When the BBC's prize-winning and audience-charming comedians Morecambe and Wise left the corporation in the late seventies, the search was on for a replacement, and by signing up Syd Little and Eddie Large, they were certainly settling for less. Although they were, in essence, two rather likable jolly jokers who wouldn't have been out of place in the theatre at the end of a seaside resort's pier or any boozy British nightclub, they were hardly a substitute for Eric and Ernie. They were scarcely even a 'proper' double act - Syd wasn't so much a straight man as a gormless stooge, whilst Eddie did poor impersonations (always of Deputy Dawg, for some reason) and attempted to sing the odd ballad. The overall effect was embarrassing rather than funny, and when this lame ruse failed they fell back - with disconcerting regularity - on such politically incorrect ploys as boxing kangaroos, 'funny foreigners' and topless girls (seen from the back only) which might have been charming in more skilled hands, but which only served to underline the desperation of this cut-price televised cabaret. Little and Large vanished from our screens back in the nineties, but they're still around and if this kind of thing is your bag, catch them at a caravan park near you.
