The Stage

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.

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.