York University has acquired a collection of Eric Morecambe's handwritten notebooks containing comedian material.
Morecambe, along with long-term stage partner Ernie Wise, dominated light entertainment radio waves for decades, first honing his craft on stage and radio.
The book is said to detail how the jokes are formed and come back over and over again.
Following the death of 97-year-old widow Joan last year, it was sold at auction in January with a personal item from Morekambe, and it has been more than 40 years since the comic passed away in 1984 at the age of 58.
The collection also includes two original photographs, Morecambe and Wise, from the heyday of the 1970s.
Two of the cartoon's most famous items – his glasses and pipes, were acquired by singer-songwriter Robbie Williams.
Gary Brannan, keeper of the archives and research collection at York University's Borthwick Archives Institute, said: “When Robbie Williams won the auction bid, he considered Morekambe “a kind of uncle.”
“Eric's clean humor is the pinnacle of British light entertainment, and these joke books are more than just mere notes.
“They are the window into the minds of comedy masters.
“You can really hear him hear the jokes he was working on in his book.
“We are extremely proud to bring these notebooks to York.
“They provide valuable insight into the creation of British comedy gold and complement existing collections such as the archives of Frankie Howard and Ernest Maxine.
“This acquisition strengthens Borsewick as a major resource for research into UK entertainment history.”
For more information, please visit the Borthwick Institute website at www.york.ac.uk/borthwick.
