VETERAN broadcaster and writer Barry Cryer has attacked modern comedy commissioners at his long-time employer the BBC.
He accuses them of not knowing about humour and taking no risks. “You have people who have never done it telling you how to do your job,” says Barry, 80, who is still working and performing and is on a live tour with long-running BBC radio show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue.
“Apart from Clue, my life is mainly based around live gigs and performing – I’m out of the game of writing for the BBC.
“I do hear stories about BBC committees sitting on everything, I’m glad I’m out of it. In my time it was people like [late ex BBC One controller] Bill Cotton.
One day he was sat in his office and thought [comedian] Dave Allen hadn’t been on TV for a while. So he rang him up, took him out for lunch, went back to his office and announced that afternoon there were going to be six episodes of the Dave Allen show.”
And the man who has written jokes for the likes of Morecambe And Wise, The Two Ronnies and Tommy Cooper, reckons if things had always been this way at least two of the most iconic comedy shows would never have seen the light of day.
“Now it would take a committee and three months with no decision. Monty Python and Spitting Image would not have happened.”