TV comedian Ronnie Barker has died at his home after a long illness, aged 76. The actor had starred in a series of comedies including the Two Ronnies, Porridge and Open All Hours. He died yesterday, with his wife at his side, having suffered from a heart problem.
Best known for his role alongside the diminutive Ronnie Corbett in the TV hit The Two Ronnies, he was one of the most versatile and successful comic actors of his generation. Ronnie Corbett described his comedy partner as "pure gold in triplicate: as a performer, a writer and a friend". He added: "We worked together since 1965 and we never had a cross word. The Two Ronnies ran for 98 episodes over 12 series between 1971 and 1987, attracting up to 18 million viewers in its heyday.
He also carved himself a role as the smart-alec prisoner Fletcher in the prison series Porridge, and as the lugubrious, stuttering shopkeeper Arkwright in Open All Hours. He became renowned for his Spoonerisms, including his Open All Hours phrase: "Don't just crit their siticising". He retired at the age of 57 in 1987, to run his antique shop in the Cotswolds, before coming back recently for a run of The Two Ronnies Sketchbook.
Barker, who wrote many of the scripts for The Two Ronnies, got his TV break when he was chosen for the supporting cast of The Frost Report with John Cleese in 1966.
His best line? As a prisoner in Porridge, when playing monopoly: "Would you Adam and Eve it? Go to jail"