SIR BRUCIE CALLS FOR STATUE TO HONOUR TV LEGEND
... OTHER LEGENDS CAST IN BRONZE
CALLS were growing last night for a statue in honour of Sir Bruce Forsyth.
A statue outside Broadcasting House in London was said be under consideration by the BBC, while there have also been calls for another in Edmonton, north London, where he was born.
Comic Jon Culshaw said: “There really is only one Sir Bruce. A statue would be an amazing thing. What about a sundial? Bruce in the thinker pose.”
Other stars who have been honoured with statues include comedian Eric Morecambe in his home town of Morecambe, Lancashire, and John Lennon outside Liverpool’s Cavern club, where The Beatles began.
Sir Bruce’s widow Wilnelia paid tribute him in a show broadcast last night, saying he “brightened my days with his laughter”.
She made her emotional speech to stars from the world of entertainment gathered at the London Palladium to celebrate his life.
Laughter
She said: “In 1958 on this very stage, for the first time he became a star in just six weeks – 57 years later, it was here that he performed his one-man show for the very last time.
“There are no words to express how much we miss him.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him.
“He brightened my days with his laughter and his sense of humour. He was a great father and great husband and most of all he was my very dear friend.”
Sir Bruce began his glittering career at the age of 14.
He was Boy Bruce, the Mighty Atom, and first appeared on Sunday Night At The London Palladium.
Over the next six decades he became a permanent fixture on TV, fronting The Generation Game, which attracted 21 million viewers during its peak in the 1970s. He became co-host of Strictly Come Dancing from its launch in 2004 to his retirement a decade later.
The gala evening saw Dame Shirley Bassey and stars including Michael Ball, David Walliams and Rob Brydon stage a variety show in his honour. It featured tributes from some of his closest friends, including his Strictly co-host Tess Daly.
Sir Bruce died in August with his family at his side. He was 89.