Britain was saddened last week by the death of comedy legend Barry Cryer, the star of stage and screen, who wrote jokes not only for himself but for the country's comedy royalty.

Island author Josh Barry met Cryer on several occasions and found him a warm, considerate person.

Sharing his own personal blog with the County Press, here are some of the reasons Josh admired the king of the one liners.

Josh's first memories of Cryer were before the millennium: "The first time I was really aware of Cryer’s formidable contribution to light entertainment was when he was put forward as the host of BBC One’s Ronnies Night in 1999, reuniting Corbett with Barker.

"Barry Cryer had previously been a name which I’d been familiar with on entertainment shows from my younger days but I had yet to put him into any context.

"However, as soon as I immersed myself in the magical and enigmatic world of British comedy, I realised that Cryer was so much more than a comedy interviewer.

"From then on it was my ambition to explore this world of comedy and quickly realised that Mr Cryer occupied an integral part of the comedy landscape.

"In the succeeding years, I grew ever familiar and in awe of Barry’s work and the roll call of comedy giants who had benefited from his comedic mind.

"To me, he grew to represent the absolute epitome of Britain’s comedy heritage and was the embodiment of vaudevillian comedy.

He once told me “these young comedians always say 'the old man tells jokes'...they tell funny stories but I actually tell jokes.”, something which he always took as a huge compliment when still managing to write and perform his live show well into his eighties."

With his interest in the comedy legend piqued, Josh recalls seeing him on his many visits to Island theatres.

"Part of his tour That Reminds Me featured a date at Shanklin Theatre and I felt compelled to purchase a ticket. Accompanied by the acclaimed pianist Colin Sell from Radio 4’s I'm Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue; Cryer treated the audience to a fun-filled evening of his signature one liners, comedy songs and some of the best anecdotes surrounding his showbiz chums.

Read more: Barry Cryer wrote the foreword for one of Josh's books.

"Part of the joy of live comedy is seeing the performer enjoying themselves and Cryer made his audience have such a feeling as he laughed, sang and reminisced all in his own inimitable style.

"It was here when I began to realise that Barry wasn’t just part of the history of comedy but an accomplished entertainer in his own right.

"Over the succeeding years Barry would make further trips to Shanklin and delighted the audience with his unique brand of humour mixed together with lashings of showbiz anecdotes.

"The Isle of Wight Radio and County Press legend, the late John Hannam interviewed him many times including when he appeared with his great friend Willie Rushden at the Medina Theatre.

"Equipped with unrivalled eloquence and a never ending supply of anecdotal insight, Barry was an interviewer’s dream and John obviously thrived upon the opportunity to interview these two comedy heavyweights.

"Yet Barry’s association with the Island wasn’t over yet.

"Both his tours in the last decade featured dates at Shanklin to packed out audiences.

"Fans of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue were excited to see his take on Mornington Crescent while others were spellbound with hearing tales of his experiences with fellow comedy icons Morecambe and Wise, Frankie Howerd and Tommy Cooper.

"Yet as a comedy student, I was fascinated by the way he got those laughs and the carefully constructed jokes he was telling.

"Cryer was far too creative to merely recycle gags for the sake of a cheap laugh. Instead each and every joke was meticulously crafted to fully optimise audience reaction."

Josh goes on to talk about his more personal interactions with the comedian.

"The next time I saw Barry live was when he took his conversational show to the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne, near where I was living at university.

"For the major project component of my masters, I wrote a biographical drama surrounding the life and career of former BBC executive Sir Billy Cotton, who was the corporation’s Head of Light Entertainment during the halcyon days.

"I required witness accounts from some of the major figures within his department.

"As a result of Barry’s involvement in The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise, I figured that he would have invaluable insight into Bill’s leadership.

"I contacted the show’s promoter and to my amazement, a phone interview was arranged between Barry, myself and my PA John.

Isle of Wight County Press: Barry Cryer with Josh Barry.Barry Cryer with Josh Barry.

"This was the first time I had ever interviewed a celebrity and I was sure to make the most of it!

"So, on a fresh Tuesday morning in early 2010, me and my PA John sat in awe as I listened intently to Barry’s emotional and heartfelt tribute to the legendary TV executive.

"Hearing first hand experience of such a pivotal time in British television was a complete revelation and the affection which he had for Sir Bill was palpable.

"The conversation ended with Barry’s kind invitation for me to go backstage on the Friday night to meet himself.

"Barry was always a man of his word and when Friday night swung around I could hardly contain my excitement.

"Even at the age of 75 the man was still as sharp as ever wand Barry received a well-earned standing ovation following a successful encore.

"Backstage, Barry was pleased to see me and asked if the aforementioned interview was helpful…ever modest about his success even when he was helping others.

"After an exchange of pleasantries, we went our separate ways with me feeling buoyant that I had actually met one of my all-time heroes.

"I assumed that this would be my one and only encounter with the certified comedy legend and was merely grateful to have such a unique opportunity. Yet as fate would have it, my association with Barry was far from over…

"Fast forward seven years and I found myself in Bloomsbury Square at the prestigious Museum of Comedy preparing to interview sitcom heavyweights Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran (Shine on Harvey Moon, The New Statesman, Birds of a Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart) who were the subjects of a Writer’s Guild seminar.

"After recording the interview, myself and my PA made our way to our seats and waited for the show to start.

"Suddenly a booming voice echoed through the theatre corridor as groups of people descended into fits of laughter. Barry then made his way to the auditorium and sat himself directly in front of me as he continued to enjoy healthy banter and chat with those around him.

"After the show, the audience dispersed into the reception area where I was fortunate enough to catch Barry’s eye and he instantly recognised me from all those years ago.

"By this time I was just a year into my podcast Beyond The Title and instantly seized my chance to secure a further interview.

"Barry immediately accepted and within a few weeks, I found myself on the way to Barry Cryer’s house to record a podcast which had been over seven years in the making.

"To capture over sixty years in British comedy in just one podcast would be almost impossible but I was certainly willing to try ..."

Read Josh's Beyond the Title blog here.