Born and bred in Leeds, Barry Cryer?s comic talents were spotted when he was appearing the Leeds University revue. He was offered a spot at the City Variety Theatre, which was used for the BBC?s The Good Old Days show. He went on to appear numerous times on the long-running TV entertainment show, where he was spotted by a London agent.
Heading to the city, he went on to hone his craft at the Windmill Theatre and made memorable appearances with Danny La Rue and in Two Old Farts in the Night, a collaboration with Willie Rushton.
Cryer has forged a career as a panellist on shows as Radio 4's Just a Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.
He is also famous for writing gags for the true greats of comedy, including Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper, Stanley Baxter, Dick Emery, Dave Allen, Les Dawson, Bob Hope, Kenny Everett, Sir Harry Secombe, Billy Connolly, Jasper Carrot and Richard Pryor.
In 1998, Barry wrote his autobiography, You Won't Believe This But... and he has recently toured with one-man show, The First Farewell Tour.
He is often called upon to contribute to documentaries on the greats of British comedy and so his appearance as a panellist on Jo Brand's Great Wall of Comedy is a natural fit for the legendary funny man.