Morecambe will mark Eric Morecambe's 100th birthday on Tuesday with a new mural, a visit to his statue and a weekend of events that put the comedian's hometown at the centre of the centenary tribute.
The mural, honouring Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, is due to be unveiled at 11:00 BST at Johnny's Bar on Marine Road Central by Morecambe's children, Gary Morecambe and Gail Morecambe. Gary said their father and Wise had created something special built on friendship, respect and a shared love of making people laugh, adding that celebrating that partnership in Morecambe itself during the centenary weekend felt fitting.
The reveal comes on a day set up to remember one of Britain's most loved comic pairings. Morecambe and Wise met in 1940, when they were teenagers booked into the same Nottingham stage show, and went on to work together for 43 years. Their television performances drew audiences of more than 27 million on one occasion, a scale that helped make their names part of British popular culture.
Eric Morecambe died in 1984, aged 58, after collapsing from a heart attack as he came off stage. But his hometown has continued to keep his memory in view. A memorial statue was unveiled on Morecambe Promenade in 1999 by Elizabeth II, and Gary and Gail Morecambe will visit it on Tuesday at 10:30 BST as part of the centenary programme.
The celebrations do not end with the mural or the statue. Local historian Peter Wade will lead guided walks from Eric Morecambe's statue on Thursday 14, Friday 15 and Saturday 16 May, running from 14:00 to 15:30 and costing £2 per person, payable on departure. A free exhibition at the Arndale Centre's Morecambe Heritage Centre will also run throughout the summer, with photos, postcards, letters, scripts and personal items from Eric Morecambe's collection on display.
The centenary weekend gives Morecambe a chance to do more than remember a famous son. It places the story where it began, in the seaside town that gave Eric Morecambe his name and where the legacy of Morecambe and Wise is still being framed for a new generation.
