#Eddie Braben

[zippocreed501]

A must-have for any fan of Morecambe and Wise, written by the great Eddie Braben. He was their best and successful scriptwriter.

[harveylembecks]

the parodies of children's media on two of a kind are so fascinating. it gives a prototype of ernie wise as the conceited, wannabe it-girl before eddie braben on the bbc... the attempts never really get saccharine since ernie gets only about 5 seconds to establish the premise before eric comes onstage... i find myself wishing for a peter and the wolf album narrated by both of them...

[thatwritererinoriordan]

Tickets to watch the streaming performance online are £10.

[uhlikzsuzsanna]

Tom Hiddleston in The Play What I Wrote | Show footage - 2021.12.06.

Avengers and Loki star Tom Hiddleston made a star appearance at the Birmingham Rep tonight for The Play What I Wrote.

The award-winning comedy, penned by the venue's artistic director Sean Foley, Hamish McColl and Eddie Braben has run at the theatre from 27 November, directed by Foley and produced in association with David Pugh and Theatre Royal Bath.

It sees a guest star appear every night, and is designed by Alice Power with lighting by Tim Mitchell, music by Steve Parry, choreography by Ian West and casting by Sarah Bird.

The the show originally opened in the West End with direction from Kenneth Branagh (who, to help this come full circle, directed Hiddleston in Thor).

[twh-news]

The Play that I Wrote, review: Tom Hiddleston sends himself up a treat in this hilarious revival | The Telegraph

A surprise outbreak of Hiddleston-mania occurred in Birmingham at the weekend and last night, with the opening of The Play What I Wrote, one of the daftest and most delightful stage comedy shows of the 21st century, re-minted for a new generation. Twenty years ago, it was the cameo presence of Ralph Fiennes that galvanised the press night at Wyndham’s Theatre. This time round, Rep artistic director Sean Foley – one half of erstwhile comedy duo the Right Size, who penned and first performed this arch tribute to Morecambe and Wise – had recruited another Hollywood name to guest-star: Tom Hiddleston, who proved sweetly game for a laugh. (Other big names will appear as the run proceeds.) He suffered himself to be ignored, misnamed, attired in a hideous crinoline, required to dance like a prat and send himself up something rotten. How so? As fans of the light-entertainment giants will recall, “the play what I wrote” was the lamentable exercise in playwriting that Wise would inflict on both Morecambe and viewers, dragooning famous faces to take part. It was such an institution that it became a who’s who of actors and celebrities seeking to flaunt a sense of humour, among them Glenda Jackson, Vanessa Redgrave and John Mills. The fool but hardy idea of Foley and fellow Right Sizer Hamish McColl was to hold onto the notion of a play within a play as a way into their homage, and then apply a circuitous route to it. In the Olivier-winning original production, directed by Kenneth Branagh, they offered versions of themselves: a double-act on the point of splitting up, a despondent McColl obsessed with being a playwright, Foley running along with the idea but slyly signing up his comedy partner to take part in a M&W tribute in a bid to keep them together. In this fresh incarnation, the present-day double-act are played by kindred spirits but not actual comedy partners: the actor Dennis Herdman and the sketch comic Thom Tuck. Confused? You won’t be. A longstanding fan of Eric and Ernie? You needn’t be either. The show, which was written in conjunction with the stars’ scriptwriter Eddie Braben, and has been tweaked here and there to keep it up to date, achieves the near-impossible. It weaves in all kinds of nods to the comedy legends but cleaves to the basic conceit that it’s all happening on its own terms. Sustained impersonation isn’t attempted, instead we get a flavour of what the duo embodied – the squabbling familiarity of a married couple and a nicely contrasting playfulness.

Herdman, 6ft 2in, blessed with an Eric-esque physicality and quickness, and Tuck, who possesses an Ernie-like pensiveness and dreaminess, are first seen (not lying but standing upright) in a flimsily suggested bed singing a riddling ditty. Dennis swiftly announces his impending French Revolution-set playlet – A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple. One snag is that the designated celebrity, Ian McKellen, isn’t available (he’s in panto, or the pub) and snag two is that there’s anger in the stalls from the “militant wing” of the M&W appreciation society (a multi-tasking Mitesh Soni), demanding a more overt tribute. By the time we get to the second half, and the frisson-inducing arrival of le Hiddleston, we’ve had a welter of old-fashioned gags, verbal and visual, timed to perfection. But the best material lies in the VIP lounge area of the evening. “I did The Night Manager”, explains the bemused-acting intruder, forced to identify himself. “Really?” comes the retort. “Did his wife know?” “I am a forlorn Conte”, Hiddleston later deadpans. To which: “Hold it there, son…. Can he say that?” This perhaps isn’t, then, the perfect family Christmas outing. But it is the ideal winter warmer for those in search of sophisticated nostalgia. “Bring me sunshine”, they sing at the end – complete with signature springing steps. They did then; they do now. You’ll laugh your head off. You may shed a little tear too.

[tomhiddleslove]

Tom Hiddleston in The Play What I Wrote - Show footage

WhatsOnStage on Youtube:

Avengers and Loki star Tom Hiddleston made a star appearance at the Birmingham Rep tonight for The Play What I Wrote.

The award-winning comedy, penned by the venue's artistic director Sean Foley, Hamish McColl and Eddie Braben has run at the theatre from 27 November, directed by Foley and produced in association with David Pugh and Theatre Royal Bath.

It sees a guest star appear every night, and is designed by Alice Power with lighting by Tim Mitchell, music by Steve Parry, choreography by Ian West and casting by Sarah Bird.

The the show originally opened in the West End with direction from Kenneth Branagh (who, to help this come full circle, directed Hiddleston in Thor).

[insanityclause]

Sunday Night Performance

From April, BBC Four will cement its status as the home of performance on the BBC with new Sunday Night Performances every week of the year showcasing some of the best of the UK’s dance, theatre, music and spoken word in specially made films for television.

These will include:

Birmingham Rep’s acclaimed production of Olivier Award-winning comedy The Play What I Wrote, starring Tom Hiddleston specially filmed for the BBC at the Theatre Royal Bath. 'Thom' has written a play, an epic set in the French Revolution called ‘A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple’. 'Dennis', on the other hand, wants to continue with their double act. He believes that if they perform a tribute to Morecambe and Wise, Thom’s confidence will be restored and the double act will go on. But first Dennis needs to persuade a guest star to appear in the play what Thom wrote. First seen by audiences on stage in December 2021, this production is directed by The Rep’s Artistic Director Sean Foley and co-written by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben.

Forthcoming highlights

Maryland (BBC Two, 1 x 30)

Hayley Squires, Zawe Ashton and Danny Mays will star in Lucy Kirkwood’s adaptation of her own play Maryland – first performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London in October 2021. Lucy and acclaimed documentary maker Brian Hill have created a thirty-minute film which follows two ‘Marys’ and a chorus of modern-day furies as they deliver their story of what happens in the wake of various sexual assaults. Lucy said: “I wrote the play as a howl, a protest against the violence women are forced to reckon with in their everyday lives, and I hope the film will allow more people to share that protest”.

[yorkcalling]

The Play What I Wrote Announced For York Theatre Roya;

The Play What I Wrote Announced For York Theatre Roya;

David Pugh, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Birmingham Repertory Theatre present The Play What I Wrote By Sean Foley, Hamish McColl and Eddie Braben York Theatre Royal, 27 June – 2 July Thom has written a play, an epic set in the French Revolution called ‘A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple’. Dennis on the other hand, wants to continue with their double act. He believes that if they…

[peterviney1]

The Play What I Wrote- review

The Play What I Wrote- review

Review of THE PLAY WHAT I WROTE by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben. (FOLLOW LINK to review). This 20th Anniversary Revival tour is directed by Sean Foley. We saw it at Chichester. The base story is that Dennis and Thom, a comedy duo are lost between doing one of Thom’s “plays what I wrote” or switching to becoming a Morecambe and Wise tribute act. As in the Morecambe and Wise Show…

[harveylembecks]

took me 300 pages of eddie braben's 320 page book to realize "flat sketches" means sketches set in the flat and not sketches shot flat like a stage play. +1 skill points to conception of my regional identity and estimation of my reading comprehension

[tolmanhall]

Tweeted

The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show 1971. "I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order". Comedy perfection is attained during this hour - it would prove to be a tough act for Eddie Braben to repeat. pic.twitter.com/TsPEiwmA7L

— Archivetvmusings (@archivetvmus71) December 9, 2019

[mikesmith]

RT @eddie_braben: This still has to be one of the funniest line in comedy https://t.co/J2OV0C7vAh

This still has to be one of the funniest line in comedy pic.twitter.com/J2OV0C7vAh

— Eddie Braben (@eddie_braben) January 5, 2019

via Twitter https://twitter.com/MichaelSmith22 January 06, 2019 at 02:07PM

[bradfordzone]

Stephen Tompkinson, Neil Maskell and Mark Bonnar to star in BBC Four's Eric, Ernie & Me

Stephen Tompkinson, Neil Maskell and Mark Bonnar to star in BBC Four’s Eric, Ernie & Me

An outstanding cast has been confirmed to star in Objective Fiction’s one-off film for BBC Four about the comedy writer Eddie Braben. Stephen Tompkinson (DCI Banks, Drop The Dead Donkey) will play Eddie, as he sets about reshaping the iconic double act into the Eric and Ernie that the nation took to its heart. Meanwhile Eric Morecambe will be played by Mark Bonnar (Apple Tree Yard, Catastrophe)…

[twh-news]

Tom Hiddleston Will Return To THE PLAY WHAT I WROTE at Birmingham Rep

Performances run 12-22 January.

Tickets: https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/

[Tom appeared on the opening night! Go see the play nonetheless, you never know who you'll see as a guest there!]

Tom Hiddleston is set to reprise his acclaimed appearance as the special guest star in the critically acclaimed production of The Play What I Wrote at Theatre Royal, Bath, the first venue on the show's recently announced national tour. Both performances will be filmed for transmission on the BBC later in 2022. The transmission date will be announced in due course.

Hiddleston first appeared in the show in Birmingham for the opening performance on 6 December and the production received universally glowing reviews.

When The Play What I Wrote opened in London's West End, originally directed by Kenneth Branagh, every single review was a rave, every show a sell-out and it won every major theatre award. The Sunday Times called it "a triumph" and The Observer said "audiences weep with laughter". Now a brand new production directed by REP Artistic Director Sean Foley and co-written by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and, of course, Eddie Braben is bringing sunshine to Birmingham this Christmas.

'Thom' has written a play, an epic set in the French Revolution called 'A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple'. 'Dennis', on the other hand, wants to continue with their double act. He believes that if they perform a tribute to Morecambe and Wise, Thom's confidence will be restored and the double act will go on. But first Dennis needs to persuade a guest star to appear in the play what Thom wrote...

With a mystery guest star at every performance, The Play What I Wrote is once again proving a massive hit with audiences and critics alike.

Previous mystery guest stars have included Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor, Joanna Lumley, Daniel Radcliffe, Kylie Minogue, Nigel Havers, Jerry Hall, Sir Ian McKellen, Dawn French and Sting.

Performances run 12-22 January.

Tickets: https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/

[insanityclause]

Tom Hiddleston in The Play What I Wrote | Show footage

Avengers and Loki star Tom Hiddleston made a star appearance at the Birmingham Rep tonight for The Play What I Wrote. The award-winning comedy, penned by the venue's artistic director Sean Foley, Hamish McColl and Eddie Braben has run at the theatre from 27 November, directed by Foley and produced in association with David Pugh and Theatre Royal Bath. It sees a guest star appear every night, and is designed by Alice Power with lighting by Tim Mitchell, music by Steve Parry, choreography by Ian West and casting by Sarah Bird. The the show originally opened in the West End with direction from Kenneth Branagh (who, to help this come full circle, directed Hiddleston in Thor).