Boy who grew up in the shadow of comic genius

Growing up in the shadow of a comedy legend was always going to make life difficult for Adam Barker.

His father Ronnie was already a colossus of television comedy when he was born.

Adam Barker may physically resemble Ronnie, but after that the similarities end.

While Ronnie was the star of comedy classics such as Open All Hours, Adam Barker's biggest claim to fame has been minor roles in the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and the Oscarwinning comedy Shakespeare In Love.

Where his father brought to life such memorable characters as Norman Stanley Fletcher, his last paid acting role was in a play called Justifying War: The Hutton Inquiry.

It ran for two months last year at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn.

Adam Barker has no fortune and lives in a modest, well-kept terrace house in Ealing, on the same street as his sister Charlotte. One neighbour described him as something of a "loner".

The woman, who did not want to be named, said: "I haven't seen him for a few months now and thought he had moved on.

"I think he lived alone and I never saw him with anyone."

His career is in stark contrast to the one his father enjoyed. Now 75 and retired, Ronnie can look back on his legendary status achieved through characters which are among the most memorable to grace the small screen.

As well as acting he also wrote sketches that are regarded as comedy classics and, in Porridge, created a sitcom which still ranks among the best. By the mid-Sixties he was making regular appearances on radio and television, most notably on The Frost Report. It was while working on the show that he performed with Ronnie Corbett for the first time.

According to comedy legend, he and the other Ronnie were presenting the Baftas when a technical hitch occurred.

They covered so well that the producers offered them their own show, The Two Ronnies. It ran from 1971 to 1986 and at its peak attracted audiences of 15 million. Even after his shock retirement in 1987, Ronnie's profile remains high. This week he was named one of Britain's top five comedians in a Channel 5 poll.

Since turning his back on a £500,000-a-year contract to set up an antiques shop in the Cotswolds, Ronnie has appeared on TV on only a handful of occasions. He starred alongside Albert Finney in a Winston Churchill drama two years ago.

However, a recent health scare and turning 75 seems to have inspired his return. He is relaunching The Two Ronnies next year with a six-part series featuring new material and classic sketches from the archives.