An Audience With Les Dawson That Never Was

Here is an interesting video about how they brought back Morecome and Wise. I assume Les Dawson was recreated in a similar way.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0119h1j

I assume the pepper's ghost effect looks better in real life than it does on television. Lionel Blair's face seemed to suggest it does. It really doesn't add anything for the audience at home. They may as well just show it on a screen.

Was Les Dawson the first person to do the "It is!/Is it?" joke? I know Les Dennis has done it on Family Fortunes. Did he lift it directly from Les Dawson or is it even older than that?

Les Dennis on ff, 87-01. Sez les 69-79 yorkshire, then .bbc show 79-89.

This rated surprisingly well last night - 5.3m viewers, just 400,000 behind The Voice.

I think it handily avoids using the word "virtual", which they might not want to apply to the comedy element.


It shows that people are still interested in the comedy of comedy legends.

Would it have got this many viewers without the "we're bringing him back from the deeeaaad!" angle?

Wouldn't the body have been a body double rather than CGI?

I don't know, but the time slot was probably a major factor in its success.

I have mixed feelings about the show. The technology was remarkable and the gags as brilliant as ever but I felt the thing was a bit ghoulish.

I recall a few years ago that something similar was tried with Bob Monkhouse "returning" to front an ad about cancer. In all honesty I think both were poor ideas.

I don't think they've have done it unless they'd got the wife and daughter on side - if they're on board it means people don't really have to worry about being offended by the idea.

I think it worked because of that and also the whole "unfinished business" angle as he was due to do the show just before his death, and the 20 years anniversary. If they'd just revived, say, Tommy Cooper for the hell of it that would have been a bit odd.

Well he died on stage, didn't he? So they could show the remainder of the show.

Didn't look like it to me. Suspect it is easier to composite real video facial material onto a virtual body - where you can control the angle of the head so that it matches the original Les source video you are sourcing your original Les dialogue (and face) from?

It was a body double according to Musion Systems http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22729756