The Two Ronnies
Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker were responsible for some of the greatest moments in British comedy. The Two Ronnies dominated Saturday night TV for over 15 years, pulling in up to 18 million viewers, and producing unforgettable sketches that are still delighting audiences to this day.
The pair met the Buckstone Club in the Haymarket, London, where Ronnie Corbett was serving drinks between acting jobs. They were invited by David Frost to appear in his new show, The Frost Report. But their big break came when they filled in for a few minutes during a technical hitch at an awards ceremony in 1970.
In the audience was Bill Cotton, the Head of Light Entertainment for the BBC and Sir Paul Fox, the Controller of BBC1. Cotton was so impressed by the duo that he turned to Fox and asked "How would you like those two on your network?". As a result, Barker and Corbett were given their own show by the BBC.
Some of their most famous sketches include 'Four Candles' in which Corbett's shopkeeper misinterprets Barker's request for items, such as 'andles for forks', and of course their Mastermind parody where Corbett's contestant Charlie Smithers' specialist subject is 'answering the question before last.'
The Two Ronnies: The Interviews tells their story by combining chat show interviews with hilarious sketches from their comedy archive.
Talking to the likes of Frost, Parkinson, Wogan and Harty, the two Rons relive the key moments in their careers. From their first meeting through to very last television programme they made together, they give an insight into the inspiration behind some of their most famous sketches, what made them tick as a duo, and why The Two Ronnies came to a premature end.