it to him.
:03:36. > :03:41.If you watch Ronnie Corbett in that sketch, his reaction is superb. A
:03:42. > :03:47.consummate professional. It is wonderful to have you here with
:03:48. > :03:52.these personal memories. Thank you. Tributes have been pouring in with
:03:53. > :03:54.comedians, politicians and fans sharing their memories. But let's
:03:55. > :04:12.hear from Ronnie in his own words. Welcome to Ronnie Corbett's world of
:04:13. > :04:19.comedy. I had gone through school being pretty dull and average at
:04:20. > :04:23.best at most things. Curiously enough for a little person, I was
:04:24. > :04:28.never bullied or victimised at all, so perhaps I was a bright spark than
:04:29. > :04:34.I thought, because I was never unhappy at school. I did not see
:04:35. > :04:38.myself as being a comic. Most of the actors I chatted to, I would say
:04:39. > :04:42.would love to be in the theatre. They would say, the shape and size
:04:43. > :04:48.of you, I would think you are going to be a comedian. David Frost rang
:04:49. > :04:54.me and said, could I take you out to tea? He took me to tea at the Ritz.
:04:55. > :04:59.He said, I am going to do a show called The Frost Report, and a chap
:05:00. > :05:04.called Ronnie Barker has been asked to do it, and I have asked a chap
:05:05. > :05:11.called Jon pleased to do it, and I am asking you if you would do it. --
:05:12. > :05:17.John Bickley 's. The Two Ronnies came about through an extension of
:05:18. > :05:24.doing Frost on Sunday. We were doing at the Palladium.
:05:25. > :05:27.Due to bad weather, the strike at Heathrow has been diverted to
:05:28. > :05:33.Manchester. The show would start and end like
:05:34. > :05:39.that. It is good night from him. There would be a musical item,
:05:40. > :05:47.sketches, and there would be Ronnie's bit. There would be my bit.
:05:48. > :05:53.That shape remained the same throughout.
:05:54. > :05:57.My secret is out. I am glad for all our sakes. Come, sit down, the
:05:58. > :06:02.weather's fine, we will have some tea and cake.
:06:03. > :06:07.I did become a better comic actor under Ronnie's influence. I think he
:06:08. > :06:14.thinks I brought a bit of vaudeville jollity to him.
:06:15. > :06:20.# Cormier scrubber. #
:06:21. > :06:24.I had all these vaudeville skills. A bit ahead of Ronnie. Perhaps he did
:06:25. > :06:29.not feel so nimble on his feet because he had not done song and
:06:30. > :06:33.dance to the extent that I had. We decided it would be more calming,
:06:34. > :06:39.direct and personal if I was sitting in a chair actually talking from the
:06:40. > :06:43.back. If they were particularly tough, I used to say to them, I am
:06:44. > :06:49.going to do this bit again. If you are not sure when to laugh, I will
:06:50. > :06:56.touch my glasses like that. We had a bit of trouble with that
:06:57. > :07:01.furniture. Caught Dutch elm disease. That's not a pretty sight.
:07:02. > :07:09.We were still a big Saturday night show. But he lost his appetite for
:07:10. > :07:14.it, so I had a year and a half to think what I might do after that. At
:07:15. > :07:19.the time I was still doing Sorry, so I still had that in the summer. I
:07:20. > :07:25.did not want him to think for a minute that I was being left in the
:07:26. > :07:31.lurch, and I wasn't. Apologies to the two fat ladies from the one fat
:07:32. > :07:36.man. There is a feeling that maybe I am a little more diminished on my
:07:37. > :07:45.own van in fact I am. You would not change anything. I could not have
:07:46. > :07:51.had a more charmed life. Heeded did lead a charmed life and
:07:52. > :07:55.what a legacy he has left. Barry, you were there for the
:07:56. > :07:58.what a legacy he has left. Barry, big break. That glimpse was from
:07:59. > :08:09.don't walk on the grass. He went onto the grass and did but walk. He
:08:10. > :08:13.danced, did the splits, cartwheels. David Frost was massive at the time.
:08:14. > :08:20.I had written this show and Ronnie was in it and David Frost invited us
:08:21. > :08:26.for a drink. We said, my God, David Frost. Ronnie went into the Frost
:08:27. > :08:31.report and I became a writer, which in those days was a big thing. You
:08:32. > :08:38.could have been awful but if you are known as a David Frost writer it was
:08:39. > :08:44.great. No cash! Is it true that you met Ronnie Corbett and your wife on
:08:45. > :08:51.the same day? Yes, and I tossed a coin and married her. Could you tell
:08:52. > :08:57.from the moment that The Two Ronnies met that there was alchemy and magic
:08:58. > :09:00.between them instantly? There was a moment in front of the camera which
:09:01. > :09:07.Michael Palin will tell you about, where they were in a police station.
:09:08. > :09:12.Was a quickie, really. One of them said, hello, superb, and the other
:09:13. > :09:23.said hello, wonderful. You can watch that clip. Morning, super. Morning,
:09:24. > :09:27.wonderful. So short and simple. One of your
:09:28. > :09:37.favourites, right. Credit to the author. It was Terry and whilst
:09:38. > :09:46.Kington. They perfectly understood comedy. I never saw them forget a
:09:47. > :09:50.line, or fluff it. They knew how to play it seriously to get laughs.
:09:51. > :09:53.Some of the things they played with enormous intensity, as though it was
:09:54. > :10:00.not comedy, which made it much funnier. You have spoken today about
:10:01. > :10:08.his silliness. There was a twinkle in his eye. Ethnically. That was
:10:09. > :10:14.good for the mix with Ronnie Barker, who was slightly more serious. --
:10:15. > :10:23.definitely. When they went to ITV, pardon the expression... It is OK,
:10:24. > :10:30.you can mention it once. Live television, you could feel little
:10:31. > :10:33.Ronnie would be delighted if a bit of scenery fell down or someone came
:10:34. > :10:40.on at the wrong moment, and Ronnie Barker hated it. Ronnie Corbett had
:10:41. > :10:45.the ability to cope with the moment. He was a giggle. He would break up
:10:46. > :10:49.very easily, except when he was doing the sketches. Luckily, he had
:10:50. > :10:54.very good writers throughout who made the best of the material. I
:10:55. > :11:00.wrote some stuff for him and it was a joy to see him perform it. Some of
:11:01. > :11:06.the sketches were tough, so wordy. He took great pride in the work,
:11:07. > :11:12.never got a thing wrong. He was a great reactor. If you watch him, it
:11:13. > :11:17.is underrated. If you watch Ronnie Corbett in a sketch, the emotions
:11:18. > :11:23.flitting across his face, his reaction to everything going on.
:11:24. > :11:28.Brilliant. He was very self-deprecating which must have
:11:29. > :11:34.been a joy. He was arrogant in his humility. Always going on and on
:11:35. > :11:38.about his humility. Some comedians would have had enough of the height
:11:39. > :11:43.jokes. He was doing them until the end. He did not want to to start
:11:44. > :11:52.with and Ronnie Barker encouraged him. Then he started - I have a
:11:53. > :11:58.passport photograph, life-size. Danny La Rue called him a miniature
:11:59. > :12:06.Carrie Grant. What was the process like, working for Ronnie Corbett.
:12:07. > :12:10.You did more than I did. We wrote the script, sent it in and if you
:12:11. > :12:15.were lucky one of them was chosen, because these were great performers
:12:16. > :12:20.and there were a lot of writers. There was a gang of us. You knew it
:12:21. > :12:29.would be done in Mac in leaf. Particularly Ronnie Barker. --
:12:30. > :12:34.immaculately. They never disagreed. They were completely on one
:12:35. > :12:41.wavelength. After a bit, you knew what their strengths were. We would
:12:42. > :12:47.write very irritating people. And Ronnie could do them brilliantly,
:12:48. > :12:53.better than anybody. But they would change roles all the time. In some
:12:54. > :12:59.sketches, Ronnie Barker would be the straight man. And the other way
:13:00. > :13:07.around in another sketch. He could do almost every accent going. On the
:13:08. > :13:12.line, another of Ronnie's great friends. Sir Bruce Forsyth. It is a
:13:13. > :13:21.sad day. Tell us about your favourite memory of Ronnie. This has
:13:22. > :13:32.been one of the saddest days of my life.
:13:33. > :13:44.We can hear you. Sorry about that. I am not very good with television the
:13:45. > :13:57.mode controls. It's the red button! Anyway, hello.
:13:58. > :14:07.Things have been going through my mind all day. When you have known
:14:08. > :14:13.somebody so well, it's very difficult not to keep thinking about
:14:14. > :14:19.him. Barry, remember the time he came to my apartment and we were
:14:20. > :14:28.going to rehearse, and you were there. He arrived, the buzzer went,
:14:29. > :14:40.and I went to get a picture of who was outside. I pressed the button
:14:41. > :14:51.and saw the picture, and all I could see was the top of a head. I said,
:14:52. > :14:59.who is it? He said, its Ronnie. Where are you? Down here. We can't
:15:00. > :15:06.see you. He came up, we did the rehearsal and everything. What a
:15:07. > :15:16.great sense of timing he had. We were doing something upstairs. He
:15:17. > :15:21.went down in the lift, got to the bottom, pressed my bell again, just
:15:22. > :15:29.so we could see the top of his head leaving. Barry will tell you, we
:15:30. > :15:34.went through a lot together with Barry.
:15:35. > :15:46.He spent a lot of time with Ronnie on the golf course, didn't you? Yes.
:15:47. > :15:54.One of my regulars about Ronnie was he had a nasty accident, a very bad
:15:55. > :16:00.accident, he fell into a divet! Thank you so much, Sir Bruce. Thank
:16:01. > :16:06.you for talking to us. It is a very sad day and we're all going to miss
:16:07. > :16:12.him so much. Thank you. Here on The One Show we regularly hear from the
:16:13. > :16:15.sons and daughters of the famous. Ronnie's daughter Sophie gave us an
:16:16. > :16:19.insight into what it was like growing up with one of the UK's
:16:20. > :16:25.funniest men. People say, what does your dad do?
:16:26. > :16:40.We say, he is a comedian. People say ah! Do we know him? Yeah. Who is he,
:16:41. > :16:46.then? And we go, Ronnie Corbett. I'm told when my dad was younger he
:16:47. > :16:49.was a bit of a lady-killer and actually I can believe it when I
:16:50. > :16:56.look back at the photographs, because he has a twinkle in his eye.
:16:57. > :17:01.My mum and dad networking in Danny LaRue's nightclub. My mum, back then
:17:02. > :17:09.known as Anne Part, was really successful. She was kind of leading
:17:10. > :17:13.lady of the West End and can still sing like a fantastic diva, like she
:17:14. > :17:19.did back then, but she gave it up for us, really. She had three of us
:17:20. > :17:24.all in April, one year after the other, so Andrew was born, then MR,
:17:25. > :17:29.then me. But Andrew had a hole in his heart and his heart was on the
:17:30. > :17:36.wrong side. They got to bring him home for one night... And, yeah,
:17:37. > :17:40.they lost. I think it terrified Mum, as it would do. I don't think she
:17:41. > :17:45.ever wanted to go back to work because she was so
:17:46. > :17:50.something would happen to us. We did travel, I suppose, compared
:17:51. > :17:54.with most families, quite a lot, so the whole house would go and Mum
:17:55. > :18:04.would take the Twin Towers, the cat, the dog, the guinea pigs, the
:18:05. > :18:05.would take the Twin Towers, the cat, knack of making everywhere look like
:18:06. > :18:10.our home within three hours. The main thing was
:18:11. > :18:13.our home within three hours. The mum and dad, and that's all you want
:18:14. > :18:20.as a child. When I was about 13, Dad was doing a
:18:21. > :18:31.sketch on this very stage. When I was about 13, Dad was doing a
:18:32. > :18:38.to give me his, erm... His wholehearted support? No. His ginger
:18:39. > :18:47.nuts. I would sit in his dressing room and be his dresser for a week.
:18:48. > :18:53.My dad has a couple of extravagances in his life and one of them is his
:18:54. > :18:58.clothes. He needs his attire to be just right and I'm sure it's because
:18:59. > :19:03.he is petite. A lot of my memories with him, which I love, is going
:19:04. > :19:08.around and kind of looking at interior was and getting things just
:19:09. > :19:11.right. -- looking at the material and getting the finishing touches
:19:12. > :19:20.just right. That's what my dad was about. I love the dance routines.
:19:21. > :19:24.Much more hilarious than sad. The two of them were soul mates, no
:19:25. > :19:32.doubt about it. And they were brilliant, won't they?
:19:33. > :19:37.Of actually worked -- I have actually worked with my dad in
:19:38. > :19:40.pantomimes and he's a perfectionist but a charming perfectionist, so
:19:41. > :19:45.nobody lets him down. He was quite gentle, really. When he puts his
:19:46. > :19:51.foot down, you puts his foot down, and then you might get clobbered in
:19:52. > :19:55.the face. And we all go, ooh! The sketch, fork handles, when he is
:19:56. > :20:00.behind the bar and getting more and more annoyed, that is the face. My
:20:01. > :20:06.dad has been described quite a few times recently as being a national
:20:07. > :20:11.treasure. Such lovely memories and our
:20:12. > :20:15.thoughts go out to Ronnie's wife, his daughters Sophie and Emma and
:20:16. > :20:20.his four grandchildren. We have had a couple of photos already. Stevie
:20:21. > :20:29.met Ronnie at a charity golf day in East Lothian.
:20:30. > :20:35.And here we have a fan of Ronnie Corbett. He was a little big man,
:20:36. > :20:42.just like Ian grew up to be. Rest in peace, both of you.
:20:43. > :20:46.Please keep sending these pictures in. Now we are joined by writer
:20:47. > :20:52.David Rennick, who, along with Barry, wrote some of The Two
:20:53. > :20:55.Ronnies' most iconic sketches. We would love to him grow some more
:20:56. > :20:59.memories from you of what it was like working with Ronnie and writing
:21:00. > :21:08.with him. Did he ever challenge you on script, editing, rewriting? Not
:21:09. > :21:18.really. I come myself as a generation behind Mike and Barry! I
:21:19. > :21:23.don't like to rub it in! Thanks(!) Nevertheless... I grew up certainly
:21:24. > :21:32.watching The Frost Report and Frost on Sunday. So then to be propelled
:21:33. > :21:38.actually into that environment and working with them was just an
:21:39. > :21:43.amazing... A dream team. I started out as so many people did, my
:21:44. > :21:49.generation, contributing lines to the newsdesk or the odd joke, and I
:21:50. > :21:52.have done that for a couple of series and then 1976, with just
:21:53. > :21:57.about to leave for the Edinburgh Festival, I this letter, you
:21:58. > :22:06.remember Ron have this beautiful blue stationery and inside was this
:22:07. > :22:10.blue card in his spidery writing. If you wanted to imagine what Ronnie
:22:11. > :22:15.Corbett's writing was like, it was exactly like that. Like pixie
:22:16. > :22:20.writing! Just asking if I would like to be the script associate on his
:22:21. > :22:25.new variety series, which he did in between The Two Ronnies. I wasn't
:22:26. > :22:30.even aware he knew I existed, let alone was interested in my writing.
:22:31. > :22:38.So that began the closer relationship with him, and from then
:22:39. > :22:42.on, I kind of got absorbed into The Two Ronnies series. We did the TV
:22:43. > :22:48.specials with Ronnie as well and one was just called Bed, because the
:22:49. > :22:55.billing in the radio times said Ronnie Corbett In Bed, and all his
:22:56. > :23:01.guests were interviewed in bed! Quite an easy gig! You got fully
:23:02. > :23:07.absorbed into the folklore because many of them will quote the
:23:08. > :23:11.Mastermind sketch as being one of the best.
:23:12. > :23:19.This time you have chosen to answer the question before last. Is that
:23:20. > :23:24.correct? Charlie Smithers. And your time starts now. What is
:23:25. > :23:37.palaeontology? Yes, absolutely correct. Who are led Murray and so
:23:38. > :23:44.Geoffrey Howe? Works. Genius! He obviously delighted in
:23:45. > :23:52.wordplay, which must have been a joy for you? They both did. Absolutely.
:23:53. > :23:56.That was a sketch I tore up and I remember I didn't... I did and think
:23:57. > :24:02.they would go for it. I was so desperate for ideas. -- I did not
:24:03. > :24:09.think. I was lagging behind so I sell tapes the pieces behind and
:24:10. > :24:13.retyped it, in those days, and interestingly, when we recorded
:24:14. > :24:17.that, the plan was to actually take it twice. Ronnie Barker, he had this
:24:18. > :24:21.instinct that the audience would need one pass in order to get the
:24:22. > :24:26.idea of the second pass, that's when they would understand it and then
:24:27. > :24:30.they would laugh at it. In fact, it went like that on the first go. In
:24:31. > :24:34.the gallery there were all preparing to go for the second past and Ronnie
:24:35. > :24:41.just said, we won't be doing that again, and he moved on. He knew
:24:42. > :24:44.instantly. And of course in the mid-80s, Ronnie Barker obviously
:24:45. > :24:52.announced his retirement. How did Ronnie take that news?
:24:53. > :24:59.Philosophically, I think. Yes. And he had advance knowledge. They were
:25:00. > :25:06.filming one of my sketches about a couple of Vikings down in Dorset, in
:25:07. > :25:10.fact, and I've told the story many times. He said, I'm not going to
:25:11. > :25:13.retire this Christmas but the Christmas after that will be the
:25:14. > :25:21.last. Really planned ahead. So Ronnie had ample warning. He got his
:25:22. > :25:27.own career to replace that. That was the thing about them because they
:25:28. > :25:31.were really admired and a new that they went a classic double act
:25:32. > :25:38.insofar as they both had separate careers, unlike Eric and Ernie.
:25:39. > :25:43.Let's take a minute or two to enjoy some of his very best work. Here's a
:25:44. > :26:03.small selection of classic Corbett moments.
:26:04. > :26:13.Silencing court! And if there's any more noise shall have to ask the
:26:14. > :26:16.orchestra to leave! Now, look here, naughty phantom Ross
:26:17. > :26:27.Perry blow of old London town, we know you are down there. Give
:26:28. > :26:31.yourself up. -- Rosebury blower. Otherwise I will play a recording
:26:32. > :26:39.with this new electric police warn. Do you hear me?
:26:40. > :26:49.Good morning. I'm sorry... Ooh, I'm sorry... I meant to... Good morning
:26:50. > :27:00.Miss Prendergast. You are only. Good morning. Could I have ?2 of
:27:01. > :27:09.potatoes, please? No, this is an optician's.
:27:10. > :27:16.She doesn't want to see your legs! It is now or never. Say good
:27:17. > :27:28.afternoon. Good afternoon, Timothy. Mother, I have something very, very
:27:29. > :27:33.important to talk to you about. How are your feet, by the way? I saw
:27:34. > :27:39.the others moving to the main bar. There's nothing wrong with my feet.
:27:40. > :27:47.I've got the odour eaters now. I had them once. They aren't half hard to
:27:48. > :27:54.swallow! The pictures of you and Ronnie keep
:27:55. > :28:00.coming in. Ronnie was great with Limbo to see line, who was taller
:28:01. > :28:05.than Ronnie! And decent in this picture of his
:28:06. > :28:10.wife's parents and Ronnie on Guernsey in the 1950s. Such a
:28:11. > :28:14.special picture. That is all that night. You can see
:28:15. > :28:17.The Many Faces Of Ronnie Corbett, a one-off documentary, about one
:28:18. > :28:22.name's life and work at 8pm on BBC Two. For now, we will leave you with
:28:23. > :28:28.the master of the monologue in full flow.
:28:29. > :28:40.Tonight, I would like, if I may, to relate a very funny story that I
:28:41. > :28:43.heard when... BANG! Sorry, what is that? I think the producer has just
:28:44. > :28:51.shot himself! LAUGHTER
:28:52. > :28:56.Plenty of time for that one we get to the joke!
:28:57. > :29:04.Now, anyway, this isn't... This is a very funny story that... Funnily
:29:05. > :29:08.enough... That noise has reminded me of a very old show business adage
:29:09. > :29:13.that every time you hear an unexpected noise like that, a bang,
:29:14. > :29:25.it means somebody backstage doesn't like your act. It's true. BANG!
:29:26. > :29:37.So now, for the last time, it's good night for me...
:29:38. > :29:43...stay sharp. You have a very young heart.