Barry Cryer, who has died aged 86, lived and breathed comedy for more than half a century, and became its elder statesperson, working up until his death.
He scripted sketches for stars ranging from Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson and Frankie Howerd to the Two Ronnies, Morecambe and Wise, Kenny Everett and Rory Bremner, and delivered lines himself as part of the institution that is the BBC radio show I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. The programme, featuring two teams of two comedians who are set an array of challenges to test their mental dexterity, began in 1972 as an “antidote” to panel games.
