Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise met for the first time at the Swansea Empire in the 1930s, while appearing as separate acts in one of Jack Hylton's touring variety shows.

Both were successful child stars, and each recognised instantly a kindred spirit instantly, They were soon touring together with Sadie, Eric's redoubtable mother, finding them digs and looking out for them.

They learnt their trade the hard way with periods of unemployment and several flops - on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York they had to re-write virtually the entire act for the American sense of humour. But the hard won experience gained on the way up proved the making of them.

With brilliant writers like Eddie Braben, Morecambe and Wise found success first at ATV, then at the BBC with The Morecambe And Wise Show, which included stunning and legendary sketches awith Andre Previn, Shirley Bassey and Angela Rippon.

Morecambe and Wise had become a national institution. Their shows topped the ratings right up until the untimely death of Eric Morecambe in 1984. It's clear that, in their professional life, they were inseparable, fonder of each other than most brothers. After Eric's death, Ernie Wise soldiered on professionally, but he was now only half a star, and it was clear that for the rest of his life, after a partnership of five decades, Ernie would be searching for Eric.

If Eric had lived, all they would have had to do for work would be to appear on stage as themselves, and they had had a lifetime's experience for that.