Stephen Tompkinson to play Eddie Braben in BBC biopic
- Stephen Tompkinson will play Morecambe & Wise writer Eddie Braben in BBC Four's Eric, Ernie & Me
- Meanwhile Mark Bonnar and Neil Maskell will play Morecambe & Wise in the hour-long drama
- The biopic, which will be on TV this Christmas, also features Rufus Jones, Alexander Macqueen and Liz White
The cast has been announced for Eric, Ernie & Me, the BBC Four biopic about the life and work of Morecambe & Wise writer Eddie Braben.
Stephen Tompkinson will take on the role of Braben in the one-off TV drama which follows the writer as he sets out on the task of "reshaping the iconic double act into the Eric & Ernie that the nation took to its heart."
Mark Bonnar, who plays Chris in Catastrophe and Officer Meekie in the reboot of Porridge, will take on the role of Eric Morecambe, whilst Neil Maskell (The Mimic, Humans) has signed up to portray Ernie Wise.
Producers Objective Fiction have also announced that Rufus Jones will play the double act's long term producer John Ammonds; Alexander Macqueen will become Bill Cotton, the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment; and Liz White will portray Braben's ever encouraging wife Deidree.
Filming on the hour-long special started this week, with locations in Bristol and Cardiff. The script has been penned by Neil Forsyth, with director Dan Zeff overseeing the shoot.
A Liverpudlian, Eddie Braben had previously written for comics including Ken Dodd and was brought in by BBC bosses for the pair's second series, after the departure of their original writers, Dick Green and Sid Hills.
Eric, Ernie & Me will "celebrate the man behind Morecambe and Wise's greatest successes, culminating in their iconic 1977 Christmas Show, whilst showing the pressure and pain he went through to help create the screen work of Britain's most beloved double act."
Speaking about the programme, Stephen Tompkinson says: "Thanks to Eddie Braben, Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise became the most beloved comedy double act since Laurel & Hardy. The intimate utopia Eddie created for the boys has left us with everlasting joy and sunshine. To be able to tell this beautifully crafted piece by Neil is a rarity that reminds us how lucky we were that these three gentlemen bonded together and the efforts that went behind holding generations eternally grateful. For this project to have the blessings of the Braben, Morecambe and Wise families, makes us constantly aware of what an honour it is to portray these comedic legends."
Eric, Ernie & Me will be shown on BBC Four this Christmas.