dark beige

There is a crisis facing today’s formerly much-loved comedians. With your help, maybe we can bring it to an end – in the nick of time.

Britain is recognised as one of the most comically rich countries in the world, with 80% of its comedians never seen anywhere else on earth. But its magnificent comic life is under threat.

Career destruction and over-collection mean that some rare and beautiful species are on the verge of extinction, and it is feared that without action, most of the island's remaining former comics will disappear within the next 10 years – and no-one will even be there to help pay tribute to them.

Slowly, our comedians are all dying – and so is the pool of former stars who can adequately pay them a fitting tribute. Soon enough, there will be nobody left to pay tribute to the stars we kind of loved 20 years ago – except Des O Connor.



Just think back to April 1992 – when a young Benny Hill’s flame was so cruelly snuffed out. But not for nothing – with everyone from Frankie Howerd to Ronnie Corbett to Bob Monkhouse to the main man himself Ernie Wise, (or "Mr Tribute" as he was affectionately known) ready at the drop of a hat to pay compliment to the great man (Ernie also went in 99).




Perhaps it was a telling omen that in less than 24 hours Howerd himself was dead, but in the clear surplus of fading stars ready to say their piece, it was forgotten. What did we care? There were plenty of tributes to go round. Even Ken Dodd found himself fighting to get a word in!

Fast forward into the future, and things couldn’t be more different. When the "comedian’s comedian" Bob Monkhouse passed on during Christmas 2003, who was there to pay tribute? Mike Yarwood, Les Dennis (!) and Greg Dyke. Even June Whitfield suddenly seemed like a senior figure, where before she was a joke, only there for the other comedians to look down on and laugh at (occasionally even urinate on).




Then in 2008, Jeremy Beadle's death exposed the sickening chasm that had opened up in tribute giving, with Steve Penk (!) even managing to get a tribute in the Radio Times. The popular prankster would have turned in his grave, were it not for the fact he was cremated.



If we act quickly we can rescue this species before it is too late, and we have now launched this appeal to raise desperately needed funds. Over the next three years we will focus conservation work on threatened quiz show hosts, former stand ups and comics living in and around Marlow, working with partner organisations in the Home Counties.

Please help support this important appeal - for £5.99 a month you could make the difference between survival and extinction for some of these fragile species.

Act now – before Brucie kicks the bucket, with no one left to remind us that he was the very best in the business.