It’s every actor’s dream to go out on stage and have every seat in the house filled. And Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens, the men behind the hit show Eric and Little Ern, a touching tribute to Morecambe and Wise, have done just that with their show but have also achieved something even more special – they have brought the legendary comedy duo back to life for the people that knew them.

“We were a bit worried,” admits Ian, who plays Ernie Wise, “they’ve got so many fans still so we knew we had to be careful, but we’ve been very respectful in the way we’ve done the show because we love them as much as everybody else.

“They had something like 28 million viewers in 1977, which is more than half the population. We knew people loved them, and we knew those figures, but the warmth and the love people still hold for them is amazing.”

But it’s not only the Morecambe and Wise fans who have been won over –the boys’ families and friends have too.

“We were doing the show in a nightclub about 18 months ago,” remembers Ian, 56, who worked on Royal Navy submarines for nine years before going into acting, “and there was a guy in the audience who used to work with them, Martin Clarkson, and he said ‘Guys, you’ve got something here – what do you want to do with it?’”

Ian and Jonty, who met at drama school 30 years ago, did a tremendous amount of research putting the show together, and talked to everybody they could find that had known the comedy duo, from the people who worked in wardrobe to people like Barry Cryer, who used to write for them, to find out what made Eric and Ernie tick.

With Martin’s help, Ian and Jonty were able to take the show to Edinburgh and then to the West End, where it was a sell-out – and there was a very special audience member in Edinburgh.

“Somebody told us ‘George Morecambe’s bought a ticket’,” laughs Ian, “Eric’s dad! We were both nervous and he came backstage afterwards and said ‘I was very apprehensive but I’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about – even I thought it was Eric’.”

And Lord Michael Gray, who got Morecambe and Wise signed to the BBC when he was their stand-in agent, was interviewed on camera about Ian and Jonty’s show. “He was very nice about it. He said ‘When they did Bring Me Sunshine…’ and he filled up,” says Ian. “He said it was a lovely, affectionate tribute.

“It’s been beyond our wildest dreams, it’s just been amazing.”

  • Eric and Little Ern is at The Ark Theatre, off Elstree Way, Borehamwood on Thursday, February 6 at 7.30pm. Details: 020 8238 7288, thearktheatre.co.uk