I have to just say, that his observational skills were tremendous, and I think it gave him remarkable insight into human nature. Then he gathered those observations, and used them to create unmatchable entertainment and humor. It really comes through when he did the "Evening with..." shows. He had the ability to get right to heart of the idiosyncrasies of each person he referred to, and the designated questioners. He never crossed the line into insult, but just playfully bantered. One can see he admired them and their achievements. Another thing was his finger being on the pulse of entertainment industry, and society in general. He must have been a great consumer of news and current events. A truly unique talent, as I am sure you will agree.

I was fortuntate to have seen him live in Milton Keynes in England on his farewell tour as well as watching most of his videos on you tube. I definitely think he is the funniest entertainer and comedian ever, yes it's a big statement to make. But his ability to improvise is unbelievable, but his biggest skill was always being able to go on a show with other celebrities and Barry would take over. Not in a bossy way, but it was his personality, plus the fear others had for him, fear in a nice way, as they knew they would be the butt of a joke.

@@app1esuk All true. I like the Parkinson interview with Judy Dench and Sharon Osbourne in attendance. A masterful 16 minutes.

The only one I can think of who has similar talents is Steve Coogan. Although he is very good at characterization and writing, he just is not in the same class as Barry. He was peerless.

1984

It was shot for TV 4x3 format and has since been 'blown up' to 16x9 hence the grain and bad cropping.

Unfortunately that's how it came on the DVD.