18 million viewers tuned in to Sykes, the sitcom Eric Sykes wrote and starred in, with a prodigious talent for slapstick humor.
But it’s his ‘ dad hugs ‘ that his daughter, Julie Sykes, 67, misses most about Eric, who died in 2012, aged 89. She tells The Mirror: “He was a great hugger. His hands were always warm, I was aware. I miss him holding my hands while I’ve always had cold hands.
Speaking ahead of a new documentary Eric Sykes: 50 Years of Laughter, on Channel 5 tonight at 9pm, she recalls: “Dad was always visually funny. And that’s what he was like at home. I remember he’d come into a room and inadvertently drop something, a knife or fork. There was a cheeky laugh. He always made us laugh”.
Julie, her mum Edith and siblings Katherine, Susan and David’s laughter joined that of the millions of fans who loved watching Sykes.
She says: “When the theme tune was on, we’d all come running into the living room. The shout would go around the house – ‘ Dad’s on! ‘”
The show’s name was changed to Sykes when it had a second run between 1972 and 1979, replacing its original name Sykes and a… when it ran for nine series between 1960 and 1965.
The hilarious duo of Eric and Hattie Jacques, who played his twin sister, remained close until her tragic death in 1980, when she was just 53.
After Hattie’s passing, Eric concentrated on stage acting, but he received praise for his performance in the 2001 film The Others, which he co-starred with Nicole Kidman, and Frank Bryce in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire in 2005.
Eric, who died at his home in Esher, Surrey, after a short illness, counted writing for The Goon Show until it left the air in 1960 among his accomplishments.
Because Eric was plagued by hearing issues and had a quadruple heart bypass in 1997, one of its stars and his great friend Spike Milligan justified his claim.
Julie says: “Dad never socialised because of his deafness. Because he couldn’t hear them, he never brought people home; it would be difficult and straining. We never went out as a family”.
Edith, a Canadian nurse who he met in 1952 while in hospital for one of his ear operations, created a loving home that gave Eric a much-needed sanctuary from work. The couple were happily married for 60 years and Edith passed away in 2018 – seven years after her husband’s death.
Dad wasn’t frequently present, but he enjoyed returning home, returning home with his wife and children. In the distance, he had his golf clubs, along with his dogs.
Although Eric believed she would remain his guardian angel throughout his life, his mother, who was born on May 4, 1923, passed away three weeks after giving birth due to labor complications.
When, at the age of 16, he was drafted into the RAF during World War II, he was raised in poverty and without any education.
He auditioned for a theatre company, which he founded while stationed in Germany after the war, and it was the start of his comedic career.
to boost morale and entertain the troops, and he realized his writing talent.
He and other company members traveled to a recently liberated prison camp in 1945 to borrow some lights – without knowing what lay behind the facility’s gates, Bergen Belsen, which was also the most harrowing experience of his life.
He spent the rest of his life haunted by the images of the abused victims of the brutal Nazi regime.
Julie says: “He never spoke about it. The only reason I knew was because I read his autobiography”.
After the war, Eric began writing for RAF theatre pal Bill and another fellow wartime performer, Frankie Howerd, then a successful radio comic.
Soon after, he began to work with stars like Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, and Tony Hancock.
And when he met Hattie in 1948, when she gave packed-house performances of old-time music hall classics, his acting career began.
Recalling Hattie in action, he said: “At the end of the number she leapt in the air and did the splits. I had never seen such charisma”.
Due to Eric’s partial deafness, which had almost died from an infected mastoid in 1950, which eventually led to his total deafness, his success was even more remarkable.
As Eric only had a partial ear drum in one ear, hearing aids didn’t work. He instead relied on heavy, “hearing aid” glasses that were “without the black lensese,” concealing micro-speakers that blew sound through his skull.
Writing for laughs that he could no longer hear, especially when collaborating with Spike Milligan, whose bipolar disorder regularly led to depressive episodes, was challenging.
“When Spike became a bit depressed, Dad would take over and write some of the Goon scripts. They would all be in their office – Dad, Spike, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine – writing these scripts and having a laugh. Although there were some disagreements, they eventually became lifelong friends.
In one heated row, Spike threw an ashtray at Eric’s head. Julie says: “I think they fell out over using the word” and “or” but “in a joke. They were both very creative, and dad’s comedy was as surreal as Spike’s, but Spike was not quite as controllable as my dad”.
Laurel and Hardy greatly influenced Eric – which is clear to see in his 1967 short movie masterpiece, The Plank, co-starring Tommy Cooper.
Julie recalls: “Tommy was very nervous about acting, but my dad told him ‘ Don’t act. Just be yourself. Other than Tommy Cooper, you don’t need anyone else. That’s why you’re doing this with me’. And Tommy was amazing”.
It also features a young Jimmy Tarbuck, who speaks in tonight’s documentary, along with Julie, and reveals how Eric became a benevolent mentor to him.
Julie recalls her father giving other performers lots of advice when they asked.
Hattie Jacques, who started working with Eric on Educating Rita in 1950, loved their partnership. Julie remembers attending the taping of Sykes at the BBC every week as a child and seeing ‘ Auntie Hattie, ‘ saying: “She was such a loving, welcoming, warm person. She’d make sure everybody was okay – cast and crew. And she would always provide us with delicious food. when her father visited her during the summer. We would travel down to see them and spend a few weeks there. She was a great auntie, always making us a nice dinner or lunch”.
In The Carry on films, Hattie gained fame as a typecast in the matronly role, and there were frequently references to her weight.
However, Julie asserts that “Dad never understood that Hattie was a big woman.” He wrote for her because he thought she was funny in her own right. It was unrelated to the size. She and she both had a lot of respect for one another. They both had genuine, genuine love for each other”.
When she passed away, Eric was devastated. Julie, who went with her siblings, continues, “The entire family was invited to the funeral, but my dad was touring with a play in Australia and my mother had gone with him,” dispelling rumors.
Kenneth Williams read out a note that my father left at the funeral home. It was a heartfelt note. Although my father said I know when I’m ready to go, I can’t remember it exactly. I’ll be getting a hot meal prepared by Hattie.
And without her, Eric was aware that he would not be able to carry on Sykes.
Awarded a CBE for services to drama in 2005, Eric’s final role was in Agatha Christie’s Poirot, two years before his death.
Meanwhile, three of his children followed him into showbiz. After driving her father’s car in her 20s and accompanying him on television appearances and filming assignments, Julie left.
” Katherine and David also went into the industry, while my sister Susan went into nursing like Mum, “she says.
Julie also inherited her father’s love of golf, saying:” Some of my happiest memories are being on the golf course – playing with Dad,
“In the end, he was deaf and couldn’t see, so he never left the house. But he was content and thankful for living long. People still want to talk to me about my dad, which is still surprising to me.
Eric Sykes: 50 Years of Laughter airs tonight Channel 5 at 9pm. An episode of Sykes follows at 10.30pm.
Source: Mirror
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