The great Barry Cryer has died aged 86 and his favourite parrot joke is just fabulous
People have been paying tribute to the great Barry Cryer who has died aged 86.
The comedian and writer penned jokes for some of the biggest names in the business including The Two Ronnies, Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise and Bob Hope.
And of course he was a star in his own right on radio panel shows such as Just A Minute and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue.
Here are just a few of the tributes shared on Twitter today.
Losing Barry Cryer is like losing a member of the family. Utterly gutted that I’ve had my last birthday joke. He was one of my absolute comedy heroes and kept working right to the fucking end. A life well lived and a connection to every great comedian of the last 60 years. RIP
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) January 27, 2022
Barry Cryer was the real deal. An incredibly funny man who worked with – and wrote for – the giants of comedy. Yet he remained forever curious and delighted by whatever was fresh and original. Kind, encouraging, generous and a one off. Goodbye, Cheeky. ❤️
— Mark Gatiss 💙 (@Markgatiss) January 27, 2022
Such sad news, one of the absolute greats of British comedy, Barry Cryer, is no more. A glorious, gorgeous, hilarious and gifted writer and performer who straddled all the comic traditions. Universally beloved … farewell, Baz.
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) January 27, 2022
Ah, Barry Cryer. Lived and breathed comedy. RIP.
— David Baddiel (@Baddiel) January 27, 2022
Here’s Barry Cryer at our wedding. How young we all were! Except Barry, obviously.
I was so proud to have him there, and it made my father feel closer. He was a lovely lovely man and this is a very sad day. pic.twitter.com/pudeGy5Ady
— Victoria Coren Mitchell (@VictoriaCoren) January 27, 2022
RIP Barry Cryer. Really does feel like the passing of the whole pre-Python generation of radio and TV comedy. I mean look at this list of people he wrote for, bloody hell. pic.twitter.com/1fx9FYXDkl
— Eddie Robson (@EddieRobson) January 27, 2022
Word of the day is ‘boffola’: an uproariously funny joke, or a full-on hearty laugh.
I’m not sure the word ‘boffolist’ exists yet for one who delivers boffolas every time. When it does, it belongs to Barry Cryer.
— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) January 27, 2022
In the 1980s, when many older comics were dismissive of the younger ones, Barry Cryer was always gloriously encouraging. And always magnificent company. If you were lucky you’d often get a call, saying ‘well done’, then a joke, that usually started ‘an old woman bought a parrot’
— Mark Steel (@mrmarksteel) January 27, 2022
RIP Barry, what laughter you bought into the world, thank you from us all. I just know you're already telling St. Peter the one about the parrot ❤️❤️❤️
— Richard Osman (@richardosman) January 27, 2022
Barry did indeed enjoy a parrot joke, and this was his absolutely favourite (make sure you stick around for the second) .
And this is also a lovely watch, an interview shared by the BBC Archive account on Twitter.
The comedian and writer Barry Cryer has died aged 86.
In this 1991 clip, he returned to his beloved Leeds City Varieties Music Hall where he began his career, to reflect on how to make it in the comedy business. pic.twitter.com/tMlPe7rh68
— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) January 27, 2022
RIP Barry Cryer.
Source YouTube Gilded Balloon
