LISTEN: Eric Morecambe centenary celebrations announced for Winter Gardens

A West End stage show paying homage to Morecambe and Wise is coming to the Winter Gardens to mark 100 years since Eric Morecambe was born

'An Evening with Eric & Ern' will be part of a full weekend of celebrations at the theatre this May to celebrate the centenary of the great TV comedian's birth.

Eric's children Gary and Gail will be guests of honour for the performance on Saturday May 16.

Eric & Ern is crammed full of renditions of the famous Morecambe and Wise comedy sketches, and stars Jonty Stephens and Ian Ashpitel as renowned Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise impersonators.

"It's a special thing for them to be playing around Eric's birthday in his home town with Gail and Gary attending," said Professor Vanessa Toulmin, chair of the Winter Gardens Preservation Trust.

LISTEN to Professor Vanessa Toulmin talking about the Eric 100 celebrations

The Eric Morecambe weekend will also include a live conversation with Gary and Gail, free to attend, before the stage show.

The Winter Gardens will also host screenings of some of Morecambe and Wise's best-loved moments, as well as their 1966 film 'That Riviera Touch', on Sunday May 17.

Below, Eric & Ern is a top West End show paying tribute to comedy duo Morecambe and Wise

"100 years after his birth, we're still celebrating what he did," said Professor Toulmin.

"We are celebrating Morecambe and Wise, their comedic achievements, bringing them back to the theatre where they once appeared, and hoping the next generation can remember him as fondly as we do."

Tickets for Eric and Ern are available HERE. The show will start at 7.30pm.

The weekend’s events are presented in association with Morecambe Town Council, whose funding has helped support the programme.

The line-up is as follows:

SATURDAY MAY 16

Noon to 3pm (Free entry): The Winter Gardens auditorium and café open to the public. Visitors can enjoy classic TV clips on the big screen, building tours, and live organ music.

4pm – Eric Morecambe Centenary Discussion: Celebrating Morecambe & Wise with Gary and Gail Morecambe (Ticketed): A special interview and Q&A session. Hosted by Martin Clarkson (producer of An Evening with Eric & Ern), this hour-long event offers a personal perspective on the comedy icon’s life through the eyes of his children.

7.30pm – An Evening with Eric & Ern (Ticketed): The hit live stage show straight from London’s West End celebrates the duo’s legacy with sketches, songs, and laughter.

Below, the Winter Gardens

SUNDAY MAY 17

Cinema & Open House The festivities continue on Sunday with a focus on Eric’s cinematic legacy:

Noon-3pm (Free entry): The auditorium and café open to the public. Visitors can enjoy classic TV clips on the big screen, building tours, and live organ music.

4pm – Special Feature Film Presentation: That Riviera Touch (Ticketed, free): A screening of the classic feature film, bringing the community together to enjoy Eric’s work on the silver screen.

Ian Ashpitel, who plays Ernie Wise, said: “To bring Eric & Ern to the Morecambe Winter Gardens on Eric’s centenary weekend is incredibly moving. This town isn’t just part of the story — it is the story.

"Performing here, in a venue so full of history and affection, feels like bringing Ernie and Eric home, and that’s something we’ll treasure forever.”

Jonty Stephens, who plays Eric Morecambe, said: “Morecambe isn’t just where Eric was born — it’s where his spirit still lives. To stand on stage at the Winter Gardens during the centenary celebrations is truly humbling.

"The love this town has for Eric and Ernie is tangible, and sharing their joy and laughter here feels extraordinarily special and something we can't wait to do in May.”

Morecambe and Wise

Gail Morecambe, Eric's daughter, said: “Our family’s connection to Morecambe is well known!

"To have a week of celebrations for the 100th birthday of one of Morecambe’s own is both wonderful and very special. He would be thrilled and amazed.

"His lovely parents would be proud and amazed. I am grateful and amazed! Let it be a joyous week, bringing sunshine, even if the weather gods don’t!”

Gary Morecambe, Eric's son, said: “As we celebrate Eric & Ernie’s remarkable legacy over 100 years, I wonder what they’d have thought of the affection that remains out there, and, for Eric, the fact that there is so much going on in Morecambe to celebrate his genius?

"I’m very certain they’d have both been thrilled.”

Below, Gail and Gary Morecambe (left and right) with Lesley Fountain, widow of Eric's chauffeur Mike Fountain, on a visit to Morecambe in 2023, with the Eric Morecambe Statue

Councillor Martin Bottoms, cabinet member with responsibility for Morecambe regeneration, said: “Eric Morecambe is woven into the very fabric of our town. His legacy continues to bring pride to our community and joy to millions.

"We’re absolutely delighted to be helping celebrate his birthday and to honour everything he has given to the town that will always be his home.”

Councillor Clark Kent, chairperson of Morecambe Town Council, said: "The weekend at the Winter Gardens will be the crown jewel in the year’s Eric Morecambe 100 celebrations.

"Bringing a hit West End show to Morecambe feels a very fitting way to celebrate the birthday of Morecambe’s most famous son and the Town Council is proud to be making this possible."

Further celebratory events in the town, to mark Eric's 100th birthday, are due to be announced for the week of May 14, the date of the centenary.

Eric Morecambe, renowned for his comic partnership with Ernie Wise, was born John Eric Bartholomew on Buxton Street in the town in 1926, and lived on Christie Avenue as a boy.

Below, Morecambe and Wise on the set of 'That Riviera Touch' in 1966, with Yolanda Ottonello from Morecambe.

Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show TV specials were massively popular during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, peaking at 28 million viewers in 1977.

The duo also performed at the Morecambe Winter Gardens several times during their career.

Eric died, aged 58, in 1984. The comic's statue on the Promenade pulls huge numbers of visitors each year.

The Winter Gardens theatre is an iconic Grade II* listed venue which closed in 1977 but is being regenerated back to its former glory with a multi-million pound programme of restoration works. It opens for events regularly throughout the year.