'It was intimidating' Barry Cryer’s son Bob admits dad’s blunt criticism of his work

express.co.uk:

Coronation Street and featured in 2015 BBC drama The Interceptor. But before his acting debut, he tried his hand at comedy, following in the footsteps of his legendary comic father, the late Barry Cryer.But he admitted that his dad's verdict on his comedic talent was blunt.In a new interview, Bob remembered Barry's reaction, saying: "You kept aiming at jokes, but never quite hitting them."It was 'a piece of criticism wrapped in a joke' – it’s a good line," the actor shrugged.Having spent a lot of time watching and learning from his much-loved dad, he got a buzz out of getting his recognition and respect, finding the best indicator of approval was Barry's hearty laugh.Bob recalled telling one gag inspired by a jazz musician, that left his father quite impressed."I told my mother I wanted to be an actor when I grew up; she said you can’t be both," he recalled."You knew you were doing something right if you got a laugh, so I hung in there."It was intimidating, but dad had always been the punchline merchant who worked with structural writing partners."My job was to provide a playground for his comic imagination."He continued to tell Radio Times: "Watching that brain creating in the moment, seeing his synapses fire in front of me...

sometimes it didn’t feel like I was with my dad, but that other person that the public saw."It was intoxicating."Barry, who was once dubbed the "King of Comedy", died last month aged 86, with his family revealing he passed away peacefully in "good spirits".In a statement, they said: "He had a gift for friendship and a genius for putting people at their ease."Oh yes, and he made many people laugh.