Robbie Williams revealed as mystery £20,000 bidder for Eric Morecambe’s iconic glasses
The Angels hitmaker splashed the cash on the comedian's famous specs.
A pair of glasses worn by comedy legend Eric Morecambe was sold for £20,000 at a memorabilia auction in Hertfordshire last month… and now the mystery bidder has been revealed.
The late comic, who died in 1984, aged 58, was part of an iconic and hilarious duo with his comedy partner Ernie Wise, who died in 1999.
Morecambe and Wise ruled the airways in Britain from the late 1960s until the former’s sudden death from a heart attack in the mid-1980s.
Known for their famous sketches—including Andre Previn, Bring Me Sunshine, and the Breakfast Routine—their numerous episodes and specials were woven into the fabric of UK pop culture.
Synonymous with Morecambe’s comic identity was his thick-framed glasses, which he sometimes used for comedic effect during their routines.
A pair of them, in imitation tortoiseshell by company Metzler, went for £20k on a January weekend alongside his Barling briar smoking pipe and two black and white photographs of him wearing the glasses.
Comedy legend Morecambe was famous for his prominent spectacles (Picture: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) He was 1/2 of the legendary duo Morecambe and Wise alongside Ernie Wise (Picture: Don Smith/Radio Times via Getty Images)The bidder? Oh, only Robbie Williams—and it was quite an emotional experience for the Angels hitmaker.
Having always seen the comedian as an ‘uncle of sorts’ whose ‘spirit has been salve for [his] soul’, Robbie didn’t hesitate to splash the cash.
The pop star said he cried ‘happy, childlike tears’ after winning the bidding war with his final offer, far exceeding the £2,000 to £4,000 estimate.
In an Instagram post featuring photos of Robbie using the glasses and pipe, he said he treated himself to the items ahead of his 51st birthday on Thursday and after undergoing months of press for his new semi-autobiographical film Better Man.
The Rock DJ vocalist recalled appointing Mike, a member of his team who handles his digital presence, to be ‘chief bidder’ as he was in Los Angeles about to board a plane as the auction got underway.
‘As it happens, I got to watch the lot being auctioned live. My iPhone and Mike’s iPhone acting like walkie-talkies,’ he wrote.
‘“’What should I do Ayd’s?” I nervously kept asking my wife. “Keep bidding” Ayda says with the steely determination of someone bursting through an electronics store door on Black Friday.
Robbie also bought a pipe and a photo of Morecambe in his specs (Picture: Jacob King/PA Wire) Robbie ‘cried childlike tears’ after the auction win (Picture: Instagram)“Keep going Mike” I say. This vignette of conversation would repeat itself several times over the next 10 minutes.’
He said their determination to secure the lot was raised to a ‘primal competitive and irrational’ level, with Robbie apparently saying to his wife that they were now going through their children’s inheritance, which he said she dismissed.
On winning the bid, Robbie said: “You see, I guess we all need friends-we-never-meet from off the telly. Eric has always been mine. An uncle of sorts.
‘To the very core of me, Eric Morecambe’s spirit has been salve for my soul. How Eric made me feel is how I want to make people feel. What a gift to be able to create such joy and have that joy be present just by thinking of them.’
He said he would consult the comic’s glasses when he had questions and hoped to ‘maybe get some answers’.
The singer added: ‘Eric, you were and are the very best of the very best. That sunshine you asked for, you gave to me’, before signing off the post with ‘Your Fan, Robert x’.
TV star Morecambe was also known for smoking pipes, and a selection of them were sold in a lot that fetched £1,100, while a tailcoat and trousers, writing desk, and Breitling watch were also sold.
Robbie says the comedy legend feels like an ‘uncle’ (Picture: Brittany Long/Publishd/Shutterstock) The pop star has been promoting his biopic Better Man (Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage)Morecambe was made an OBE in 1976, and his medal, awarded by the late Queen Elizabeth II, sold for £11,000, which was £8,000 above its highest estimate.
An oil canvas painting by royal portrait artist Richard Stone depicting Morecambe sitting down smoking a cigar sold for £15,000.
On top of those items, a version of his ventriloquist dummy Charlie, which he took to America to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, sold for £6,200.
The items went up for sale after Morecambe’s widow Joan died in March last year, aged 97, just under 40 years after her husband’s tragic death.
Charles Hanson, of Hanson Auctioneers said: ‘We were thrilled with the extraordinary results achieved at this auction. Eric Morecambe’s legacy lives on in the hearts of millions.
Comment nowHave you ever bought iconic memorabilia at an auction?Comment Now‘The prices reflect not only the quality and uniqueness of the items but also the deep affection fans continue to hold for him. It’s been an incredible two days.’
Morecambe and Wise’s 1977 Christmas episode is among the most-watched episodes of live television ever broadcast in the UK, pulling in 28million viewers.
In 2002, he was named one of the 100 Greatest Britons in a national poll, and Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a statue of him in Morecambe in 1999.
Luton Town also unveiled a suite named after him, while J D Wetherspoon opened a public house called the Eric Bartholomew in Morecambe in 2004—based on his real name, John Eric Bartholomew.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
