Fond farewell to Barry Cryer, giant of comedy - Karen Koren

Barry Cryer visits the Edeinburgh International Film Festival at Cineworld, Fountainbridge. Picture: Toby WilliamsBarry Cryer visits the Edeinburgh International Film Festival at Cineworld, Fountainbridge. Picture: Toby Williams
Barry Cryer visits the Edeinburgh International Film Festival at Cineworld, Fountainbridge. Picture: Toby Williams
Barry Cryer died last week at the grand old age age of 86 and we at the Gilded Balloon are heartbroken. Barry performed shows at the Gilded Balloon for over 20 years and was very much part of the Gilded Balloon family.

Barry was the most universally loved comedian, talented writer and performer I’ve every met. He always had time for everyone he happened to meet and always had a funny story to tell.

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Barry started his performing and writing career in the 50’s and 60’s. He wrote for Dave Allen, Jack Benny, Stanley Baxter, Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Corbett, Les Dawson, Frankie Howerd, David Frost, Kenny Everett, Spike Milligan, Monty Python, The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise – all the comedy greats.

One of Barry’s greatest professional triumphs as a performer was when he joined Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Willie Rushton in the Radio 4 parody panel show I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, chaired by Humphrey Lyttelton from 1972.

Humphrey died in 2008, the show survived and is now chaired by Jack Dee.

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Barry had such great anecdotes and stories about the heydey of radio and early television. It was a pleasure to listen to him making everyone around him laugh - I could listen for hours and often did.

One year, his lovely wife Terry was going to perform a show at the Gilded Balloon with her best friend who she worked with back in their singing and dancing days

Barry met Theresa when she was working in a London nightclub at the Danny La Rue Show – it was love at first sight.

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I was so looking forward to seeing the show that Terry was going to perform, but the run had to be cancelled due to Terry becoming unwell and couldn’t manage to perform.

I insisted that Barry travel home with Terry and cancel the shows he was contracted to do at the Gilded Balloon. He never forgot that act, he was so grateful.

He kept coming back to the Gilded Balloon year after year and always told everyone he met how I had helped him to be with Terry.

They were married for 60 years, had four children, seven grandchildren and Barry was a great grandfather. He will be sorely missed!

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