Press clippings Page 3

Childhood home of Ronnie Barker is now on the market

The childhood Oxford home of late comedian Ronnie Barker is up for sale. The British actor and comedian, who found fame through Porridge and the sketch show The Two Ronnies, with Ronnie Corbett, lived in this family home from five years old.

Aisha Bright, Rightmove, 13th December 2017

Original script of 'Fork Handles' to be auctioned

Penned by Ronnie Barker, the single sheet - handwritten in red ink - is expected to fetch up to £40,000 at auction.

The Guardian, 8th December 2017

The John Sullivan sitcom that was ended before it began

Following the end of his first big hit in the 1970s, Citizen Smith, Sullivan was scouting around for another project, and settled on a comedy about a failing football manager, known as Over The Moon. Brian Wilde was cast in the lead role, whilst director Ray Butt was also on board. The BBC was happy, and gave a six series first run the nod, after a successful pilot was made. Barely weeks later, though, the BBC promptly changed its mind.

Cult Box, 22nd November 2017

John Cleese recreates Class Sketch for Hacked Off

In this reworking below, written and directed by filmmaker and former journalist Richard Peppiatt, the three performers (Cleese, Ian Stone and John Alford) play a wealthy man, a newspaper editor and an average joe.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 3rd November 2017

Preview - Porridge

If this show has one thing going for it, it's that the original writers, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, are still writing it, but they will never been able to fill the gap left by the late Ronnie Barker.

Ian Wolf, On The Box, 6th October 2017

After last year's special, the reboot from Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais gets a full series. Kevin Bishop, eerily channelling Ronnie Barker's mannerisms, stars as hacker Nigel Fletcher, Norman Stanley's grandson. In an episode that makes you cautiously optimistic this may just work, we find Fletch, for a price, dispensing legal advice and writing letters on behalf of fellow inmates - which gets complicated when Fletch agrees to mediate in person with naive Barry's girlfriend.

Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 6th October 2017

Ben Elton to deliver The Ronnie Barker Talk on BBC One

BBC One has announced that Ben Elton will deliver the inaugural The Ronnie Barker Talk, a lecture on a comedy related theme.

British Comedy Guide, 21st April 2017

Fawlty Towers named comedians' favourite sitcom

A survey of comedians has revealed that Fawlty Towers is their favourite sitcom, and Alan Partridge meeting his superfan is their favourite scene. "Don't tell him Pike" was picked as the favourite one-liner.

British Comedy Guide, 4th January 2017

The Four Candles/Fork Handles sketch, ribald puns and lengthy armchair monologues - such was the stuff of all our Saturday nights. This three-part documentary, first aired in 2013, tells the story of the duo, with tonight's opener recalling how they came to work together, having cut their teeth appearing alongside the likes of John Cleese. Contributors include Al Murray, Clive Anderson and the late Ronnie Corbett himself.

David Stubbs, The Guardian, 29th December 2016

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