Edwin Charles Braben (31 October 1930 – 21 May 2013) was an English comedy writer and performer best known for providing material for Morecambe and Wise. He also worked for David Frost, Ronnie Corbett and Ken Dodd.
Life and career
Braben's father was a butcher at St. John's Market, Liverpool, He left school in 1945 and worked in the British American Tobacco factory before national service in the Royal Air Force, during which he was posted to the kitchen at RAF Kenley. He then worked as a market trader with his own greengrocery stall, writing jokes in his spare time.
Although shy, he sent jokes to various comedians that were appearing in Liverpool. His first was sold to Charlie Chester for 2s 6d) and The Show with Ten Legs (Radio 2; 1976–81). In 2001, Braben collaborated with Hamish McColl and Sean Foley to write The Play What I Wrote, a stage play and tribute to Morecambe and Wise, which opened at the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre before transferring to London's West End.
Braben had a son, Graham, with his first wife. After her death, he married Deidree, an ex George Mitchell singer/dancer, with whom he had two daughters. He had six grandchildren.
Braben's autobiography, The Book What I Wrote, was published in 2004.
Braben's book, Eddie Braben's Morecambe and Wise Book, was published shortly after his death in 2013.
In December 2017, Eric, Ernie and Me, a docudrama about Braben's work with Morecambe and Wise written by Neil Forsyth starring Stephen Tompkinson as Eddie Braben, was shown on BBC Four.
References
Online resources
- Obituary in 'The Guardian'