When Morecambe & Wise left the BBC in the late 1970s and switched over to ITV. Popular opinion was that they were never as funny.
In truth, they did not have the same writers who came over to ITV with them. Eddie Braben fashioned the Morecambe & Wise act on their television shows for the BBC.
Braben made them come across as a duo who were friends since 1940 and had toured the music hall stage for years.
This biopic based on true facts shows Braben reluctantly becoming a writer for the Morecambe & Wise show, gauded by the legendary Bill Cotton. Driving himself to a breakdown to make the show funny, to do various re-writes and as the main writer trying to meet deadlines.
Braben was certainly an important clog in the wheel. He created the persona of Ernie wanting to be a playwright, the duo both lying in bed together.
The standout performance comes from Scottish actor Mark Bonnar who plays Eric Morecambe. The drama is also a nice tribute to the genius of Braben but I did feel at times it felt short, maybe the comedy sketches needed to be recreated. It also showed up Eric to be more abrasive, holding back the partnership a little because he was afraid to let Ernie blossom with his own talents as a song and dance man.
