Eric Morecambe’s anxieties laid bare by widow: ‘No wonder he had heart attack’
| Published date | 22 January 2022 |
| Publication title | Express, The/The Express on Sunday: Web Edition Articles (London, England) |
She met people who knew him and introduced the performances that made her want to enter the world of comedy.
The journey took her across Britain, from Wales where she spoke to Eddie Braben — the man behind many of Eric and Ernie's most famous TV moments — to the Essex studio of the artist who painted the entertainer at the height of his fame.
While the pair were a hit, reports show that Morecambe feared that he and Wise's success would fail.
Morecambe was always anxious the next show would be their last, according to Joane Bartholomew, his wife of 31 years.
Speaking ahead of the premiere of the two long-lost episodes of Morecambe and Wise in 2018, she said: "It's no wonder Eric had a heart attack.
"He was working so hard and taking so few breaks.
"He always worried the next show would be the last, always worried they wouldn't survive."
Morecambe sadly died in 1984 aged 58.
That night, he had taken part in a charity show, hosted by close friend and comedian Sten Stennett, at the Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury.
Bartholomew was in the crowd and noted he was "on top form".
The show ended and he left the stage, only to rush back on to join the musicians, himself playing various instruments.
On leaving the stage for the final time, he stepped into the wings and collapsed with his third heart attack in 16 years.
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He was rushed to Cheltenham General Hospital where he died just before 3am on May 28.
Wise lived on for another 15 years before passing away in 1999 aged 73.
While the pair left an indelible mark on British comedy, not everyone initially believed in them.
Prior to their mainstream success, bosses at the BBC were not keen on Wise's position after they received a script from them.
They preferred the idea of Morecambe ditching him and going solo as a comic, as was explored during ITV's series 'The Lost Tapes'.
A letter to a scriptwriter dated June 5, 1959, written by one of the BBC's comedy producers, John Ammonds, laid bare the broadcaster's concerns.
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