Barry Cryer RIP

bristoladdick

Very sad news. RIP.

_MrDick

As Barry Cryer might have said, He was a national treasure … somebody must’ve dug him up from somewhere RIP Barry. Loved your work growing up. Legend 

Tunwellsaddick

RIP Barry. Exceptional wit. Will be missed. 

soapboxsam

Amazed at how many people he wrote gags for including Billy Connolly.
A top comedy writer and performer who had a great career from the variety shows of the 50's to TV and loved to hear him on the radio over the last few decades.
Respected by comedians young and old.

RIP Barry Cryer

bigstemarra

A real comedy great; he has seen and done it all.

A huge influence on British comedy.

RIP.

Wheresmeticket

Ah no.

RodneyCharltonTrotta

RIP

Hal1x

Hamish and Dougal  
RIP

Solidgone

He’s going to missed. RIP 

lolwray

A genuine long lasting talent of screen, radio and gag writing...mostly associated with writing but held his own on a series called Jokers Wild with the likes of Les Dawson back in the day.

A very funny man RIP 

KBslittlesis

He was one of a kind.
His jokes just got funnier & moved with the times.
Loved by all ages.

A very sad day.

Cheers Baz, gawd bless ya ♥️

Algarveaddick

Lovely story from our own Charlie Connelly on Facebook: 


Lots of love for Barry Cryer today and people sharing stories of him just being a sounder. Here’s mine, about how he gave me the best moment of what I laughably call my career.

It’s the mid-2000s and I’m a guest speaker at a lunch at London’s swanky Simpson’s in the Strand. Very posh. The speakers are me, Kate Adie and Michael Winner. Not an intimidating prospect at all, as you’ll appreciate. Ulp.

We sit down and I have Kate Adie on one side of me, and on the other is Barry Cryer. I'm a big fan, ISIHAC, Kenny Everett, all that stuff. He doesn’t know me from Adam but is immediately interested in me, what I do, why I’m there, the whole thing.

We talk about Andre Previn on Morecambe and Wise, and Previn’s timing on the “I’ll just get my baton, it’s in Chicago” line, and Barry Cryer makes me feel like my lame opinion on one of the most famous sketches in British comedy history is worth his time and attention.

Then he leans forward and calls to my neighbour on the other side.

“Kate,” he says, “do you know that you’re the punchline to a north country comedians’ joke?”

Kate looks suspicious. “No,” she says hesitantly.

“Do you want to hear it?” asks Barry as I lean back, watching this exchange. Kate Adie rolls her eyes, but they're twinkling.

“I suppose so,” she sighs.

“Well, they get up on stage and say, oh, what a lovely audience. Better than the place I played last night. I’m not saying it was rough but Kate Adie was collecting the glasses.”

That familiar bronchial chuckle. Kate Adie rolls her eyes again, but she’s laughing.

Anyway, to the best moment of what I laughably call my career. The time comes for the speeches and I’m first up, wanging on about the shipping forecast. Everyone’s had a few at that stage so it’s a pretty friendly crowd and I get a few chuckles. Phew. I finish with quite a decent joke, for me anyway, which gets a decent laugh, one that dissolves into a round of applause and I drop back onto my chair, relieved. I’m no stand-up comedian but I’ve done all right, pretty much all I can hope for.

As I sit down, a bit flushed, the applause dying away, I’m aware that someone is thumping me repeatedly on the back.

It’s Barry Cryer.

“Brilliant,” he’s hooting at me. “Brilliant! Such timing!”

I was not brilliant. I was far from brilliant and my timing is absolutely not worthy of praise. He was just being kind. He had no particular reason to be so kind to me, I was just a nobody, the first on the bill at one of countless events he attended, our paths would likely never cross again.

Yet he still made me feel like I belonged up there, that what I was doing that day mattered to him and he was interested. Barry Cryer made me feel a million dollars.

After the lunch he took Kate Adie and I to the bar and told us brilliant stories for the rest of the afternoon, none of which I can remember because of all the gin and tonic.

I remember the important bit though. That Barry Cryer was incredibly kind to me and gave me the best moment of what I laughably call my career just out of his natural warmth and goodness.

Safe journey, Baz.

Redmidland

A really funny and intelligent comic. Had the pleasure to have dinner with him about 20 years ago, even at the table he had us absolutely crying with laughter! A pleasure to meet and a genuinely nice guy....RIP Sir and thanks for the laughs!

hoof_it_up_to_benty

A very funny man and so sharp.

RIP

Phil

Very sad. He was a genius. As mentioned before Hampshire and Dougal was wonderful whether the radio series or as part of ISIHAC. Fortunate to see him a few times.
He will be greatly missed.
RIP.

willieduff

Genios is a word banded around very easily these days.
Barry was a genius, one that is knited into the fabric of great British comedy, RIP Barry you will long be remembered.

Bournemouth Addick

What sad news. An incredible talent but maybe more important in that i've never heard anyone with a bad word to say about him.

RIP Barry. 

IdleHans

He was an after dinner speaker at a Burns night thing I went to about 15 years ago. Absolutely made the evening.

Lovely story from Charlie Connelly. Thanks for putting it up @Algarveaddick

He will be greatly missed

SporadicAddick

For the last few years, he has been the person commenting on other comedians deaths. So sad that it is now him.

stonemuse

Great story @Algarveaddick thanks 

Bangkokaddick

Never mainstream but always on our screens. That may sound an oxymoron but it's true. I just flicked through the TV channels and there was Barry Cryer, this time on a tribute to Joan Rivers.

Obviously a comedian's comedian, he'll be sadly missed.

RIP Barry

Saga Lout

He made it look effortless and he spanned the ages, never went out of fashion, which is easy when you're that funny. I never heard him criticize or put down another comedian - that shows to me that he was at ease and not threatened by anyone else's talent.

Very sad day. RIP

Raith_C_Chattonell

I note the family mentioned that Barry told a joke about the Archbishop of Canterbury to a nurse just before he died - perhaps that wasn't the best timing - but I reckon St Peter will let him through anyway.

MuttleyCAFC

RIP

Weegie Addick

Any Barry Cryer fans at a loose end on Friday afternoon, this should be entertaining:

https://www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/show/joke-live-barry-cryers-12-jokes-of-christmas/

There’s 10% off with code BAZJOKE. 

Billy_Mix

Always a big fan of BC, one of the funniest live performers I've had the privilege of seeing in action.
An acquaintance of mine recently revealed he worked with him (backstage) off and on over a number of years.
Tales of BC's thirst and generosity at the bar are legion, less often referenced is that BC never gave up the fags.  Neither intake seeming to weaken him even well into his 80's. My chum had an afternoon in the pub with BC just a couple of months before he died.  The pints slipped down and the anecdotes flowed, just as they always had and BC ducking out to the street every so often for a gasper.  My mate reached the point he needed a cab to get him to the station and his last image of BC was through the back window of the cab, BC toasting his departure, fresh pint in one hand and freshly lit fag in the other.