Trivia / Sykes

• The Character Died with Him:
  • Richard Wattis died shortly after the 4th series. Mr. Brown was never referred to after that and Corky's roles became bigger.
  • The series ended after Hattie Jacques died. Eric Sykes described her as being like a real sister, without whom he could never continue the show.
• The Danza: Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques played characters called Eric and Hattie, whose surname was Sykes.
• Missing Episode: All episodes survive, but the Series 1 episode "Journey" only survives as a black and white film recording despite having been shot on colour videotape.
• Actor-Inspired Element: When Peter Sellers guest starred in "Stranger" as Harry Grando, a prisoner on the run, he turned up to rehearsals with blacked-out teeth and a crew cut, much to the surprise of Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, who couldn't help but laugh.
• Troubled Production: The final seasons and stage tours were somewhat turbulent backstage, due to Hattie's declining health and Eric's frustration with her constant medical attention. Things allegedly got so bad that when Hattie died, her sons refused to let Eric attend the funeral — although he was hurt by this and denied that there had been bad blood between him and Hattie.
• Uncredited Role:
  • Felix Bowness as a Glasgow porter in "Journey", a bus depot worker in "Bus", and a club compère in "The Hypnotist".
  • Maureen Lipman as a wardrobe mistress in "Fancy Dress".
• What Could Have Been:
  • There was pressure on Eric Sykes early in the show's run to write out Mr. Brown. The BBC's then-assistant Head of Light Comedy, Tom Sloan, thought that Richard Wattis was the real star and the best actor, which in turn caused Wattis' agent to demand a raise. As cutting Hattie Jacques was considered out of the question, Sykes was recommended to recast Mr. Brown or to not feature the character anymore. Sykes, however, was having none of this, and stated the cast would remain the same or else he would end the sitcom on the spot.
  • Several actresses wrote to Sykes saying they could play Hat after Jacques' death. Sykes, however, would have none of it and ended the series.

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