Barry Humphries’ 2021 This Morning TV appearance resurfaces

One of late comedy legend Barry Humphries’ last-ever live TV appearances was a masterclass in cringe-worthy comedy.

One of late comedy legend Barry Humphries’ last-ever live TV appearances was such a masterclass in cringe-worthy comedy, it sparked a fierce debate about whether it was real or staged.

Humphries, who died aged 89 on Saturday having been readmitted to hospital after breaking a hip, appeared on UK chat show This Morning in November 2021 for a brief but hilarious interview.

The show is usually hosted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, who had made headlines the year before when he came out as gay at the age of 57.

Fill-in host Dermot O'Leary.

Regular host Phillip Schofield, who had recently come out.

With the regular hosts away, Humphries was instead interviewed by popular UK TV presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.

Poker face on, Humphries offered some words of congratulations to O’Leary that made it immediately clear he was mistaking him for Schofield.

“Incidentally, I want to congratulate you, by the way – seriously, on your courage,” he began, as O’Leary – who has been married to a woman since 2012 – looked on nervously.

Hammond instantly twigged what was happening and let out an almighty laugh.

Co-host Alison Hammond lost it.

“Last year, when he came out and told us about his sexuality – I think a lot of people respected you for that,” Humphries continued.

“Thank you. I’ll pass that on to the gentleman that’s here from Monday to Thursday,” a flustered O’Leary responded.

“What?” asked Humphries, looking off-camera confusedly.

“Your bravery was amazing,” he continued, as Hammond kept wheezing with laughter.

The incident sparked much debate among UK viewers about whether it was a genuine, toe-curling gaffe or a perfectly delivered joke from Humphries – but anyone familiar with the humour of the man responsible for deadpan comic creations like Dame Edna Everage and Les Patterson would recognise he was very much in on the joke.

As one Humphries fan pointed out at the time, he’s made a similar joke on UK TV before, this time dressed as Dame Edna – here’s Edna mistaking The One Show presenter Alex Jones for the program’s previous host, Christine Lampard:

Of course Barry Humphries has done that joke before, and it was just as funny. pic.twitter.com/m6nbZkR8KD

— Paul Lang (@rudemrlang) November 27, 2021

As one person on Twitter wrote: “Humphries knew EXACTLY what he was doing. Years ago, he did an interview at our local radio station. Spent an hour beforehand wandering around the place, talking to as many on-air staff as he could find. Then sent them all up, by name, during his piece. Meticulous, professional.”

“Nothing accidental about this,” wrote another person on Twitter.

“Barry Humphries is a comedy legend; he knows what he’s doing.”

Originally published as Barry Humphries’ 2021 This Morning TV appearance resurfaces