Eddie Braben

Scriptwriter Eddie Braben, who died earlier this week, is rightly lauded for his contribution to British comedy: the TV and radio scripts for Morecambe and Wise. What is often overlooked are the radio shows that Eddie both wrote and starred in during the 70s and 80s.

In 1975 there was The Worst Show on the Wireless followed by The Show with Ten Legs in 1978. This in turn spawned The New Improved Show with Ten Legs in 1979 and three years later The Show with No Name (1982-84). All the shows were produced by James Casey up in Manchester for Radio 2.

This is an episode of The Show with Ten Legs that I recorded on 28 August 1980. Starring alongside Eddie are the gormless Eli Woods, Alison Steadman (a radio regular at this time also appearing with Roy Castle and later on The News Huddlines and Week Ending ), David Casey and David Mahlowe.

This particular broadcast was billed in the Radio Times as a repeat, though the rest of the run wasn’t. My own notes state that it was first broadcast on 15 July 1979 which actually makes it the first episode of The New Improved Show with Ten Legs, though this isn’t mentioned in the recording. If anyone can offer a definitive answer please let me know.

Eddie Braben (1930-2013)

You can hear Morecambe and Wise’s last ever programme for the BBC, repeated this week on Radio 4 Extra, online at this link:

The Eric Morecambe & Ernie Wise Show