Jan 27 2023
Bruce Forsyth and Dean Martin
Bruce Forsyth had a show on in primetime on British television every single year for an astonishing fifty nine years, the only entertainer to have achieved such remarkable longevity on the small screen. Without question one of the biggest stars in British show business of all time, Forsyth was the consummate all-round performer - a man who could sing, dance, play instruments, and tell jokes...and all to the very highest standard. The host of television shows like Bruce Forsyth's Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and Sunday Night at the London Palladium, he showed himself to be particularly skilled at making regular people funny without impacting their dignity, and he had a first rate comic instinct. His talent was rewarded with massive TV ratings and huge popularity right up until his retirement in his eighties. The king of catchphrases, perhaps his best known one sums up his own career perfectly: Didn't he do well?!Dean Martin was a towering presence in American entertainment, both literally and figuratively. A member of Frank Sinatra's celebrated Rat Pack, he was the louche, easy going crooner who seemed to be the very personification of the word 'cool'. As a comedic performer he enjoyed colossal success, firstly as one half of the comedy partnership he formed with Jerry Lewis which filled both theatres and movie houses to capacity, and then later as the star of NBC's weekly ratings hit The Dean Martin Show which he appeared to sail through on a wave of whisky and good cheer. Martin didn't have to try too hard to be funny. Generations of fans loved his apparent disregard for everything that was expected of him, and he appeared to revel in having the best time of anyone in the room.Mark Wells and John Marley share their memories and knowledge of Bruce Forsyth and Dean Martin, and discuss some of their funniest work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.