Morecambe & Wise to be reunited for 75th anniversary

30 Sep Morecambe & Wise to be reunited for 75th anniversary

Sculptor Graham Ibbeson and friends.

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise will be joined by other legends of laughter at the Art of Comedy exhibition in London next week.

Next year sees the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of Morecambe and Wise as a double act and to mark this comedy milestone sculptor Graham Ibbeson will be reuniting the eternally popular pair in a bronze wall art to be installed opposite the Winter Gardens Theatre on Morecambe Promenade.

The initial study for the wall art will be on display at The Art of Comedy at The Lavery Room in Cromwell Place, South Kensington from October 6 to 8.

Also on view will be life-size statues of Laurel and Hardy, Benny Hill and Eric Morecambe plus smaller studies of Les Dawson and Norman Wisdom and a range of original artist proofs created by Mr Ibbeson as the basis for his iconic statue of Mr Morecambe which was unveiled by the Queen in 1999.

Event organiser Jim Cadman said: “Graham’s ability to capture the essence of a character with warmth and humanity sets him apart from many other sculptors and his devotion to portraying those individuals with a liberal sprinkling of humour makes his work a joy to behold.”

Mr Ibbeson lives and works in Barnsley, less than 15 miles from Castleford, the birthplace of the late Henry Moore, and both are the sons of Yorkshire coal miners.

“Sculptor Henry Moore was my hero and when he hosted dinner parties, bottles of brown ale as well as wine were placed on the table, reflecting his northern heritage and working class roots. We will be replicating this tradition by offering a bottle of Morecambe’s Sunshine Ale to guests at the exhibition,” he said.

Half of all net profits from the exhibition will go towards the creation of the bronze wall art.