I associate Morecambe and Wise with a nostalgic England: roast sunday lunches and crystallised ginger in jars, families gathered round the tv for the highlight programme of the week, a kind of humour epitomised by Flanders and Swann and the Marching Song of the Ancient Britons, and stability and normality and comfortable living. Thank you for all of these things, Eric and Joan Morecambe. They were an important part of my childhood. ( )

This is a softly told story by Joan Morecambe, wife of the late comic Eric Morecambe, who for you younger people and heathens, was half of one of the great 70s and 80s skit/variety shows on TV. I bet if I asked 100 people who watched the show how to do 'the dance', all could do it!

My dad was a huge fan, but then who wasn't, and with the likes of Benny Hill, The Two Ronnies, and Tommy Cooper also frequenting our living rooms, it is testament to anyone that can get such a following in amongst the talents around at the time.

Going back to Joan's account of her life with Eric I have to admit I learnt a lot about this man who up until today was just another funny guy with a goofy smile. But he was so much more than that, and while the narrative tends to be somewhat biased and through rose coloured glasses, there is no doubt that she was in adoration and awe of the man behind the glasses and he himself was not only a larger than life personality, he was also a true gentleman, father, son, and humanitarian.

While at times it felt alot like name dropping (I'm just jealous), the fact that most of the biggest names in entertainment were just as much in awe of Eric as he may have been with them.

The chapter on Eric's hobbies is humorous, as well as the early days where they travelled in a caravan (as well as Eric getting his driving license), but there were some odd moments as well, such as the dog, which seemed to lose my interest as there seemed no real relevance to the subject matter. ( )