I knew Morecambe & Wise from back when we were all struggling comics and were often on the same bill together.

I used to stand and watch them perform from in the wings. I knew even then that they had something special about them.

When we all first started performing in Every Night at the London Palladium together, I was top of the bill. One of their TV series was shown during the run and I could tell by the applause whenever they came on that they were becoming more popular because they were getting the same type of ovations I also used to get. At last they were finally receiving the success they deserved.

I also appeared as a main guest on a TV show with Morecambe & Wise and the script had originally been written for Sammy Davis Jnr. to be the guest. Later, I also appeared with them in the tag of a sketch playing Santa Claus.

At one time, my musical director Don Hunt was working in the daytime as a musical associate on a series Morecambe & Wise were making. In the evening, he was working as the musical director on the show I was performing in. We used to pretend to have a fight during the show and I would shout things down to him in the pit and he would shout things back. As time went on, Don was starting to come out with funnier lines. In the end I asked him who was writing the funny lines for him. Was it the boys in the band? In the end he said that he’d told Eric about this part of the show, and so he’d started to give him stuff to say. It was a practical trick, and that was typical Eric – and he knew I would work it out!

It was so sad when Eric died. I was in Australia or New Zealand when I heard the news. I liked him so much as a person. You could have a serious conversation with Eric, but as soon as a third person arrived then he would turn into Eric the comic!

Morecambe & Wise’s style will always be funny and will never date. Their performances and lines always made their sketches even funnier.