Little and Large live performance (1987)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- It's gobsmacking just how little footage there is of Little and Large out there. For a long time they were one of the BBC's hottest properties when it came to early-evening light entertainment, and their sketch show regularly pulled in over 10 million viewers throughout the 1980s. Despite all that, though, not even the most hard-up cable channel would dare repeat any of the their programmes these days, and I'm not sure they've ever had a home video release of any sort. I acknowledge the general old-fashioned naffness of their act, but surely they weren't so bad that they deserve to be erased from history entirely. I mean, a "Best of" DVD wouldn't be that much of a struggle to pull together from over a decade's worth of sketches, would it? And those millions who tuned in every week can't all be dead just yet... but, no. For one reason or another, Little and Large's sketch shows seem to have been filed in the same black hole as the likes of Russ Abbot's...
Anyway, I think this live performance by the duo comes from the ITV variety show Summertime Special, circa 1988 - but I'm not certain. If you know, or at least can deduce an approximate date from the then-topical references (e.g. Dallas), please put us all out of our misery in the comments section. The last one-liner (about Bergerac) could mean that this has something to do with the Channel Islands (or maybe I don't get the joke). And we get a snatch of a voiceover at then end - does that help? Any idea who it is? I reckon it could be Mike Smith, but don't quote me on that. And what's that a shot of, anyway?
(EDIT: Now that BBC Genome has launched, I think it's this:
genome.ch.bbc.c...
That is to say, Seaside Special from 22nd August 1987. And if so, it is Mike Smith narrating - I've impressed myself there.)
As for the act itself, well, what did you expect? Tame by today's standards, and probably tame by the standards back then, too. But like I say, history hasn't been too kind to Little and Large, so I hesitate to be too harsh - as a kid in the 80s, I thought their Saturday evening programme was always good, fun entertainment. Mind you, even though I know that Syd was just the straight man, in this video he just about plays the role of guitar stand and nothing more. It's all Eddie. Surely the poor guy could have had a couple more lines...
Incidentally, you may also be interested in this:
• Double Dare: Little an...
If anyone out there has any recordings of Little and Large's sketch shows, please feel free to share!
(Please remember that this is an off-air VHS recording, so don't go expecting 1080p HD quality. I'm fairly certain that this video isn't commercially available, and I've uploaded it for its historic interest only. That said, if you are a copyright holder and object, please don't hesitate to contact me.)
Syd Little: cheaper than buying a guitar stand.
R.I.P Eddie Large another Legend gone but will not be forgotten
Here's a quote from an interview Eddie Large gave to The Independent:
"The BBC kicked us out because the ratings went down to about eight million. When they get eight million now they're having champagne parties."
It's simple maths: It was much easier to boast large viewing figures when there was less to choose from. Just because eight million viewers settled for Little & Large on a Saturday evening doesn't mean they were necessarily splitting their sides laughing.
R. I. P Eddie large
These guys made my childhood a happy one, legends never ever forgotten ❤❤
A bit week...but infinitely funnier than James Corden
Not hard though..... Cordens a fucking fanny
@@dereksmallsuk hahaha class
Typical Saturday night TV humour from 70's and 80's...tame as fuck.I din't like it or understand even when I was a child.Funny that I still get a nostalgia vibe from it tho.
Watched an interview of Syd Little that occurred after Eddie’s death…he looked like he was about to collapse in inelegant blubbering throughout the entire thing and admitted that he lost his best friend…god I feel bad for that poor guy.
They also used to fill the Opera House in Blackpool with their summer shows with 3000 people per show, twice nightly, six nights a week. Those are audiences that most of todays comedians can only dream of.
Went to their Blackpool Summer Season at the Winter Gardens and yes you are right it was full. I can only thank goodness we had free tickets, as we live in Lytham and were always given free tickets for the shows. Syd just stood there, whilst Eddie did all the work. Part of the show was taken up by a big baby bouncer, with Syd and Eddie dressed as babies. It was abysmal.
It was very interesting how they both met, because in an interview, Eddie Large admitted that he was a heckler, when he first met Sid Little.
@scamper76 Well said - they were entertainers, and they entertained. Simple as that. Not ground-breaking, but they definitely don't deserve the dreadful reputation they've acquired.
How the hell did this shit ever get on the telly?
Same way the shit today gets on the tele at least it was entertaining
@@jamescypler4599It wasn't though.
I never could quite work these 2 simpletons or what kind of audience they were aimed at, bad impressions of celebrities of the 40s, 50s and 60s.
Syd little seemed to serve no purpose unless he was in a sketch that involved him wearing a dress and being sexually propositioned by Eddie Large.
I guess back then we had 3 or 4 channels, not many had a video, people had less money to go out and the Telly was left on purely as something to occasionally watch when you got bored of looking out of the window or listening to the radio.
As we gradually all started having video's, then DVD's, games consoles and more channels, this kind of crap was weedled out and stiffer competition meant higher quality, now with so much on and so much to do the new media content had got worse again.
But at least we have a more varied choice, back in the early 80s, 10million people watched the 9 o'clock news
They were absolute RUBBISH! They really were. For the life of me I could not understand why many people thought that they were funny? Talentless, unfunny twerps.
I have absolutely no idea how these two pathetic idiots got famous.Just who the hell actually gave them a contract.Just imagine how these pricks would be accepted nowadays.ABSOLUTELY AWFUL.
This year officially sucks, doesn't it!!
One of my favourite comics from my childhood RIP Eddie Large
To be brutally honest the standard of the gags was very weak indeed. And there are no dynamics between the two. Might as well just give Eddie a glove puppet to interact with.
"Brutally honest"? That's the best review Little and Large have had in decades.
The both of them were absolute rubbish.
The Johnny Cash impression was good.
Mr Sunshine classic. Xxx
Jesus they were terrible
Syd Little - the most UNFUNNY man ever to make it in showbiz. Actually he was so bad it was embarrasing. You may as well had a cardboard cut out beside Eddie Large, for all the contribution Little made.. Who in gods name ever declated this man funny enough to put on a stage?? Thats always baffled me!
At one point, Little and Large were touted as the new Morecambe and Wise! I'm not sure they lived up to that billing...
Their act had two straight men. Both as funny as typhoid.
My Grandad said they were shite.
+Lee Morris He's not exactly out on a limb, there, your grandad.
Syd would be the most unfunny man ever were it not for Eddie who just pipped him to that title. God they were awful. Even in the 1980s they were crap
rest in peace. grew up watching you as a kid.
brought joy to us all.
gutted be glad to see this year gone Legend loved the little and large shows shame you tube hasent got all of the shows they did
The worst thing is seeing how clearly terrified Eddie is that Syd might get a word in edge ways. It's jaw-dropping how little he gets to do. If you took a shot every time Syd speaks, by the end of this clip you wouldn't even be tipsy.
Yeah you could still drive a car.
This was brought up when Eddie retired with ill health, but once Eddie was asked to do a voice over, & Sid was told to have early lunch, "No" said Eddie "I want Sid in sight to talk to."In their early club days, if one was ill, the other would do the act & share the fee.Theyre both scared to not say anything, ...also from their club days ,if they face each other or stop talking they lose the audience & leave a gap for the hecklers.
Syd was the perfect straight man, and made a fortune from it!
yeah now we have XFactor rubbish
the voice over at the end is indeed ex radio 1 dj mike smith who sadly passed away. I to would love to see all the old sketch shows little and large did been looking for years now there is indeed very little of their stuff on you tube. they were and still are two of my all time faves here.
History really hasn't been kind to them, but I'd definitely buy a box set. I don't know how many others would, but I would!
The 'jokes' aside, he actually sounds like Johnny cash!
it was funny back in the day. After all this was in 1987. Times have changed!!
I for one really hope some full episodes of their Saturday evening show turn up at some point, just to see if it's anywhere near as bad as their modern reputation suggests. I bet there'd be at least a few gags that stand up as well as any other 80s sketch show.
No, it wasn’t funny then.
Utter pish!
This is rare footage of their routine not including Deputy Dawg or Syd getting two lines to sing
Eddie was a great entertainer no nerves unstoppable !
Mores the pity.
We've just recorded a podcast tonight on Eddie. It should be available within the next week. We paid tribute to Eddie and if you notice our picture you'll see it's Little & Large in Black Metal make-up! Here's a link to our Facebook page.
facebook.com/thesomethingwickedpodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour
I actually feel quite sorry for Syd in this one - it's almost like Eddie's petrified of giving him a line, thinking he'll blow it!
I loved Little & Large in the 80;s. Eddie was a good impressionest
The only good impression Eddie Large ever made was the dent his arse made in a settee.
What a comedy legend! RIP Eddie Large 💙💙💙
So sad to hear Eddie has died. Lovely memories.RIP good buddy.
Never found these two the slightest bit 'funny'.
3rd rate schoolboy humour, like cannon and ball, back in the day when there was only 3 or 4 TV channels and we were subjected to whatever drivel the TV companies could get for peanuts
+Galaxy Tab Fortunately, I was a third-rate schoolboy at the time... ;-)
Don't you dare bundle Cannon & Ball in the same class as these two twerps! Bobby Ball had a wonderful gift for behaving like an irate child which was totally unmatched.
Trust me on one thing, these two twerps were not paid peanuts.....they should have been, but they were paid big money for the day.
And the Real Marigold tour 2019 season on bbc when Syd goes to Vietnam
Where can I find the Dollar "send up"?
Wow, did we need the comedy revolution when you see this.
Rest in piece Eddie Large
The legend lives on...
Supremo comedy God bless you Eddie.
RIP condolences to his family and friends
Little stealing a living there again
This is harrowing to watch. Absolutely pitiful. Did they have snipers trained on the audience? Why else would they laugh at this abysmal act?
Eddie has finally been reunited with his material which all died on that stage in 1987.
RIP.
Loved these guys. RIP Eddie large x
Johny cash killed me
This is the low point of British comedy
I take it you haven't seen Mrs Brown's Boys, Derry Girls, Game On or Two Doors Down?
Those oversized suits looked highly flammable there
Shame nobody tested that.
R.I.P
Heroes of a bygone age, RIP Eddie.
R.i.p eddie..
1:23 They're right in your ring and it is on fire! They must go back down, can't go up any higher!!!
Awr ...safe travels Mr Large.
What else was on on a Saturday Night..Charlie's Angels maybe ? Hold on!! How come I wasn't watching that. Anyway fair play to them, they were good in their day...how people's expectations of entertainment has changed,,,
Frankly, they were retro even then, but even so they were always a ratings hit. They were no Morecambe and Wise, but history should be a little kinder to them than it seems to be.
darrenjrickard not just how Entertainment has changed at all, Eddie was funny every now and again not Little- but other comedians that were funny from that era like: Hale+Pace, Alas Smith and Jones, Brian Conley, ,Billy Connolly etc were funny then and still are
Definitely Dallas , Eddie would always end the show shouting "Beat that JR".
syd little mahn hes sitting behind me in the pub aha wouldnt believe it would you?😄👌
Did he get his guitar out?
Eddie large died today so sad rest in peace man Christmas present is here today Christmas past is past Christmas future is far away
i wish to god every show they did was on here god knows ive tried to find them not even all the torrent sites have them apart from 1 xmas tv special from 1980
Ok Thanks for this rare recording that needs to go on a best of complilation as like said Syd and Eddie have been neglected and should have a
Dvd released and put out on network dvd as should Dick Emery Russ Abbott etc etc There are 2 full shows clips galore here on TH-cam Try Daily motion or vimeo as well Plus Watch Syd and Eddie on tbe Bristol slapstick festival 2019 website
Thank _you,_ and you're welcome. :-) I'm glad that more clips have started to become available since I uploaded this - and they even appeared on Pointless Celebrities recently!
shocking now how acts like this made it on to TV, holiday camp standard entertainment in the days when there was a dearth of talent and only 3 tv channels in the UK :-(
RIP Eddie....
Apparently these two now haven't spoken for several years.
I read that, too. I think it's more that they've drifted and gone their separate ways rather than had a major falling out, but sad nonetheless.
Haven't told a joke or did a recognisable impersonation much longer than that.
This clip is from Seaside special ,which was recorded at the Fort Regent Centre in Jersey instead of the usual Marquee.
Subjected to this crap as a kid.How they ever got on telly baffles me.
Painful & pitiful
"Syd Painful and Eddie Pitiful" doesn't really have the same ring to it...
They had an, er interesting approach to the double act dynamic. If they’d ever done ‘who’s on first’ it would have gone along the lines of
Eddie: Eh Syd, you’ll never guess, I just saw Sue Ellen and she’s managing a base ball team and I asked her ‘Who’s on first?’ and she said ‘(Sue Ellen voice) that’s right’ and I said ‘what?’ And she said ‘No that’s second base’
Syd;………….
RIP Eddie, such a shame to pass away on your own 🙏🙏🙏
Eddie Large just passed away today
R.I.P. Eddie Large
Goodnight Eddie, bless you x
R. I. P Eddie large
RIP Eddie
R.I.P Eddie ☹️🇬🇧
R.I.P Eddie Large
Both of them made millions with no talent. So much for talented people on TV before Big Brother.
Never made millions
R I P great man
Terrible then, even worse looking back.
RIP big man
Rest in Peace Eddie
R.I.P Eddie
Rip Eddie 😭
I am looking for a clip featuring Master Po from the TV series "Kung Fu" (with the ping pong ball eyes ... ah grasshopper) ... any ideas ?
I wouldn't be too optimistic. What sort of era are we talking?
Any era ! .. I gave up after checking through all the L&L footage on you-tube .. it's simply not there .. amazing because I seem to remember it being one of the characters he did nearly every week
I actually remember some sort of martial arts expert appearing as a guest on the show. The joke was that Eddie was convinced Syd could outdo him, and it ended with the expert doing a flying kick or something into a central pillar on the set, and a dreadful pun on the words "pillar" and "pillock". Or something. This would have been circa 1987 or thereabouts, so not sure if it's related. Strange the things that stick in the mind...
Eddie sadly missed ❤
RIP EDDY
Eddie had some talent but Syd's was non-existent. RIP Eddie.
You are joking, right? Syd was already a talented musician and singer when they both met, they were friends until the very end. Syd often called Eddie up to see if he was okay, they were best friends up until Eddie's death and Syd is devastated.
@@chindleymuffin Who are you? His fuckin' mum? Little was shite, mate!
WRONG!! Syd was a superb straight man.
Nice man but entirely talentless
RIP Eddie...you kept us laughing through the 80s
Wow they were… what expletives were invented for. A pair of kitchen appliances on stage would have been less painful. Thanks for the upload, anyway.
+SimsulatedId You're welcome! I must have a streak of masochism in me, because for some reason I love this sort of thing. If it was just flat-out bad comedy, I wouldn't enjoy it at all, but there's just something so *spectacularly* naff about Little and Large that I find hilarious. (Not in the way they meant to be, of course...)
I really liked Little and Large. They were silly and funny and that's why we used to watch them. Not clever comedy, I grant you, and very dated when you watch it now (almost variety show stuff) but that stuff lasted a long time...and Little Britain lasted for four series...
Cracks me up....all a bit shit but I loved this stuff in the 80s...nostalgic now.
My mate played a gig in a pub in Fleetwood the other night and Told me that'Supersonic Sid' was the landlord. At first I thought, 'Supersonic Sid', he sounds like a character. A couple of minutes later I twigged that he was actually talking about Sid Little of Little and Large. I said, "Wow! oh yeh, I remember them on telly when I was a kid, they had their own TV show and everything, I seem to remember them being really shit though, a poor mans Morcambe & Wise" ..... my mate said "No, they were really funny weren't they?"........ I said, "no, they were terrible"......... After watching this clip I think I was right........ they were awful
I believed every word of this story until your mate said, "No, they were really funny weren't they?"
@@VideotapeFTW Exactly 👍
It's funny how they are saying this person he died with coronavirus rather of coronavirus
Fuuuuuuck ... we laughed at THIS?
Bless him. Xxx used to love them xxx