Editing Barry Cryer (section)

==Career==
Cryer was a writer for Leeds-based Proscenium Players, the first Jewish amateur stage group, which was founded in 1948.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scratchingshedpublishing.com/products-page/performing-arts/an-audience-of-curious-people-the-story-of-the-proscenium-players/|title=An Audience of Curious People – The Story of the Proscenium Players |website=Scratchingshedpublishing.com|date=30 November 2010 |access-date=27 January 2022}}</ref> After appearing in the university revue, Cryer was offered a week's work at the [[Leeds City Varieties]] theatre, home of ''[[The Good Old Days (British TV series)|The Good Old Days]]'', which became the longest-running television entertainment show in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clue/article/barry.shtml|title=Barry Cryer – bio at 'I'm sorry I haven't a clue'|publisher=BBC|access-date=2 April 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080417215310/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clue/article/barry.shtml| archive-date= 17 April 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> Cryer left university after learning his first-year results and travelled to London.<ref name="guardian"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cryer |first1=Barry |title=You Won't Believe This But... An Autobiography of Sorts |date=1996 |publisher=Virgin |location=London |isbn=1852276827}}</ref> After impressing impresario [[Vivian Van Damm]], Cryer began as the bottom billing act at the [[Windmill Theatre]] in London, a theatre which showed comedy acts in between nude [[Tableau vivant|tableau]] shows.<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/01/27/barry-cryer-comedian-writer-cornerstone-hit-radio-show-sorry/|title=Barry Cryer, comedian and writer who was the cornerstone of the hit radio show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue for half a century – obituary|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=27 January 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Cryer suffered severely from [[eczema]] and was hospitalised 12 times in eight years.<ref name="guardian"/><ref name="BBC-obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34041501|title=Barry Cryer obituary: A life dedicated to laughter|date=27 January 2022|work=BBC News}}</ref> He was released from his contract by Van Damm and concluded that a performing career was not a wholly sustainable income choice because of his skin condition, so he chose to focus on writing.<ref name="guardian"/> 

Cryer joined the cast of ''[[Expresso Bongo]]'' (1957) with [[Susan Hampshire]], [[Millicent Martin]] and [[Paul Scofield]], during which he recorded the song "[[The Purple People Eater]]", best known in the version by [[Sheb Wooley]]. For contractual reasons, Wooley's version was never released in Scandinavia, Cryer's was, and reached number one in Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gordonpoole.com/?artistID=769|title=Barry Cryer|publisher=Gordon Poole Agency|access-date=2 April 2008}}</ref> Cryer's first writing credits were four sketches for ''[[Jimmy Logan|The Jimmy Logan Show]]'', co-written with [[Douglas Camfield]].<ref name="screenonline">{{cite web | url= http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/560076/index.html | title= Cryer, Barry (1935–) | work=Screenonline| first=John | last=Oliver | access-date=29 January 2022}}</ref> Cryer became head writer with an occasional stage role for [[Danny La Rue]]'s London nightclub, where he was spotted by [[David Frost]]. This led to a writing role on the variety special ''A Degree of Frost'', which led to Cryer joining the writing team, which also included [[John Cleese]], [[Graham Chapman]] and [[Marty Feldman]], on ''[[The Frost Report]]'' from 1966–67. Frost used Cryer on a number of subsequent shows, which established Cryer as a comedy writer in the 1970s.<ref name="screenonline"/> Cryer is seen serving the wine in the original performance of the [[Four Yorkshiremen sketch]] on ''[[At Last the 1948 Show]]'', first broadcast in 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/tag/richard-herring/|title=Richard Herring |publisher=ThreeWeeks Edinburgh}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=January 2022}}<ref>Recording of the show</ref> He enjoyed a prolific partnership with Chapman, in pre-[[Monty Python]] days. They wrote about 50 television shows together, including ''[[Doctor in the House (TV series)|Doctor in the House]]'' (ITV, 1969–70), and several for [[Ronnie Corbett]]: ''[[No – That's Me Over Here!]]'' (ITV, 1968–70), ''[[Now Look Here]]'' (BBC, 1971–73) and ''[[The Prince of Denmark (TV series)|The Prince of Denmark]]'' (BBC, 1974). With other writers he contributed to ''The Ronnie Corbett Show'' (BBC, 1987) and ''Ronnie Corbett in Bed'' (BBC, 1971), and was also part of ''[[The Two Ronnies]]'' (1971–87) team.<ref name="guardian"/>

Cryer always preferred to write in partnership, so that should he dry up he was never left to deliver material. His regular partner during the 1970s was [[John Junkin]], and with Junkin performing as [[Eric Morecambe]] and Cryer most often the role of [[Ernie Wise]], the pair wrote some of ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|The Morecambe and Wise Show]]'' in its BBC period (the 1972 and 1976 Christmas shows) when regular writer [[Eddie Braben]] was unavailable. Cryer still enjoyed performing, appearing with [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] and Junkin in the [[BBC Radio|BBC radio]] series ''[[Hello, Cheeky!]]'', in which the three performers bounced jokes off each other.<ref name="guardian"/> He also appeared in the comedy television series ''[[The Steam Video Company]]'' and provided the voice of the judge in the 1975 animated comedy musical ''[[Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-wj4a59/the-steam-video-company/|title=The Steam Video Company (TV Series)|website=Radio Times|access-date=29 January 2022|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129130011/https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-wj4a59/the-steam-video-company/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Shepherd, Marc. [http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/mdeadeye.htm "Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done (1975)"] at The Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, accessed 9 February 2011</ref> He hosted the ITV comedy panel game ''[[Jokers Wild (TV series)|Jokers Wild]]'' (1969–74)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Joker%27s_Wild|title=Joker's Wild – UKGameshows|website=www.ukgameshows.com}}</ref> and had a role in ''[[All You Need Is Cash]]'', a 1978 spoof documentary about the [[The Beatles|Beatles]] parody band [[the Rutles]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://film-authority.com/2022/01/28/all-you-need-is-cash/|title=All You Need is Cash|date=28 January 2022|website=film-authority.com}}</ref> as well as a cameo as a police inspector in [[Kenny Everett]]'s 1984 horror spoof ''[[Bloodbath at the House of Death]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishhorrorfilms.co.uk/bloodbathatthehouseofdeath.shtml|title=Bloodbath At The House Of Death {{pipe}} 1983|website=www.britishhorrorfilms.co.uk|access-date=29 January 2022|archive-date=21 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021221219/https://britishhorrorfilms.co.uk/bloodbathatthehouseofdeath.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

With new comedians coming forward who wrote their own material, and age progressing and still wanting to perform, Cryer refocused his career to include more performance, touring with [[Willie Rushton]] in ''Two Old Farts in the Night'' and, after Rushton's death, ''That Reminds Me''.<ref name="guardian" /> After a brief early stint as chairman, Cryer was one of the panellists on the BBC radio comedy programme ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'', which began in 1972. He also wrote and starred in ''[[Hamish and Dougal|You'll Have Had Your Tea]]'' with [[Graeme Garden]].<ref name="guardian"/>

He wrote an autobiography, ''You Won't Believe This But...'', as well as a book of miscellaneous anecdotes, ''Pigs Can Fly''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jv0f|title=BBC Radio 4 Extra – Barry Cryer – You Won't Believe This But, Episode 5|website=BBC}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/barry_cryer/shop/3536/pigs_can_fly_book/|title=Barry Cryer – Pigs Can Fly Book |website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref> In 2005 he toured the UK with ''Barry Cryer: The First Farewell Tour'', and in 2008 he toured with Colin Sell in ''Barry Cryer: Still Alive''. He remained a popular after-dinner speaker.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uktw.co.uk/archive/Tour/One/Barry-Cryer-The-First-Farewell-Tour/T01181636066/|title=Tour archive for Barry Cryer – The First Farewell Tour (One person show). 18th May 2001–17th January 2002 [TOUR] |website=UK Theatre Web}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livebrum.co.uk/2008/09/27/still-alive-barry-cryer-colin-sell|title=Still Alive, Barry Cryer & Colin Sell at The Core Theatre on 27 Sep 2008|website=www.livebrum.co.uk}}</ref><ref name="dbaspeakers"/>

[[File:Barry Cryer.jpg|thumb|Cryer performing in ''[[The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog]]'', 1983]]
He performed comic monologues and songs on ''[[The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog]]'', which was recorded in 1982, and broadcast by [[Channel 4]] in 1983.<ref>[https://www.bright-thoughts.co.uk/monologues-02.html] The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog production website</ref>

In 1987 Cryer was the guest for [[Michael Parkinson]] on BBC Radio 4's ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' where his musical choices included "[[Bad Penny Blues]]" by [[Humphrey Lyttelton|Humphrey Lyttelton and His Band]], "[[The Girl Can't Help It (song)|The Girl Can't Help It]]" by [[Little Richard]] and "[[I Get Along Without You Very Well]]" by [[Carly Simon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009ml59|title=BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, In memory of comedian and writer Barry Cryer|website=BBC}}</ref> He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in June 1995 when he was surprised by [[Michael Aspel]] at [[Thames Television]]'s [[Teddington Studios]].<ref name="dbaspeakers">{{cite web|url=https://www.dbaspeakers.com/barry-cryer/|title=Barry Cryer – DBA Speakers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00fstw9|title=BBC Four – This Is Your Life, Series 35, Barry Cryer|website=BBC}}</ref>

His clip show ''Comedy Legends with Barry Cryer'', a programme paying tribute to a number of comedians such as [[Tommy Cooper]], [[Frankie Howerd]] and [[Bob Hope]] with "comedy experts" [[Tony Hawks]], [[Steve Punt]] and critic Stephen Armstrong giving their opinions on the stars, began airing on Sky Arts in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/40dcb8fe-adcc-4a6b-aef6-b63da22be11d/comedy-legends/episodes/season-1/episode-1 |title = Comedy Legends |website=Sky.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.3ddproductions.com/comedy-legends-1 |title = Comedy Legends |website=3ddproductions.com}}</ref>

In 2021 Cryer was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the [[British Music Hall Society]].<ref name="country">{{cite web|url=https://www.countrylife.co.uk/articles/barry-cryer-anecdotal-stroll-decades-comedic-performance-stage-radio-tv-202381|title=Barry Cryer: An anecdotal stroll through decades of comedic performance on stage, radio and TV|first=Jack|last=Watkins|date=27 January 2022|website=Country Life}}</ref>