Morecambe and Wise – Think Bensonium

Week 41: Morecambe and Wise Christmas show 1978

Roderick Benson — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 00:00:34 +0000

Well since it is the Christmas period, and as we begin 2023, I thought I would end of the Christmas season with the Morecambe and Wise Christmas show 1978. As a child the highlight of Christmas day was my parents putting on the TV at around 7 pm to watch the Morecambe and Wise Christmas special. Looking at it again all these years later, much of the humour is now very dated (although there are still some clever bits that will make you laugh) which raises the interesting idea of how even our comical taste is culturally influenced.

In many ways this is because the world has changed so completely since the 1970s and perhaps this is one of the most disorientating thing about living in the 21^st century. I often wonder if we could have performed an experiment in the 1970s, where we took humour from the 1930s and replayed it, whether it would look as dated as these sketches do now? I suspect not.

Happy new year!

Week 26 Butler of the Year, Morecambe & Wise

Roderick Benson — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 23:00:51 +0000

Another sketch from two of the most naturally funny comedians who dominated the TV networks when I was a child. While some of their comedy has now aged, this sketch still makes me laugh out loud. Eric Morecambe was incredibly naturally funny, I would have loved to have met him.

Week 14: Mastermind, Morecambe and Wise

Roderick Benson — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 16:28:33 +0000

So going back again into the early 70s here is another classic sketch from Morecambe and Wise. I must confess it is quite interesting looking back at the comedy of the seventies because it clearly demonstrates how humour is very generation and time specific. Morecambe and Wise were considered comic geniuses of their time but in some ways this sketch now appears almost quaint in its lack of parodic sophistication compared with more modern work that I have recently cited.

Of course as I have looked back at some of the old comics from the seventies, much of it would now be considered highly offensive. For example, there was a driving instructor sketch by Dick Emery which while it had some funny moments, also had moments that I would no longer find funny and which many would probably find offensive. To me this demonstrates how our sense of humour is deeply influenced by what our society considers to be inside the moral zeitgeist of acceptability for a particular generation.

Week 9: The Beatles, Morecambe and Wise

Roderick Benson — Thu, 26 May 2022 23:00:40 +0000

This clip combines one of the most naturally funny comedy duos with one of the greatest rock bands to ever grace our planet. Unfortunately, the footage is restored and quite old as it was filmed in 1963. However, it is still really iconic footage to watch and for both Beatle and Morecambe and Wise fans will make you feel very nostalgic.