Eric Morecambe at 100: Why is he still so funny?

"Eric Morecambe makes me feel loved," says pop star Robbie Williams.

"And I know how strange that sounds about somebody I never met… but it's true."

The pipe-smoking comedian, who entertained millions of television viewers alongside showbiz partner Ernie Wise, would have turned 100 today.

Colleagues, loved ones and fans like Robbie still celebrate the ways he danced into their lives and never stopped making them laugh.

These days, the Millennium star has their silhouette tattooed on his forearm and last year he spent £20,000 in an auction to win Eric's pipe and glasses.

On his hero's 100th birthday, Williams told the BBC: "There's warmth in him.

"Safety. Mischief without malice.
Like Britain at its best. Like somebody letting you in on the joke rather than making you the joke.

"When Eric smiles, something softens in me. Maybe in all of us. He reminds me that joy can be gentle. That kindness can be funny. And that laughter, at its best, is a form of love."

Williams is clearly not alone in that feeling, a recently recovered episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show is being shown by the BBC, a sign of the entertainer's enduring appeal.

At the same auction that Robbie spent his children's inheritance, collector Matt Webster won a pair of shoes worn by the comedian for the much smaller figure of £100.

They will be on display as part of an exhibition at the Eric Morecambe Centre in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, where the comedian moved in the 1960s.

The owners of the venue said residents still remembered the star as "approachable, friendly and completely unpretentious despite his massive fame".

"My feet are much bigger than Eric's six and a half," says Matt when asked if he plans on wearing the shoes to the event.

Speaking about Eric and Ernie's lasting legacy, he adds: "Both of them would have been 100 now. Their programmes are still repeated, there's always new documentaries, it's a great achievement.

"I think it's the ultimate dad joke when you hear somebody go past with a siren and you say 'he'll never sell much ice cream going at that speed'."

After his sudden death in 1984, Eric's daughter Gail Morecambe initially found it "really painful" to be reminded of him by adoring fans.

Today she views his work with "pure joy" and feels "blessed" by the love her father continues to receive.

She says: "I think that they transcended the screen of the television and it felt like you had these two really nice guys in your living room making you laugh."

While she notes older people enjoy her dad's shows because of nostalgia, she finds the humour still works for the younger generation.

She explains: "I think they're just amazed by the comedic skill.

"Children have always loved watching them because it's very visual, you don't have to get the humour, they make you laugh just watching them. So it's still family viewing."

Some celebrities will be forever associated with their appearance on Morecambe and Wise.

It's been half a century since BBC newsreader Angela Rippon stunned more than 20 million viewers with her high-kicks, but the now 81-year-old has said not a week goes by without fans asking about it.

"They want to know what they were like to work with... It's always a great pleasure for me to be able to say they were absolutely wonderful," she said.

During rehearsals for her appearance on the 1976 Christmas Show she found the duo were "precision freaks" who were "serious about doing comedy as well as they possibly could".

Afterwards she became friends with Eric, Ernie and their wives, up until all their deaths, most recently that of Joan Morecambe in 2024.

Eric's influence stretches beyond the screen and unexpectedly into the world of sport.

He was a proud supporter of Luton Town, often mentioning his beloved Hatters during his shows.

For years the myth has been that Eric decided to support them after a coin toss to decide if he supported them, or eternal rivals Watford FC.

His son Gary Morecambe heard a rumour his dad drew straws with Elton John to see who would support which team, the story says Eric "lost" the game and ended up supporting Luton.

Sadly Gary reveals the truth is a lot less dramatic, and not nearly as funny.

"He looked to see who was at home and Luton were at home and Watford were away. So we went to the home side," he says.

Eric was appointed a club director in 1975, and a stand at Kenilworth Road is named after him.

He was given a one-of-a-kind tracksuit by the club which will be displayed in the Hatters' Heritage museum when it relocates to the club's new Power Court stadium.

His association with Luton is so enduring that the team played Bring Me Sunshine over the stadium speakers when they were promoted to the Premier League in 2023.

"That was a bit of a lump in the throat moment," recalls Gary.

"Now all these years on, the fact that he still continues is wonderful... I think because it transcends time. There's nothing in it that is related to headlines of the day, which is very ageing if you do that.

"Two men who are dressed like second-hand car salesmen who were permanently children, and that's just wonderful, it's just such escapism."

Rippon's lasting memory of Eric was a man that "could not help making people laugh".

Even during serious discussions about their shared love for the countryside or politics, he often felt "impelled to do something that would break the spell".

She recalls: "You could be out with them and you could be having a serious conversation with Eric and suddenly he'd put the glasses on sideways, or he'd do the paper bag trick... he couldn't stay serious for long."

For Rippon, Eric remains timeless because he and Ernie had the "knack of being funny without ever being unpleasant, nasty or crude".

"I think that my memory of him will be just making the nation laugh and continuing to make the nation laugh."

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.