Introduced by James Mossman

Fred Karno was a circus acrobat who adapted the slapstick of the circus ring to the music-hall stage; he made his name a household word by producing hundreds of comedy sketches and pantomimes in which he launched Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Will Hay and many others; he invested his large fortune in a fun palace on the Thames - the 'Karsino' - he became bankrupt and died in obscurity in a Bournemouth off-licence.
Review tells Fred Karno's extraordinary story with the help of two of his contemporaries, Jack Melville and Sandy Powell; and traces his continuing influence in the films of Chaplin, George Robey, Stan Laurel, Will Hay, The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, Charlie Drake and Norman Wisdom.
The story ends with the demolition of Karsino, an occasion witnessed by many of the comedians who are carrying on the Karno tradition today.