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Ronnies script sells for £48.5k

21/12/2007

The original copy of arguably the Two Ronnies' most famous script has sold at auction for £48,500.

A private buyer bought the handwritten copy of the 'fork handles' sketch at almost £20,000 above its reserve price.

Written by the late Ronnie Barker on four sides of A4 paper in red ink, the sketch resurfaced on BBC1's Antiques Roadshow programme last year.

Corbett, 77, confirmed that the copy was authentic, saying: "It was quite sweet for me to see his handwriting again."

The fork handles sketch, broadcast in 1976, has become one of the most famous in UK television comedy history.

In it Barker, who died in 2005 at the age of 76, confuses Corbett's shopkeeper with his clumsy use of English and a befuddling series of requests – the most famous being the misunderstanding over four candles and fork handles.

The Two Ronnies' 16-year run came to an end in 1987 after achieving peak audiences of 17 million.