Associated London Scripts ( ALS ) was a writers' agency organised as a co-operative which involved many leading comedy and television writers of the 1950s and 1960s.
102-472: Eric Sykes CBE (4 May 1923 – 4 July 2012) was an English radio, stage, television and film writer, comedian, actor and director whose performing career spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock , Spike Milligan , Tommy Cooper , Peter Sellers , John Antrobus and Johnny Speight . Sykes first came to prominence through his many radio credits as
204-524: A Special Liaison Unit , when he met and worked with then flight lieutenant Bill Fraser . Sykes also collaborated with fellow RAF servicemen Denis Norden and Ron Rich in the production of troop entertainment shows. Whilst preparing for one of these shows in 1945, Sykes, accompanied by Norden and Rich, went to a nearby prison camp in search of stage lighting; the camp turned out to be the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp , which had recently been liberated by
306-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to
408-554: A child) Jane Asher . During 1956–57, Sykes also wrote for and performed in The Tony Hancock Show , where he again worked with Hattie Jacques. His next venture for the BBC was a one-hour special, Sykes Directs a Dress Rehearsal , playing a harassed director in a fictional TV studio rehearsal room, just before going live to air. Later that year he wrote and appeared in another all-star spectacular called Opening Night which celebrated
510-449: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and
612-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,
714-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on
816-467: A grocer's shop at 130 Uxbridge Road , Shepherd's Bush , was shared from around 1953 by Spike Milligan. (Sykes and Milligan later jointly formed Associated London Scripts (ALS) with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson , a writers' agency which lasted for well over a decade until being effectively dissolved in 1967). Late in 1954, Sykes began collaborating with Spike Milligan on scripts for The Goon Show , easing Milligan's workload. Their first collaborative script
918-472: A guest appearance in an episode of Till Death Us Do Part . This was followed in 1971 by a six-episode series, Sykes and a Big, Big Show , for the BBC and a special, Sykes: With the Lid Off , for Thames Television . In 1972, seven years after the cancellation of Sykes and a... , the BBC revived the series under the title Sykes . 68 colour episodes of Sykes were made between 1972 and 1979; forty-three of
1020-414: A half-Pakistani half-Irish man who comes to work in a British factory and ends up boarding with his ineffectual foreman Arthur Blenkinsop (Sykes), who has to regularly defend Kevin against his racist workmates. The supporting cast included pop singer turned actor Kenny Lynch , Geoffrey Hughes , Norman Rossington , Sam Kydd , Jerrold Wells, and Fanny Carby as Arthur and Kevin's landlady. The series provoked
1122-570: A mostly British cast including John Le Mesurier (who was at that time married to Hattie Jacques), and Roger Delgado . This was followed by a supporting role in the MGM British comedy, Kill or Cure , starring Terry-Thomas with a cast of British comedy stalwarts including one of the first film appearances by Ronnie Barker . Both films were made by the same writer-director team behind the popular Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple film, Murder She Said . During 1965, Sykes made what proved to be
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#17331164765661224-531: A new 30-minute BBC TV sitcom, Sykes and a... , which Sykes created in collaboration with writer Johnny Speight , who had worked with him earlier in the 1950s on the two Tony Hancock series for ITV. The original concept for the new series had Eric living in suburbia with his wife, with simple plots centring on everyday problems, but Sykes soon realised that by changing the house-mate from wife to sister it offered more scope for storylines and allowed either or both to become romantically entangled with other people. In
1326-572: A new home, who hire an accident-prone firm of house removers, headed by Sykes. It featured an all-star cast including Tommy Cooper, Bernard Cribbins , Jimmy Edwards, Irene Handl , Bob Todd , and Andrew Sachs . Sykes produced one further silent movie for Thames in 1988, Mr. H. Is Late , set at a funeral. In 1984, Sykes played the Genie in the children's film Gabrielle and the Doodleman , which also featured Windsor Davies (who would also appear with Sykes in
1428-607: A number of series episodes and one-off shows for the BBC. His credits in this period include The Howerd Crowd (1952), Frankie Howerd's Korean Party , Nuts in May , and The Frankie Howerd Show , as well as The Big Man (1954) starring Fred Emney and Edwin Styles . Sykes also made his first screen appearance at this time in the army film comedy Orders Are Orders (1954), which also featured Sid James , Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers, Bill Fraser, and Donald Pleasence . Sykes's small office above
1530-418: A one-off, 30-minute comedy written by Associated London Scripts colleagues Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. This was the premiere episode of a new BBC series Comedy Playhouse , which became an important proving ground for many successful TV comedy series. In 1962, Sykes played his first starring film role, being a travelling salesman in the comedy Village of Daughters , set in an Italian village, but featuring
1632-450: A partnership with Sid Colin , he worked on the BBC radio ventriloquism show Educating Archie , which began in 1950, and also Variety Bandbox . Working on Educating Archie led to him meeting Hattie Jacques for the first time. Sykes had begun to write for television as early as 1948, but from the early 1950s Sykes began to make an ultimately successful transition from radio to TV, writing
1734-657: A short 1962 special in the BBC's annual Christmas Night with the Stars programme, are lost . Twenty-five of the original fifty-nine episodes have survived in the BBC archives. It was during this series that Sykes introduced one of his best known creations, the wordless slapstick routine The Plank , which originally appeared in Episode 2, Series 7 of Sykes and a... , first broadcast on 3 March 1964 under that title. In December 1961, Sykes co-starred with Warren Mitchell in Clicquot et Fils ,
1836-634: A show for Ian Smith in Rhodesia . Sykes was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1986 and promoted to Commander (CBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours for services to drama, following a petition by Members of Parliament (MPs). Sykes was an honorary president of the Goon Show Preservation Society . Sykes was a follower of Oldham Athletic and was an honorary director of
1938-620: A storm of complaints about its liberal use of racist epithets and bad language (although Sykes refused to swear, as he did throughout his career). It was cancelled on the instruction of the Independent Broadcasting Authority after a series of six episodes. Sykes also made another minor film appearance in 1969 in the comedy Monte Carlo or Bust! , which was also titled as Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies . In 1970, Sykes returned to BBC television with
2040-457: A writer and actor in the 1950s, which include collaboration on some scripts for The Goon Show . He became a TV star in his own right in the early 1960s when he appeared with Hattie Jacques in several popular BBC comedy television series. Sykes was born on 4 May 1923 in Oldham , Lancashire; his mother died three weeks later, leaving him and his two-year-old brother Vernon motherless. Their father
2142-464: Is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or a dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of,
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#17331164765662244-512: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear
2346-523: Is his voice that announces "Teletubbies!" during the title sequence and on the show's theme song, " Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!" ", which became a number one single in December 1997. He also voiced The Scary Lion in The Lion and Bear Magical Event. In 1998, Sykes appeared in one episode of Dinnerladies as the father of Stan ( Duncan Preston ). In 2000, Sykes appeared as Mollocks, the servant of Dr Prunesquallor, in
2448-884: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to
2550-584: The British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of the order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to
2652-573: The Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941, the medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed
2754-633: The Granada TV adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories starring Jeremy Brett . Sykes toured Australia with the play Run for Your Wife (1987–88) with a cast that included Jack Smethurst , David McCallum , and Katy Manning . In 1989, in his first series since the Sykes series ended in 1979, Sykes starred as the golf club secretary in the ITV situation comedy The Nineteenth Hole , written by Johnny Speight . It
2856-557: The Macular Disease Society . He stopped smoking cigarettes in November 1966, but continued to smoke cigars until 1998. He underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery in 1997, and experienced a stroke in 2002. He married Edith Eleanore Milbrandt on 14 February 1952, and they had three daughters and a son. In the year Sykes died they marked their 60th wedding anniversary. In the 1970s, Sykes and his friend Jimmy Edwards took part in
2958-484: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use
3060-444: The coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of the medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to
3162-630: The 1967 special Sykes Versus ITV with Tommy Cooper and Ronnie Brody . In 1968, he had a supporting role in an Anglo-American film co-production, the Edward Dmytryk western Shalako , starring Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot . In 1969, Sykes co-starred with Spike Milligan in the ill-fated television sitcom Curry and Chips , a satire on racial prejudice created and written by Johnny Speight and made for London Weekend Television . Milligan, who had grown up in British India , played Kevin O'Grady,
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3264-464: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of
3366-527: The Allies. Sykes, Norden, and Rich organised a food collection amongst their comrades to feed the starving camp inmates. When the war ended, Sykes decided to try his luck in London, arriving in the middle of the coldest winter in living memory (1946–47) . He rented lodgings, expecting to find work quickly, but by the end of the first week he was cold, hungry, and penniless. The turning point in his life and career came on
3468-739: The BBC's Gormenghast in 2000), Bob Todd, Lynsey de Paul , and Gareth Hunt . In 1985, he played the Mad Hatter in the Anglia Television serial adaptation of Alice in Wonderland , joining an all-star cast that included Michael Bentine , Leslie Crowther , and Leonard Rossiter , and he also had an uncredited role (as an arcade attendant) in the Julien Temple film musical Absolute Beginners (1986) which stars Patsy Kensit . In 1986, Sykes played Horace Harker in "The Six Napoleons", an episode of
3570-557: The BBC's mini-series adaptation of Mervyn Peake 's Gormenghast , which was the last production to feature both Milligan and Sykes (although they did not appear together on screen). In 2001, he had one of his few serious screen roles, playing a servant in the blockbuster supernatural thriller film The Others , starring Nicole Kidman . In 2005, he played Frank Bryce in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire . In 2007, he appeared in Last of
3672-788: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
3774-443: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of
3876-535: The Chief Constable in the slapstick police comedy film The Boys in Blue , which starred the comedy duo Cannon and Ball , with Jon Pertwee . For Thames TV that year, he also appeared in and wrote The Eric Sykes 1990 Show with Tommy Cooper, Dandy Nichols and John Williams (guitarist) and It's Your Move , a wordless slapstick comedy depicting the travails of a couple ( Richard Briers and Sylvia Syms ) moving into
3978-495: The Core starring Anton Rodgers (who replaced Peter Sellers) with Sykes. Sykes had a minor film role in another spy comedy The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966), written by Galton and Simpson. In 1967, Sykes expanded one of his routines into a 45-minute wordless colour short, The Plank which features, among others, Sykes, Tommy Cooper , Jimmy Edwards , Graham Stark , Hattie Jacques, and future Goodies star Bill Oddie . (The film
4080-579: The Friday night of his first week in London: he had a chance meeting in the street with Bill Fraser, who was by now featuring in a comedy at the Playhouse Theatre . Fraser took the impoverished Sykes to the theatre, offered him food and drink, then asked if Sykes would like to write for him. Sykes began providing scripts for both Fraser and Frankie Howerd and soon found himself in demand as a comedy writer. Forming
4182-820: The Kensington offices and purchased even more prestigious premises at 9 Orme Court in Bayswater Road , adjacent to Hyde Park . In 1967 Robert Stigwood bought a controlling interest in ALS; Galton and Simpson had favoured the deal (because Stigwood was moving into film production) but Sykes and Milligan did not, so they sold their controlling shares in the company to Stigwood, while Galton and Simpson (to their later regret) sold their share of Orme Court to Milligan and Sykes. Milligan later sold his half to Sykes. Wanting to move into production, Beryl Vertue opted to go with Stigwood becoming deputy chairman of his group; she subsequently became
Eric Sykes - Misplaced Pages Continue
4284-845: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable
4386-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of
4488-513: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become
4590-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of
4692-539: The Prime Minister of Rhodesia . In 1973, Sykes had a small role as a police sergeant in the Douglas Hickox thriller Theatre of Blood . In 1977, Sykes wrote and starred in another television special, Eric Sykes Shows a Few of Our Favourite Things . He also wrote the script for the 1977 Yorkshire Television adaptation of Charley's Aunt and appeared in the role of Brassett. The third version of The Plank
4794-406: The Second World War, and he had an operation in 1952 followed by another two years later. Recovering from the second procedure he discovered he was profoundly deaf . His spectacles contained no lenses but were a bone-conducting hearing aid . Disciform macular degeneration , brought about by age and possibly smoking, left Sykes partially sighted, and he was registered as blind . He was a patron of
4896-1082: The Summer Wine and in New Tricks , as well as taking a small role in an episode of the sitcom My Family . That year he also had a small part in the film Son of Rambow . In October 2010 Sykes appeared in Hallowe'en Party , an episode in the twelfth series of Agatha Christie's Poirot . His autobiography, If I Don't Write It, Nobody Else Will , was published in 2005, by Harper Perennial . He also wrote novels, including UFOs are Coming Wednesday (1995, Virgin Publishing), Smelling of Roses (1997, Virgin Publishing), The Great Crime of Grapplewick (1984, MacMillan London Ltd). These three have been published as The Eric Sykes Compendium by Virgin Publications in 1997: ISBN 978 0 7535 1193 0 . Sykes became partially deaf as an adult. His hearing started to deteriorate in
4998-486: The UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use the titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded
5100-460: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of
5202-451: The award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to the order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were
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#17331164765665304-468: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of
5406-402: The centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to
5508-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with
5610-488: The civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of the medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as
5712-634: The club in the 1970s. Sykes died on the morning of 4 July 2012, aged 89, at his home in Esher , Surrey , after a short illness. His family was with him when he died. He has a memorial plaque in St Paul's Church in Covent Garden . The following entries are films unless otherwise stated. Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
5814-530: The co-writers of all but the first six of the 26 episodes in Series 5 (1954–55) and three episodes of Series 6 (1955–56); Sykes also wrote a 15-minute Goon Show Christmas special, The Missing Christmas Parcel , broadcast during the Children's Hour on 8 December 1955. In 1955, Sykes wrote and performed in a BBC Christmas spectacular, a spoof pantomime called Pantomania , which featured many well-known BBC personalities of
5916-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon
6018-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In
6120-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse
6222-607: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by
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#17331164765666324-434: The early 1950s, as The Goon Show was gaining popularity, its main writer Spike Milligan accepted an invitation from Eric Sykes to share his small office above a grocer's shop at 130 Uxbridge Road , Shepherd's Bush . Sykes was then writing for the radio comedy series Educating Archie starring Peter Brough and his ventriloquist dummy Archie Andrews (in which Harry Secombe was also appearing). Sykes originated
6426-400: The era; it was directed by Ernest Maxin , who went on to produce some of the most famous comedy routines for Morecambe & Wise . That same year Sykes signed a contract as scriptwriter and variety show presenter for the newly formed independent television company ATV , while continuing to write and perform for the BBC. In 1956, Sykes performed, wrote scripts, and acted as script editor for
6528-585: The final series of Sykes and a... and appeared in three major films. He had a small role in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines , joining an all-star cast of British and American TV and film luminaries. The spy spoof The Liquidator was directed by Jack Cardiff and starred Rod Taylor with Sykes in a secondary role. His third film of that year was the Boulting brothers ' Rotten to
6630-552: The firm's business affairs manager and in-house agent. Comedian Tony Hancock briefly joined the collective and other members included Terry Nation , Johnny Speight , Dennis Spooner and John Antrobus . The venture eventually grew to include around thirty writers, with a support staff of twelve; by 1957 it had outgrown the Shepherd's Bush offices and moved to larger premises in Kensington High Street . Around 1960, ALS sold
6732-515: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms
6834-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of
6936-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within
7038-527: The honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". The order has attracted some criticism for its naming having connection with the idea of the now-extinct British Empire . Benjamin Zephaniah , a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality". He also said that "it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". Associated London Scripts In
7140-435: The idea of forming a non-profit, co-operative writers' agency; Milligan then approached rising comedy writing partners Ray Galton and Alan Simpson with the proposal. Taking vacant space above Sykes's office, they jointly formed Associated London Scripts with Frankie Howerd and Sykes and Howerd's then manager Stanley "Scruffy" Dale. Their original secretary (a former schoolfriend of Simpson) was Beryl Vertue , who later became
7242-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to
7344-624: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of
7446-519: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning
7548-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within
7650-469: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use
7752-449: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of
7854-488: The opening of the 1956 National Radio Show at Earl's Court . In 1957, he created Closing Night , which closed the 1957 show. By this time Sykes had developed hearing problems; he subsequently lost most of his hearing, but learned to lip-read and watch other performers say their lines to get his cues. In 1957, he wrote and appeared in an edition of Val Parnell's Saturday Spectacular , the first of two shows in this series that he wrote for Peter Sellers. The first went out under
7956-548: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that
8058-569: The order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At
8160-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to
8262-410: The order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with the addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in
8364-402: The order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in the UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside
8466-517: The pioneering Rediffusion TV comedy The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d , the first attempt to translate the humour of the Goons to television. It starred Peter Sellers, with Sykes, Kenneth Connor , and Valentine Dyall . During this year he also made his second film appearance, playing a minor role in the Max Bygraves film Charley Moon , which also featured Bill Fraser, Peter Jones , Dennis Price , and (as
8568-433: The revised concept, Sykes played a version of his established stage persona, a bumbling, work-shy, accident-prone bachelor called Eric Sykes, who lives at 24 Sebastopol Terrace, East Acton , with his unmarried twin sister Harriet, played by Jacques. The other regular cast members were Deryck Guyler as local constable Wilfred "Corky" Turnbull and Richard Wattis as their snobbish, busybody neighbour Charles Brown. Wattis left
8670-586: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:
8772-459: The same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from a burning building containing explosives. In December 1922
8874-556: The same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as a GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and
8976-774: The show after series 3 and his departure was explained by having Mr Brown migrating to Australia. Other guests included Hugh Lloyd , John Bluthal , Leo McKern , and Arthur Mullard . The first series (five episodes, all written by Johnny Speight) premiered on 29 January 1960 and were an immediate hit, establishing 'Eric and Hat' as one of Britain's most popular and enduring comedy partnerships. The second series of six episodes (written from storylines suggested by Speight) were mostly written by Sykes, although he co-wrote one episode each with John Antrobus and Spike Milligan. All subsequent episodes were written solely by Sykes. Nine short seasons of Sykes and a... were produced between 1960 and 1965, ranging between six and nine episodes each, plus
9078-412: The shows were re-workings of scripts from the 1960s series, which had been recorded in monochrome . These included a remake of the 1960s episode Sykes and a Stranger , guest-starring Peter Sellers as the stranger, Tommy Grando, in what was to be Sellers's final TV part. During the 1970s, Sykes and Jimmy Edwards took part in a performance of Big Bad Mouse entertaining Rhodesian troops for Ian Smith ,
9180-455: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of
9282-416: The statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by a proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in
9384-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of
9486-555: The title of Eric Sykes Presents Peter Sellers , and the second, in 1958, was called The Peter Sellers Show . In 1959, Sykes wrote and directed the one-off BBC special Gala Opening , with a cast that included 'Professor' Stanley Unwin and Hattie Jacques, and played a small supporting role in the Tommy Steele film Tommy the Toreador . At the turn of the decade Eric Sykes and his old friend and colleague Hattie Jacques co-starred in
9588-459: Was later remade for Thames Television in 1978.) Also in 1967, Sykes and his old friend Jimmy Edwards started touring with the theatrical farce Big Bad Mouse which, while keeping more or less to a script, gave them rein to ad lib and address the audience. They would return to the production on and off until 1975, touring the UK twice and also taking the show abroad, including to Australia. Returning to television, Sykes and Jacques appeared in
9690-592: Was a labourer in a cotton mill and a former army sergeant . When Sykes was two, his father remarried and he gained a half-brother named John. Sykes was educated at Ward Street Central School in Oldham. He joined the Royal Air Force during the Second World War , qualifying as a wireless operator with the rank of leading aircraftman . Sykes's entertainment career began during the Second World War while serving in
9792-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin
9894-527: Was for a Goon Show special called Archie in Goonland , a crossover between The Goon Show and Educating Archie . The special was broadcast in June 1954 and featured the regular Goon Show cast ( Harry Secombe was then appearing in both) plus Peter Brough , his dummy Archie Andrews and Hattie Jacques. It was not a success, however, and neither recording nor the script has survived. Sykes and Milligan are credited as
9996-582: Was his last screen appearance with Hattie Jacques. The film employed an idea drawn from the British showbiz tradition in which extras used the word "rhubarb" to simulate low-level background dialogue, which had also been a running joke in The Goon Show . In 1981, Sykes wrote, directed, and starred in the offbeat comedy If You Go Down in the Woods Today for Thames, with a cast including Roy Kinnear, Fulton Mackay , and George Sewell . During 1982, Sykes played
10098-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach
10200-434: Was made in 1979 for Thames TV as a half-hour TV special. Sykes wrote and appeared in two Thames Television specials broadcast during 1980 – The Likes of Sykes and Rhubarb Rhubarb . The latter special, a remake of his 1969 short film Rhubarb which Sykes also directed, featured many of his old friends including Jimmy Edwards, Bob Todd, Charlie Drake, Bill Fraser, Roy Kinnear , Beryl Reid , and Norman Rossington . It
10302-478: Was not a success and ran for only one season, being dropped by ITV for being unfunny, racist, and sexist. In 1994, Sykes appeared in both episodes of Paul Merton's Palladium Story , a documentary series celebrating the history of the London Palladium . From March 1997, Sykes, together with Tim Whitnall , Toyah Willcox and Mark Heenehan, provided narration for the BBC pre-school TV series Teletubbies . It
10404-517: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of
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