Eric Sykes the 1977 Yorkshire Television adaptation of "Charley's Aunt" and appeared in the role of Brassett. The third version of "The Plank" was made in 1979 for Thames TV as a half-hour TV special. Sykes was the subject of Thames Television's "This Is Your Life", broadcast on 25 December 1979. Sykes wrote and appeared in two Thames Television specials broadcast during 1980 – "The Likes of Sykes" and "Rhubarb Rhubarb". The latter special, a remake of his 1969 short film "Rhubarb" which Sykes also directed, featured many of his old friends including Jimmy Edwards, Bob Todd, Charlie Drake, Bill Fraser, Roy
A Christmas Carol (1971 film) include young children, and the film's bleak mood and emphasis on darkness and shadows lead some to consider it the most frightening of the many dramatizations of the Dickens classic. Originally produced as a 1971 television special, "A Christmas Carol" was considered so well done that it was subsequently released theatrically, thereby rendering it eligible for Oscar consideration, and the film did go on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for 1972. Some industry insiders took issue that a short originally shown on television was given the award, and the Academy responded by changing its policy,