X
Recipient's email
Your name
Your email
Message (optional)

E-mail to a friend

Wisdom to feature in BBC2 documentary

Published Tuesday 9 October 2007 at 15:10 by Matthew Hemley

Norman Wisdom’s last stage appearance will be featured in a BBC2 documentary looking at the 92-year-old performer and his life today.

Norman Wisdom and Melvyn Hayes celebrating Norman's 90th Birthday in 2005

Norman Wisdom and Melvyn Hayes celebrating Norman's 90th Birthday in 2005 Photo: Doug McKenzie

The 40-minute documentary will be part of a strand called Wonderland, which will also feature a programme looking at Britain’s oldest entertainers.

Camera crews have been following Wisdom for the last five months in an attempt to convey what his life is like now he is more dependent on his family for support. He was recently moved him to a nursing home in the Isle of Man because he is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

The documentary, which does not yet have a title, will feature Wisdom, who made his stage debut in 1946, performing his signature song Don’t Laugh At Me at the Encore Theatre Awards earlier this year.

His agent for 27 years, Johnny Mans, said the performance was poignant because it was expected to be his last stage appearance and claimed fans of the star would be surprised by the documentary.

He said: “As with most artists, the fans and the general public don’t believe their heroes can get older. They forget they are ordinary people who age like anyone else. The documentary shows that we are all human at the end of the day, but fans expect you to keep on entertaining until you drop.”

The documentary is expected to be broadcast on BBC2 early next year.

E-mail to a friend

SEARCH THE STAGE

Latest news [RSS]

Just William back on the BBC
Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye is to adapt Richmal Crompton’s Just William books for the BBC, marking the third…
Move north rejected by majority of BBC middle managers
More than 50% of staff in the five BBC departments relocating to Salford’s MediaCityUK, the new base for BBC North,…
Del Boy back in Only Fools and Horses prequel
Derek Trotter, the character made famous by David Jason in the sitcom Only Fools and Horses, is to return to…
Cardiff’s Sherman Cymru theatre wins Arts and Business award
Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold and Cardiff’s Sherman Cymru theatre have been recognised at this year’s Arts and Business…
Sales of Theatre Tokens up 14%
Sales figures for Theatre Tokens in the first four months of this year are 14% higher than they were in 2008.
Acosta to perform with Ballet Nacional de Cuba at Coliseum
Carlos Acosta is to perform with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba for the first time in the UK next year, as part of the…

Content is copyright © 2009 The Stage Newspaper Limited unless otherwise stated.

All RSS feeds are published for personal, non-commercial use. (What’s RSS?)