/ 4 October 2005

Comedian Ronnie Barker dead at 76

British comedian Ronnie Barker, half of the long-established and much-loved duo The Two Ronnies, has died at the age of 76, his agent said on Tuesday.

Rosalind Chatto said Barker died on Monday after a long period of heart trouble.

Barker had a career on the West End stage and in radio before moving into comedy as part of the classic 1960s TV shows The Frost Report and Frost on Sunday.

There he met Ronnie Corbett, and in 1971 the pair became The Two Ronnies. Their programme ran for a dozen series, and at its peak was watched by 17-million viewers.

The duo’s deft wordplay, comic timing and physical incongruence — Barker towered over the diminutive Corbett — made them favourites with millions of comedy fans. – Sapa-AP