The Last Laugh, a new play from writer and director Paul Hendy, reimagines the lives of three of Britain’s greatest comedy heroes – Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse.

Ahead of its run at The Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford, from Tuesday 5 to Saturday 9 August, the cast – Bob Golding, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright – chatted about the nostalgia, the tour, and most importantly, the laughs.

The names of Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse will conjure up a sense of nostalgia for many – do you have your own fond memories of them?

Bob Golding (Eric Morecambe): I have strong and fond memories of all the comics featured in The Last Laugh. I especially remember a Christmas special where Eric and Ernie were dressed as turkeys. I was mesmerised at their ability to make not just me laugh but my parents, my younger brother, and my elderly grandmother who would chuckle and mutter “silly buggers” under her breath.

Damian Williams (Tommy Cooper): I have so many fond memories of these iconic men from watching them at Christmas with the family, particularly sitting with my dad watching Tommy Cooper and seeing him crying with laughter. I grew up with them and was certainly influenced by them. Tommy is the reason I got into the business.

Simon Cartwright (Bob Monkhouse): All three were legends of British light entertainment and featured in positive childhood memories for me. I enjoyed watching Bob Monkhouse presenting in the very early 70s – I would have been six-years old – programmes like The Golden Shot and then into the 80s with Bob’s Full House. They are fond memories of a time that I can recall, happier family environments when we’d all watch stuff together.

Without giving too much away, what is The Last Laugh about —and why do you think it resonates with audiences today?

Bob: The Last Laugh is what happens when you put three comedy legends in a dressing room and lock the door. You've got Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse and yours truly — Eric Morecambe —putting the world to rights, one laugh at a time. It’s a love letter to comedy, to friendship, and to those glorious gags that never get old (unlike us!). But it’s not just about jokes — it’s about legacy, about life, and about how laughter carries us through the darkest moments. Audiences are coming in expecting a chuckle and leaving with a lump in their throat. It reminds people why comedy matters, especially in today’s world.

Damian: Watching The Last Laugh is the closest you’ll get to spending 80-minutes in the company of these great men. It’s about the art of comedy, the relationship between these three men and what’s it’s really like to be funny for a living. It’s full of laughs, nostalgia, warmth and love.

Simon: I think it reflects on a time when families would sit down and watch television together, nowadays that’s very rare because of streaming, people being dissipated around family lives and watching things on their smartphones. I think people do remember times when they sat down together, the halcyon days – looking back into the 60s and 70s, people seem to think they were happier times.

The show has played the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London’s West End and New York, ahead of its UK tour – what has the response been?

Bob: Oh, it’s been an absolute riot — in the best possible way! We’ve had people in tears — happy ones! They have told us how much it meant to see their comedy heroes brought back to life. And the joy is infectious. Every single night has felt like a celebration.

Damian: It really has struck a chord with people. The comments and the reviews have been fantastic. We really didn’t know how it would be received when we started and it’s totally blown our minds.

Simon: We’ve had a remarkable reaction, standing ovations and moving people – particularly men of a certain age becoming quite emotional. It was a time when comedy was a lot more innocent, and I think people appreciate that the comedians we’re representing were not particularly political or had an agenda other than being funny and making us feel good.

How do you find the balance between playing a caricature and making it your own? Has your relationship with these characters changed over time?

Bob: I try to avoid the word caricature as it conjures a larger-than-life interpretation of the person I’m portraying. When it comes to playing a well-known person, I think it’s all about capturing the spirit of them and avoiding cliché impressions or over-used gestures. I also feel that with every character I play there will always be an element of myself in it. It’s almost unavoidable. I’ve played Eric for over 16 years, so I think my connection and respect for him has almost certainly become stronger and I have never lost sight of the fact that I’m merely on the coat tail of his greatness and talent. It’s been a huge honour.

Damian: As an actor I wanted to play Tommy as the man he was and try to avoid just doing an impression. It’s been interesting to study him and learn more about who he was. The three of us have worked incredibly hard to capture them without doing a caricature.

Simon: I knew Bob Monkhouse personally, so from a method-acting point of view, I can draw on and recall what he was like off-stage, so I have that distinct advantage. These are three very vulnerable men who share the love of making people laugh, and they get there in different ways. It’s all about finding authenticity and truth rather than trying to create a caricature or an impression, we’re not doing that, we’re going for truth and sentiment.

What do you hope audiences take away from the play?

Bob: People of a certain age have left in a bit of an emotional state after enjoying the play. They’ve laughed and cried as I think it awakens a more innocent time in our youth when elder family members were still with us, and possibly reminds us of what those times mean to us. The laughter hopefully evens out the more poignant and sadder feelings though. It’s a reassuringly British experience.

Damian: What we’ve learnt is that the audiences are transported back to a time when they sat as a family and watched these great comedians on the TV. We can totally feel the love from the audience as soon as the play starts. You’ll be laughing one minute and crying the next. You’ll learn more about these men and what it was really like to be them.

Simon: I hope that audiences take away a new and fresh insight into the three comedians. I hope that a younger generation, who might not have seen the comedians before, discover them and walk away with an interest, and we ultimately keep their memories alive. I hope for the older generations we’re a warm reminder of a bygone age, the golden age of British comedy!

Show information: Tuesday to Saturday, evenings at 7.30pm; Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm. Captioned performance: Thursday, 2.30pm

Tickets from £33; concessions from £15. To book, visit https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whats-on/the-last-laugh