Little and Large

gregsanisongregsanison Posts: 648
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During the 1970s and 1980s these two were Britain's top comedy act.

A few years Eddie Large revealed that he has not spoken to Syd Little for years. Syd had some terrible bad luck over the years and personal tragedy

You'd think Eddie Large would bury the hatchet and make amends.

Does anybody know why they fell out.

To be honest I never found Eddie Large that funny. All he did was that Scooby Doo impression or that Mana Mana muppet song!

To me Syd Little seemed so inoffensive and Eddie Large just over bearing! :(
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  • GulftasticGulftastic Posts: 127,177
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    A team that have my respect. They were utter rubbish but managed to get 20 years at the top! After their time was over, they took it in good grace, and you never saw them moaning about 'these new so-called 'alternative' comedians' or bitching about how they were better. They realised they'd be lucky and were just grateful for what they'd had.

    We used to play a game called 'Large Repertoire' where you take it in turns to name an impression that Eddie Large used to do. I don't think we ever got past about 10 between us.
  • soundchecksoundcheck Posts: 351
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    There was an interview with Eddie Large a few years ago, where he seemed to suggest that they had drifted apart because they lived at opposite ends of the country, had very little in common socially and moved in completely different circles of friends. I didn't get the impression that there had been a big falling-out: just a natural separation of two people who no longer had anything to keep them together. Sad in a small way, but not particularly noteworthy.

    Does anyone known different?
  • SambdaSambda Posts: 6,185
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    Whenever I've seen him interviewed, Eddie Large always comes across as quite a decent chap.

    Noel Edmonds did a Gotcha on him a few years back and wound him up to the nth degree (got stooges to keep annoying him in a restaurant IIRC) and the guy remained civil and polite - I think most people would have exploded.
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    I didn't watch them much. All I remember is Large impersonating Tina Turner once, and he and Little sending up the Britvic Fitter ad circa 1987.
  • tommytigertommytiger Posts: 312
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    During the 1970s and 1980s these two were Britain's top comedy act.

    A few years Eddie Large revealed that he has not spoken to Syd Little for years. Syd had some terrible bad luck over the years and personal tragedy

    You'd think Eddie Large would bury the hatchet and make amends.

    Does anybody know why they fell out.

    To be honest I never found Eddie Large that funny. All he did was that Scooby Doo impression or that Mana Mana muppet song!

    To me Syd Little seemed so inoffensive and Eddie Large just over bearing! :(

    BIB - you mean after Morcambe and Wise and the Two Ronnies? Little and Large were a little bit crap, in my opinion.
  • dorydaryldorydaryl Posts: 15,927
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    tommytiger wrote: »
    BIB - you mean after Morcambe and Wise and the Two Ronnies? Little and Large were a little bit crap, in my opinion.

    Must admit, as double acts go, Little and Large came third next to the above legends.
  • Baz OBaz O Posts: 1,642
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    I am sorry to say I hated their double act and I found Cannon and Ball a complete yawn. The only comedy double act I have ever liked is David Walliams and Matt Lucas

    [URL=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIJt9LYbtBs[/URL]
  • Theo_BearTheo_Bear Posts: 997
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    Parents met Syd Little the other year on a cruise ship holiday where he was doing some of the ship's entertainment. They said he was a nice chap.
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    tommytiger wrote: »
    BIB - you mean after Morcambe and Wise and the Two Ronnies? Little and Large were a little bit crap, in my opinion.
    dorydaryl wrote: »
    Must admit, as double acts go, Little and Large came third next to the above legends.

    What about Cannon and Ball?
  • Vodka_DrinkaVodka_Drinka Posts: 28,740
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    I used to watch Little and Large when I was little. Even then their act was really dated and old fashioned, so god knows what it would be like now. I was going to say that they were on I'm a Celebrity but then I remembered that was Cannon and Ball :o
  • dorydaryldorydaryl Posts: 15,927
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    What about Cannon and Ball?

    Mmmm, mixed feelings. C & B were the only duo of all those that I've seen live. They were okay. End of the pier stuff and perhaps eclipsed L & L in some areas.
  • elnombreelnombre Posts: 3,625
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    Syd Little may be, in all honesty, the most phenomenally talentless man ever to make it in showbusiness. I'm convinced Eddie Large just kept him around because it made him look adequately entertaining by comparison.

    Watch this and count how many times Syd speaks. It's amazing stuff.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1WaXeIvDTs

    Edit: I've taken the liberty of transcribing Syd's entire contribution to the 5 minutes on stage. No need to thank me:

    "What?
    I'm going to fry an egg
    Yeah?
    Ay! Now that's enough of that.
    Dallas?
    You don't watch that do you?
    What? No.
    Who?
    Goodnight folks."
  • gregsanisongregsanison Posts: 648
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    I also remember the brilliant Dustin Gee and that miserable Les Dennis. Dustin was brilliant and he died so tragically young.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNatm2mBoqI
  • The PrumeisterThe Prumeister Posts: 22,398
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    Wasn't Syd Little bessies with Jodie Marsh at one point? I think he went to her MTV wedding!
  • Super_FurrySuper_Furry Posts: 774
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    Someone posted a link to the L&L Christmas Special from 1980 on another forum and I decided to give it a go.
    Other than Eddie's 'celebrities starting their cars' routine (which I still consider to be pretty good), I can recall nothing of note about them.

    I was astonished at just how bad it was.
    Syd Little in particular was one of the worst performers I've ever seen.

    This was at their peak too!
  • Super_FurrySuper_Furry Posts: 774
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    elnombre wrote: »
    Syd Little may be, in all honesty, the most phenomenally talentless man ever to make it in showbusiness. I'm convinced Eddie Large just kept him around because it made him look adequately entertaining by comparison.

    Watch this and count how many times Syd speaks. It's amazing stuff.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1WaXeIvDTs

    Edit: I've taken the liberty of transcribing Syd's entire contribution to the 5 minutes on stage. No need to thank me:

    "What?
    I'm going to fry an egg
    Yeah?
    Ay! Now that's enough of that.
    Dallas?
    You don't watch that do you?
    What? No.
    Who?
    Goodnight folks."

    That's a bit unfair.
    He also played the guitar occasionally.

    Briefly.
    Before being interrupted by Eddie's Deputy Dawg impression or something...
  • elnombreelnombre Posts: 3,625
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    I've been looking for that Christmas special too - never got around to watching it, and it seems its been removed now.

    It speaks volumes about how they're regarded these days that the BBC (or whoever owns the rights to their shows) hasn't put out so much as a single-disc best-of DVD. Rarely has such a long-running, (mostly) inoffensive and relatively popular act being so comprehensively erased from history.
  • EVILSPEAKEVILSPEAK Posts: 980
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    or that Mana Mana muppet song!

    Thanks a lot, I've got that ingrained in my head now and won't shift it for day. It's going to drive me mental. Once listened to, never forgotten!
  • elnombreelnombre Posts: 3,625
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    This interview with Eddie from a few years ago is interesting in that it seems to suggest less animosity than reported elsewhere:

    https://www.facebook.com/notes/dappers/dappers-exclusive-interview-with-eddie-large/129910960357364

    I believe both he and Syd were at Norman Collier's funeral earlier this year too - perhaps tensions have softened in the intervening years?
  • GulftasticGulftastic Posts: 127,177
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    Bit of searching turned up this review of their 1981 Album 'Little & Large Live At Abbey Road'

    http://downstairslounge.wordpress.com/tag/eddie-large/

    Scroll down to the bottom for a song.
  • davidnumendavidnumen Posts: 1,233
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    The first I heard about animosity between them was on some BBC History of Light Entertainment show - perhaps it was cooked up between them to generate press interest?

    Syd came across as completely gormless in their shows - a personality vacuum - yet a friend who had worked with them said he was absolutely hilarious off stage.
  • Theo_BearTheo_Bear Posts: 997
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    Syd was to Eddie what Ernie was to Eric. The comedy stooge. The butt of the jokes. That was a main part of the act.
  • konebyvaxkonebyvax Posts: 9,120
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    To be fair Ernie Wise was far more talented than Syd could ever have hoped to be.
  • elnombreelnombre Posts: 3,625
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    Theo_Bear wrote: »
    Syd was to Eddie what Ernie was to Eric. The comedy stooge. The butt of the jokes. That was a main part of the act.

    I don't recall Eric being seemingly completely terrified of giving Ernie a line because he knew he'd bugger it up. Ernie Wise was a tremendously talented and generous performer. In the clip I posted, Syd seems virtually incapable of doing anything. He has about 7 short lines and fails to hit the mark on the majority of them.

    If a straight man's main job is to make his partner seem funnier, Ernie pulled that off with aplomb. All Syd Little succeeded in doing was making people wonder what he was there for.

    While it's certainly true that Eric got the majority of the laughs, that didn't stop Ernie being a recognisable character with his own set of traits that viewers warmed to and were familiar with. When Eric makes a joke at Ernie's expense, we laugh knowing that a. Ernie can give as good as he gets and b. His character is that of a pompous pseudo-intellectual who needs his ego pricking once in a while. When Eddie makes a joke at Syd's expense it resembles nothing more than a brash loudmouth bullying an extremely weak target who neither has the brains or the balls to muster up a comeback.
  • Westy2Westy2 Posts: 14,355
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    Dunno about Syd, but the last time I saw Eddie on telly was that Jon Culshaw ITV series where he 'impersonated' Claire Short!

    The same series saw Bernard Manning do John Prescott!
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