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	~~{{Short description\|Morecambe & Wise comedy show for ATV 1961–68}}~~
	~~{{Distinguish\|Two's Company (British TV series)}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=April 2022}}~~

	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| alt_name = ''Sir Bernard Delfont Presents Morecambe & Wise'' (1st series)<br />''The Piccadilly Palace'' (6th series)		\| alt_name = ''Sir Bernard Delfont Presents Morecambe & Wise'' (1st series)<br />''The Piccadilly Palace'' (6th series)

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{{Short description|Morecambe & Wise comedy show for ATV 1961–68}}
{{Distinguish|Two's Company (British TV series)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox television
| alt_name = ''Sir Bernard Delfont Presents Morecambe & Wise'' (1st series) ''The Piccadilly Palace'' (6th series)
| image = Two of a Kind (British TV series).jpg
| genre = [[Sketch show]]
| starring = [[Eric Morecambe]] [[Ernie Wise]]
| writer = [[Dick Hills and Sid Green]]
| director =
| producer = Colin Clews
| endtheme = ''Two of a Kind''
| theme_music_composer = [[Bobby Darin]] and [[Johnny Mercer]]
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 6
| num_episodes = 68 (18 missing)
| list_episodes = List of Two of a Kind episodes
| runtime = 30 minutes (Series 1-3) 35 minutes (Series 4-5) 60 minutes (Series 6)
| company = [[Associated TeleVision|ATV]]
| distributor =
| network = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| picture_format = [[405-line television system|405-line]] [[Black and white|B&W]] (Series 1-5) [[405-line television system|405-line]] [[Black and white|B&W]]/[[CCIR System M|525-line colour]] (Series 6){{Efn|Series 6 was recorded using cameras from both ATV and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]; although both recorded the show in colour, at the time ITV had not begun colour transmissions, and so it was broadcast in black & white.<ref name=piccadilly>{{cite web |url=http://www.morecambeandwise.com/viewpage.aspx?pageid=61 |title=Piccadilly Palace |author= |date=2007 |website=morecambeandwise.com |access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref>}}
| first_aired = {{Start date|1961|10|12|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1968|10|1|df=y}}
| preceded_by = ''[[Running Wild (1954 TV series)|Running Wild]]''
| followed_by = ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|The Morecambe & Wise Show]]'' (BBC)
}}
'''''Two of a Kind''''' is an early TV series for comedy duo [[Morecambe and Wise]]. It ran from 1961 to 1968 produced by [[Associated Television|ATV]] for the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV network]].

==History==
In 1954, [[Eric Morecambe]] and [[Ernie Wise]] had starred in their first television series, ''[[Running Wild (1954 TV series)|Running Wild]]'' on [[BBC Television]]. This had proven to be a failure, which saw the duo initially return to the variety circuit, before slowly making a return to television, with guest spots on ''[[The Winifred Atwell Show]]'' and ''Double Six''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.morecambeandwise.com/ViewPage.aspx?pageID=30 |title=The Morecambe and Wise Story (Part 2) |author= |date=2007 |website=morecambeandwise.com |access-date=7 March 2018 }}</ref> Their increasing success eventually led to an offer from [[Lew Grade]], the managing director of [[Associated Television|ATV]] (then an [[History of ITV|ITV franchise holder]]), for a second attempt at a television series of their own.<ref>McCann, p. 134</ref>

With memories of their previous attempt still in their mind, the duo said that they would accept the offer from Grade if they could obtain the services of the writing team of [[Dick Hills and Sid Green]], as well as producer Colin Clews.<ref>McCann, p. 136</ref> Once these were in situ, work could begin in earnest on the new show.

Initially, there were problems in the working relationship between the two duos; the first scripts were, to Morecambe and Wise, too crowded with people for them, as the stars of the piece, to stand out. The reception for the first shows was described by Eric Morecambe as "lukewarm to say the least".<ref name=McCann139 /> In spite of this, the writers produced more of the same, until a strike by [[Equity (trade union)|Equity]] saw the television schedules decimated. However, Morecambe and Wise were members of the [[Variety Artistes' Federation|Variety Artistes Federation]], and therefore unaffected by the strike.<ref name=McCann139>McCann, p. 139</ref> As a consequence, Hills and Green were forced to write sketches that were more along the lines that Morecambe and Wise were looking for. Additionally, the writers were occasionally added to the situations as "Sid and Dick", the new, general-purpose stooges.<ref name=McCann139 />

The series introduced several catchphrases (such as "Get out of that!"; "That's not nice"; "I'll smash your face in"; and "Tea Ern?") which would stay with them throughout their careers - as well as Morecambe's famous paper bag trick - and an original opening segment which saw the pair parody other series such as ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', ''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'' and ''[[Take Your Pick]]''.<ref name=biog>{{cite web |url=http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/morecambe_and_wise_2.htm |title=Biography: Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise - 2 |last=Marcus |first=Laurence |date=January 2005 |website=Television Heaven |access-date=7 March 2018 }}</ref> It also attracted special guests such as [[Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson]] and [[The Beatles]]; performances of "[[This Boy]]" and "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]", along with a comedy skit involving the group, were released on the ''[[Anthology 1]]'' compilation album in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.beatlesbible.com/1963/12/02/morecambe-and-wise/ |title=Television: The Morecambe And Wise Show |author= |website=The Beatles Bible |date=2 December 1963 |access-date=7 March 2018 }}</ref> The celebrities were generally humiliated by the pair, and especially by Morecambe's playful insults, undermining the status of the celebrities, joking that they were "rubbish" and pretending not to recognise them. Generally, the higher the status of the celebrities, the greater the humiliation.

The sixth Morecambe and Wise series for ATV was planned from the start to be aired in the United Kingdom as well as exported to the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. It was taped in colour and starred international guests, often American. Prior to its British run, it was broadcast in North America by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] as a summer replacement for re-runs of ''[[The Hollywood Palace]]'' under the title ''The [[Piccadilly]] Palace'' from May 20 to September 9, 1967.<ref name=piccadilly /> The duo had appeared in the U.S. on editions of ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' on [[CBS]], and had hoped that the opportunity of a series on American television might lead to a breakthrough in their status there. However, negotiations for a longer run broke down when the show's ratings, although strong in Canada, proved disappointing in the United States. Lew Grade, who represented the comedians in the negotiations, said in his autobiography that the disappointing American ratings were a result of the comedians' refusal to slow down their fast-paced act.<ref>McCann, p. 159-161</ref>

In 1968, Lew Grade began negotiations for a new deal to retain Morecambe and Wise at ATV for another three years. However, at that time, the duo were anxious to take advantage of the technological advancements that were coming through in television, most notably the advent of [[colour television|colour]]. ATV at the time were not in a position to offer this and so, in spite of the financial package offered, Morecambe and Wise instead accepted an offer to return to the BBC.<ref name=biog />

==List of episodes==
{{main|List of Two of a Kind episodes}}

==Archive status==
The first series was billed as ''Sir Bernard Delfont Presents Morecambe & Wise'', with the ''Two of a Kind'' title not used until the second series. This first series is completely missing, but all episodes broadcast under the ''Two of a Kind'' title (Series 2–5) exist. Only two of the episodes recorded in colour for Series 6 (''The Piccadilly Palace'') are extant, as black & white [[telerecording]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.morecambeandwise.com/viewpage.aspx?pageid=420 |title= Two Of A Kind - Complete Series|author= |date=2016 |website=morecambeandwise.com |access-date=7 March 2018 }}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Award
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Nominee
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Category
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Result
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Reference
|-
|rowspan=2|1964
|rowspan=2|[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV Awards]]
|Eric Morecambe Ernie Wise
|Best Light Entertainment Personality
|{{won}}
|rowspan=2|<ref name=BAFTA>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=Morecambe%20and%20Wise |title=BAFTA Awards Search - Morecambe and Wise |author= |website=BAFTA Awards |access-date=13 March 2018 }}</ref>
|-
|Colin Clews
|Best Light Entertainment Programme
|{{won}}
|}

==Home Media Releases==

Beginning in 1993 a ''Best Of'' compilation of VHS videos totalling six volumes were released comprising material from all series, these omitted advertisement breaks and musical guest stars and did not always feature chronological sequences.

The first complete series titled ''Morecambe & Wise - Two Of A Kind : The Complete First Series'' on Region 2 was released on 18 August 2011 leading to some conjecture that it is in fact the second series (see above) but this is in fact the first series of ''Two Of A Kind''.

Network released a DVD in 2016 of ''The Complete Series of the Two of a Kind'' canon containing 48 episodes from the first 4 series. The last series is mostly lost but two of the episodes, that were originally transmitted in colour, exist but in black and white and are featured on the 8th disk of this 8 DVD set which is full of extra appearances of the duo on variety shows from the 1950s and 60s. In 2021, Network announced plans to re-release all of the remaining episodes of ''Two of a Kind'' in a single box set with all episodes of Morecambe & Wise's [[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1978 TV series)|1978-1983 series for Thames Television]], to be titled as ''Morecambe & Wise at ITV''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/shop/news/6583/morecambe-and-wise-surviving-itv-dvd/ |title=Remaining Morecambe & Wise shows to be released on DVD |author= |date= 19 October 2021|website=British Comedy Guide |publisher= |access-date=19 October 2021 |quote=}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=McCann |first=Graham |date=1999 |title=Morecambe & Wise |url=https://archive.org/details/morecambewise0000mcca |location=London |publisher=Fourth Estate |isbn=9781857029116 |url-access=registration }}
*{{cite book |last1=Morecambe |first1=Gary |last2=Sterling |first2=Martin |date=2001 |title=Morecambe & Wise: Behind the Sunshine |location=London |publisher=Robson Books |isbn=9781861054623 }}

==External links==
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|two_of_a_kind|Two of a Kind}}
*{{IMDb title|0054573|Two of a Kind}}
*[http://dvdcompare.net/review.php?rid=2581 Review of the Network release of the second series, with an overview of the history and content of the show.]

{{Morecambe and Wise}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Two Of A Kind (British TV series)}}
[[Category:1960s British comedy television series]]
[[Category:1961 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1968 British television series endings]]
[[Category:ITV sketch shows]]
[[Category:Television programmes about the Beatles]]
[[Category:Morecambe and Wise]]
[[Category:Television series by ITV Studios]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV)]]
[[Category:Musical comedy television shows]]
[[Category:Television shows shot at ATV Elstree Studios]]

Two of a Kind (British TV series) - Revision history

Kurt at 17:24, 23 February 2023

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