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Story of Light Entertainment

Episode 1: Double Acts

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four

The great double acts have always been at the heart of light entertainment. They have endured through every twist and turn in the story of showbusiness, but behind the smiles, the dance routines, the jokes and the songs there is a whole other world of intense pressure and anxiety.

This episode looks at all the double acts from Laurel and Hardy to Ant and Dec. Why do they work? Why do we love them? And why do they so often end up hating each other? It examines the comedy gold produced by legendary double acts like Morecambe and Wise and Reeves and Mortimer, as well the bitter feuds and fall-outs of Mike and Bernie Winters, Cannon and Ball and Newman and Baddiel.

Stars featured include Mike Winters, Eddie Large, Sid Little, Vic Reeves, Cannon and Ball, David Baddiel, Hale and Pace and many more. Show less

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