Steve Royle, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright in The Last Laugh – credit Pamela Raith
The Last Laugh Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne Tuesday 26th to Saturday 30th May, 2026
The only times the audience and I stopped laughing at the Tuesday matinee of The Last Laugh at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, were when emotion and nostalgia took over.
Damian Williams, Steve Royle and Simon Cartwright – credit Pamela Raith
Writer and director Paul Hendy provides far more than a touching tribute to comedy legends Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe, and Bob Monkhouse.
In this fictional encounter, Tommy, Eric and Bob find themselves sharing a dingy dressing room, which is the setting for the whole play, as they prepare to take the stage.
Between swapping classic gags and put-downs, they discuss their different approaches to the craft of comedy, and reveal the pressures of always being expected to make people laugh.
The play was adapted from Paul Hendy’s short film, and premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 to great acclaim. A successful run in the West End led to its current UK tour.
Damian Williams, as Tommy Cooper, Steve Royle (Eric Morecambe) and Simon Cartwright (Bob Monkhouse) give brilliant performances.
The Last Laugh -Pamela Raith Photography
They perfectly capture three unique characters, complete with their voices and mannerisms.
Williams, who for most of the time takes centre stage in his underpants, reminds us of Cooper with every glance, grimace and grunt.
These three larger-than-life characters also treat us to joyful singing, with Royle strumming the banjo ukulele. Those who thought Eric Morecambe only played the piano (badly) are surprised to learn from Steve that he had to learn to play the banjolele, as Morecambe had done.
There is minimal plot, but we are entertained throughout the 80-minute performance, which has a devastating ending.
A ‘question and answer’ session follows a 20-minute interval and reveals some fascinating facts.
The Last Laugh – Pamela Raith Photography
Simon Cartwright and Damian Williams have been portraying their respective roles in The Last Laugh for nine years, having first starred together in the 2017 short film version before transitioning to Paul Hendy’s full-length stage play.
In contrast, Steve Royle only joined the cast in October 2025, taking over the role of Eric Morecambe from Bob Golding.
Now playing through to Saturday 30 May. Book here.
Tony Flood spent most of his working life as a journalist, initially on local and regional papers and then on nationals. He was also editor of Football Monthly, Controller of Information at Sky Television and enjoyed a spell with The People before retiring in 2010.
He recalls: “My work as a showbiz and leisure writer, critic and editor saw me take on a variety of challenges - learning to dance with Strictly Come Dancing star Erin Boag, becoming a stand-up comedian and playing football with the late George Best and Bobby Moore in charity matches.
“Now I spend much of my time writing books, and theatre reviews and articles for online magazines Unknown Kent and Sussex and The Write Site. I recently retired from playing veterans football, having been one of the oldest - and slowest - players in the country!” Tony's first book was fantasy adventure SECRET POTION, which went to No. 1 in its Amazon category and has been recommended by other authors for Harry Potter fans of all ages.
His celebrity book, MY LIFE WITH THE STARS – SIZZLING SECRETS SPILLED! is full of anecdotes and revelations about showbiz and sports personalities, including Eric Morecambe, Elvis Presley, Kylie Minogue, George Best, Frank Sinatra, Joan Collins, Strictly Come Dancing stars, Muhammad Ali and Bobby Moore, with whom Tony worked.
The versatile Mr Flood then turned to writing in another genre with spicy crime thriller TRIPLE TEASE, endorsed by best-selling author Peter James, actor Brian Capron and The Sun newspaper's Stuart Pink. Following the success of TRIPLE TEASE, Tony wrote STITCH UP! – KILLER OR VICTIM? and FALL GUY.
In BEGGARS BELIEF compassionate copper DCI Harvey Livermore and his Major Crime Team are again trying to put a killer behind bars in a gripping, fast-moving story.
Tony has also co-written, with his wife Heather Flood, LAUGHS AND TEARS GALORE – STORIES AND POEMS WITH TWISTS!
Tony gives talks about the showbiz and sports stars featured in his celebrity book, as well as holding miniworkshops and giving advice on how would-be authors can write a successful book. Any groups wishing to contact him can email: tflood04@yahoo.co.uk Tony is chairman of Anderida Writers of Eastbourne. The link for the Anderida website is:www.anderidawriters.co.uk
