Eric Morecambe's son shares heartfelt memories with late father to mark 100th Birthday

This week marks what would have been the 100th birthday of comedy icon Eric Morecambe.

While his double act with Ernie Wise kicked off in the 1940s, it was the swinging sixties that catapulted them to stardom through their legendary Morecambe and Wise Show on the BBC.

The entertainer graced screens for more than 40 years before his untimely passing in 1984. In a heartbreaking turn of events, Eric collapsed from a heart attack aged just 58, moments after wrapping up a charity performance.

To commemorate his centenary, special celebrations are taking place in the Lancashire coastal town of Morecambe, where the star spent his formative years.

BBC Breakfast caught up with his son, Gary Morecambe, at the seaside location to discuss his father's enduring impact, reports Lancs Live.

He said: "This is a hugely special occasion, it only comes around once a century! I think he'd have been thrilled; obviously, he would've been very surprised and somewhat bemused, as would his parents, Sadie and George, who lived in Morecambe all their lives. It's very special all around."

Gary revealed that although work took his father away regularly, he made a point of coming back to Morecambe to visit loved ones.

He continued: "He had relations here, obviously, his parents. We used to come up as kids. The first time I ever did the Eric Morecambe tour, which still exists, was with Eric Morecambe! So that's a bit of a weird one."

Reminiscing about his late father, he chuckled that it took barely any prompting for the comedy legend to wind down his car windows and playfully wave his iconic specs at passers-by.

He went on: "He enjoyed that! He always knew where his roots were, and these were his people. He always felt very comfortable coming back, playing around a bit and walking up and down the streets."

Gary revealed to the BBC that his father would 'fool around laughing' at the Christmas specials that used to air.

He said: "We couldn't stop him laughing at his own show! It's extraordinary, my brother used to say, 'What are you laughing for, you know what's coming?'

"Which I thought was great, but they were great memories. Big family Christmases and the show as well, that was all wonderful."

This Friday night, the BBC will broadcast a long-lost instalment of The Morecambe and Wise Show to commemorate what would have been his 100th birthday.

The episode, unseen for decades and thought to be gone forever, was unearthed by a charity called Film Is Fabulous!

The recovered episode marks the third from Morecambe and Wise's debut series and includes sketches penned by Sid Green and Dick Hills, with Ann Hamilton taking on the role of Pauline in a scene set at a nudist colony.

BBC Breakfast is available to watch weekdays on BBC One from 6am