He’ll be up there now, having a good laugh

ALL-STAR cast: Eric with Hattie Jacques and Deryck Guyler

TRIBUTES have been flooding in to Coldhurst-born “Godfather of British Comedy” Eric Sykes, who died yesterday at 89, following a short illness.

The legendary funnyman, who grew up in Horsedge Street, was widely recognised as one of the most endearing and popular comic actors and writers of his generation.

Despite being almost totally deaf and suffering from poor vision, the much-loved entertainer still appeared on the West End stage into his 80s.

Best remembered for his long-running and widely-acclaimed television sitcom “Sykes” with Carry-On star Hattie Jacques, he starred more recently in blockbuster films “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and “The Others”.

Glodwick-born actor Bernard Cribbins, who starred in two of Sykes’ hilarious film shorts, “The Plank” and “It’s Your Move”, was among the first to pay tribute to his friend.

“I just wish him a lot of rest up there with all the other comics, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe,” said Cribbins, who met his long-time golf buddy in Oldham.

“They will all be up there, having a laugh together.”

A life full of laughter began tragically, when Eric’s mother died in childbirth. Eric’s first two years were spent with neighbours in Leslie Street, in a house since demolished.

Eric talked candidly about his local upbringing in his autobiography “If I Don’t Write It, Nobody Else Will” and the times he played cricket on Oldham Edge. He attended Ward Street Central and Northmoor Schools.

While serving with the RAF during the Second World War as a wireless operator, he nurtured his talent as an entertainer. Soon after the war he found himself in great demand as a comedy writer, including scripts for legendary radio comedy “The Goon Show”.

In 1952 he married Edith Eleanore Milbrandt, with whom he had a son and three daughters.

He wrote scripts for fellow comedy greats such as Peter Sellers and Frankie Howerd and was awarded the OBE in 1986 and the CBE in 2005. Calls for a knighthood went unrealised.

Former Oldham East and Saddleworth Phil Woolas MP led the knighthood campaign, saying: “Eric is recognised as the Godfather of British comedy. All the young talents recognise his influence, both on stage and behind the scenes.”






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