Collection of Eric Morecambe's treasures opens to public ahead of auction

Tuesday, 7 January 2025 09:57

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

A portrait of Eric Morecambe by Richard Stone is among the lots in the collection

A huge collection of Eric Morecambe's personal belongings has opened for public viewing ahead of an auction.

The Eric Morecambe Collection can be seen this week at Burton Albion Football Club ahead of the auction on Friday and Saturday.

The legendary TV comedian's children have decided to auction their father's treasures to give fans the chance to own a piece of his incredible legacy.

There are more than 700 lots for sale, the entire contents of the Morecambe and Wise star's family home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.

The lots include everything from his famous spectacles to the piano he practised on to deliver a famous Morecambe and Wise Christmas special TV sketch with conductor André Previn – the one where Eric ‘plays all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order’.

His antiques, collectibles and art, including a painting of the star by royal portrait artist Richard Stone, will show the ‘other side’ of the man who made millions laugh.

Secrets of his success are revealed by a mountain of never-before-seen items including heaps of gag and sketch ideas.

They include loving letters from Eric’s parents and a poignant message from his comedy partner Ernie Wise revealing how close the pair came to splitting up.

Ernie explained that, with a very heavy heart, he wanted to break up the duo before they continued and became massive.

He signed it ‘your best pal’.

Thankfully that never happened. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Eric’s death from a heart attack in 1984.

There are also playbills and posters, right from the beginning of the comedian's career, as well as photographs and scrapbooks of cuttings, documenting his very first performances and reviews when he was only a child.

There are thousands of photographs of Eric with celebrities of the day, some signed and inscribed, including actor Cary Grant. There are costumes from memorable sketches and numerous props including Eric’s famous ventriloquist dummy, Charlie.

Eric and his wife Joan's three children, Gail, Gary and Steven, hope the sale will light up lives for legions of fans. Joan died, aged 97, in 2024.

John Eric Bartholomew OBE (1926-1984), known by stage name Eric Morecambe, took his name from his home town, the seaside resort of Morecambe. He was the co-star of BBC television series The Morecambe and Wise Show, which for the 1977 Christmas episode gained UK viewing figures of over 28 million people. One of the most prominent comedians in British popular culture, in 2002 he was named among the top 40 Greatest Britons in a BBC poll – placed above David Beckham and Henry VIII.

The Eric Morecambe Collection opened for public viewing on Sunday and is open today (January 7) until 4pm, then Wednesday from 10am to 8pm and Thursday from 10am to 3pm, at Burton Albion Pirelli Stadium, Princess Way, Burton-on-Trent, DE13 0AR.