Eric Sykes Kinnear, Beryl Reid, and Norman Rossington. It was his last screen appearance with Hattie Jacques. The film employed an idea drawn from the British showbiz tradition in which extras used the word "rhubarb" to simulate low-level background dialogue, which had also been a running joke in "The Goon Show". In 1981, Sykes wrote, directed, and starred in the offbeat comedy "If You Go Down in the Woods Today" for Thames, with a cast including Roy Kinnear, Fulton Mackay, and George Sewell. During 1982, Sykes played the Chief Constable in the slapstick police comedy film "The Boys in Blue", which starred
Eric Sykes at a funeral. In 1984, Sykes played the Genie in the children's film "Gabrielle and the Doodleman", which also featured Windsor Davies (who would also appear with Sykes in the BBC's "Gormenghast" in 2000), Bob Todd, Lynsey de Paul, and Gareth Hunt. In 1985, he played the Mad Hatter in the Anglia Television serial adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland", joining an all-star cast that included Michael Bentine, Leslie Crowther, and Leonard Rossiter, and he also had an uncredited role (as an arcade attendant) in the Julien Temple film musical "Absolute Beginners" (1986) which stars Patsy Kensit. In 1986, Sykes played