The English comic double act of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise made their first appearance on television in 1951. Following this first appearance, they were to star in four separate television series of their own, as well as making many appearances on other television shows. The following is a list of appearances that the pair made, both together and separately, on television, apart from their own four series.

Background In the late 1940s, the comedy duo of Morecambe and Wise had begun to make a name for themselves on the variety theatre circuit, and had also made some forays onto BBC Radio. At this time, although still in its infancy in the United Kingdom, television was beginning to assume a greater level of importance in entertainment. Morecambe and Wise's first television audition was at the BBC in 1948, which was when they began a firm resolution that they should appear on television as soon as possible.McCann, p.99 Their first actual television appearance came in 1951, on a half-hour variety short called Parade of Youth. Following this, they were to make a number of appearances prior to being given the opportunity to do their own television series, Running Wild, in 1954. The failure of Running Wild led to the duo subsequently returning to live variety for a period, until they were invited back to television on The Winifred Atwell Show in 1956.

Full series appearances The Winifred Atwell Show

Following the failure of Running Wild in 1954, Morecambe and Wise returned to the variety circuit in an effort to restore the fortunes of their act. Having made a successful return to the public eye, after two years they felt ready to make a second attempt at television. Dicky Leeman, a producer with ATV, one of the new independent broadcasters on the ITV network, contacted them with a view to their becoming regulars on a planned new variety show fronted by the pianist Winifred Atwell, with material provided by the writer Johnny Speight.McCann, p. 125 Morecambe and Wise eventually became the resident comedians on the show for the duration of its first series.

Double Six Morecambe and Wise, having achieved success on The Winifred Atwell Show, felt comfortable enough with television the following year to return to the BBC, where they headlined a new variety show called Double Six.

It's Childsplay In 1976, at the height of their success at the BBC, Morecambe and Wise fronted a new children's series called It's Childsplay. Unlike previous series, the duo only played a hosting role in this, as it was a showcase for teenage screenwriters to have their work produced for television with casts of respected actors.

Guest appearances The Ed Sullivan Show

In 1962, with their new television show for ATV, Two of a Kind having completed its second series, Morecambe and Wise were appearing at the London Palladium for a live variety date. In the audience was the American variety host and impresario, Ed Sullivan. Sullivan, a noted fan of British acts, was at the performance to look at the night's host, Bruce Forsyth, but was so impressed with Morecambe and Wise that he offered them the opportunity of three appearances on his variety show on CBS in the United States. Despite lukewarm responses from audiences, Sullivan remained a fan of the duo, and they made a number of appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show between 1963 and 1968. These including appearing on one of the first shows to feature the Beatles, as well as being invited to take part in a special edition to celebrate the 80th birthday of Irving Berlin.

Sunday Night at the London Palladium / The London Palladium Show

In 1955, prior to their joining the cast of The Winifred Atwell Show, Morecambe and Wise made their first appearance on Val Parnell's variety show for ATV, Sunday Night at the London Palladium. Over the next decade, the duo made a total of eleven appearances on the programme, both before and after they had achieved success with their own ATV television series, Two of a Kind.

Other appearances Morecambe and Wise Series titleEpisode numberTransmission dateChannelProduction companyParade of Youth128 September 1951BBC TelevisionBBCStars at Blackpool228 August 1953BBC TelevisionBBCVariety Parade1.124 October 1953BBC TelevisionBBCFace the Music2.512 December 1953BBC TelevisionBBCThis Is Show Business7.428 November 1956BBC TelevisionBBCBlackpool Show Parade1.13 June 1957BBC TelevisionBBCStars at Blackpool523 September 1957BBC TelevisionBBCThe Good Old Days6.21 May 1958BBC TelevisionBBCBlackpool Show Parade2.33 July 1959BBC TelevisionBBCThe Good Old Days7.426 December 1959BBC TelevisionBBCLittle Miss Music1.43 March 1960BBC TelevisionBBC NorthSaturday Spectacular5.129 July 1960ITVATVThe Jo Stafford Show1.44 November 1961ITVATVJuke Box Jury1.27828 November 1964BBCtvBBCThose Two Fellers1.615 June 1967ITVABC Weekend TVOne Pair of Eyes1.297 June 1969BBC1BBCParkinson2.2011 November 1972BBC1BBCOmnibus6.1518 February 1973BBC1BBCThe Dean Martin Comedy World1.16 June 1974NBCGreg Garrison ProductionsLooks Familiar14 September 1976ITVThames Television22 February 197819 April 1978The Sweeney4.1123 November 1978ITVEuston Films

Eric Morecambe Series titleEpisode numberTransmission dateChannelProduction companyLooks Familiar26 January 1976ITVThames Television1 March 1976Everyman1.41 May 1977BBC1BBCWorld of Sport24 December 1978ITVLondon Weekend TelevisionChannel Interview27 November 1980ITVChannel TelevisionPebble Mill at One14 September 1981BBC1BBCRussell Harty4 November 1982BBC2BBCThe Saturday Show2.307 April 1984ITVCentral Television

Ernie Wise Series titleEpisode numberTransmission dateChannelProduction companyLooks Familiar23 September 1975ITVThames Television2 February 197613.12 August 198413.1218 October 1984What's My Line?24 December 1984ITVThames TelevisionLook Who's Talking1243 January 1985ITVBorder TelevisionToo Close for Comfort5.145 October 1985SyndicationD.L. Taffner ProductionsThe Lowdown2.318 April 1989BBC1BBCRainbow18.93 November 1989ITVThames TelevisionCountdown19.1418 January 1990Channel 4Yorkshire Television19.1519 January 199019.1622 January 199019.1723 January 199019.1824 January 199019.1925 January 199020.3822 August 199020.3923 August 199020.4024 August 199020.4127 August 199020.4228 August 199020.4329 August 199040 Minutes13.1127 April 1993BBC2BBC

See also Running Wild (1954 TV series) § List of episodes (BBC) List of Two of a Kind episodes (ATV for ITV) List of The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series) episodes (BBC) List of The Morecambe & Wise Show (1978 TV series) episodes (Thames for ITV)

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