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 from Officer (OBE) to Commander (CBE) level. He had been appointed an OBE in 1986 for services to drama, following a petition by MPs. Sykes was an honorary president of the Goon Show Preservation Society. Sykes was a follower of Oldham Athletic and was an honorary director of the club in the 1970s. Sykes died on the morning of 4 July 2012, aged 89, at his home in Esher, Surrey, England, after a short illness. His family was with him when he died. He has a memorial plaque in St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. The following entries are films