My researcher, Paul Burton, and I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the many individuals, companies, managements and agencies, etc. who have given us their time and help during the process of compiling this publication. It would be impossible to name them all. However, we would like to take a moment to credit just some of those who have made this book possible.
Firstly, we’d like to thank the estate of Eric Morecambe for their invaluable support.
Special thanks to my sister, Gail Morecambe, and comedienne and actress Miranda Hart for writing the foreword.
We’re especially indebted to James Gillson and all at the Lord’s Taverners, for their huge generosity in allowing us to use a number of photos from their archives, which relate to Eric’s work for the charity.
Huge appreciation goes to Gareth Owen (Go-Photo) and Roger Wash (Club Historian, Luton Town FC), for granting us permission to use several photos relating to Eric’s time as a director at the football club.
An extra-special thank you is due to Stan and Roger Stennett for providing us with material from their photographic archive.
Sincere thanks to producer/director Charles Wallace of Moving Image Company for allowing us to use stills from his film The Passionate Pilgrim.
We’d like to thank those individuals who have contributed their memories – and, in certain cases, photos – to this book. In alphabetical order: David Benson, Lionel Blair, Ted Childs, Jan Clennell, Brian Conley, Gemma Craven, Jim Davidson, Richard Digance, Ken Dodd, Nicki Edwards, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Tania Glyde, Hannah Gordon, Michael Grade, Carl Gresham, Tony Hatch, Eddie Izzard, Tammy Jones, Robin King, Dennis Kirkland, Burt Kwouk, Vicki Michelle, Ben Miller, Mavis Nicholson, Simon Pegg, Pamela Salem, Madeline Smith, Richard Stone, Jimmy Tarbuck, Carole Todd, Valerie Van Ost, Roger Wash, Linda Willis, Victoria Wood, Mike Yarwood and Paul Zenon.
Our warmest thanks also go to the following. In alphabetical order: Jane Foster of the stills department at FremantleMedia, for giving us so much of her time, enthusiasm and patience; Ian Freeman; Jo Kirkland and the Dennis Kirkland Estate; Madame Tussauds, Blackpool; Seb Thompson at Brazen PR and TV-am/AP Archive.
And to anyone we might have overlooked, we give our eternal thanks.
Gary Morecambe