Eddie Braben, Morecambe and Wise writer, dies at 82

Eddie Braben, the writer behind comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, has died at 82.

He died on Tuesday morning after a short illness, his manager Norma Farnes confirmed.

He was a key member of their team, and was credited with contributing to their huge success by introducing comic elements of their off-stage relationship into their act.

Braben is also famed for writing for comedy greats such as David Frost, Ronnie Corbett and Ken Dodd.

Braben became a full-time comedy writer in the 1950s, and produced scripts for many of the comedians of the time, including fellow Liverpudlian Dodd.

He worked with Dodd for nearly 15 years before being being lured to work at the BBC.

His first experience of Morecambe and Wise was as a teenager when he saw them perform at the Liverpool Empire theatre where they were supporting Lena Hall.

"I wasn't a fan when I first saw them," he told the BBC in 2004. "I thought they were too American: Ernie was abrasive and Eric was a bit silly."