Ronnie Barker statue unveiled

A life-size bronze statue of comedian Ronnie Barker was unveiled in front of his former co-stars Ronnie Corbett and Sir David Jason.

It was unveiled by his widow, Joy, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the town where The Two Ronnies and Open All Hours star began his acting career more than 60 years ago.

Internationally-acclaimed sculptor Martin Jennings depicted Mr Barker as prison inmate Norman Stanley Fletcher from the classic 1970s series Porridge.

The 5ft 6in statue features the comedy actor, who died aged 76 in 2005, sitting on a stone bench with his arms crossed and looking up at the town’s new Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, which opens next month.

The 100kg creation was modelled by hand last winter and then cast in bronze at the Pangolin Foundry in Gloucestershire during the summer.

Mr Jennings, whose works include the statue of poet Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras station in London, said: “It has been delightful to make this statue of Ronnie Barker.

“He was a comic genius and he was a wonderful shape to sculpt.

“I’ve depicted him in his Porridge character, glancing up approvingly at the new theatre as if looking back happily over a long career to the days when he began it all in Aylesbury.”

John Cartwright, leader of Aylesbury Vale District Council, said: “The statue is a fitting tribute to a great man and one of Britain’s best-loved performers.

“I’m sure it will not only delight theatre-goers, but will also be an attraction to Ronnie Barker fans throughout the country and perhaps even further afield.”

Born in Bedford in 1929, Barker worked in a bank before joining the Aylesbury Repertory Company.

He made his professional debut at 15 in November 1948, at the old County Theatre in Aylesbury’s Market Square, with a small role as Lieutenant Spicer in JM Barrie’s Quality Street.