Alison Hammond could not contain her laughter when veteran comedian Barry Humphries mistook Dermot O’Leary for Phillip Schofield and congratulated him on his “courage” for coming out as gay.

Barry, 87, was being interviewed by the presenting duo on ITV’s This Morning and only moments earlier had boasted of his “very good memory”.

Turning to Dermot, the Dame Edna star became very serious, saying: “And incidentally, I want to congratulate you, seriously, on your courage.”

Clearly realising what was happening, Alison burst out laughing.

Undeterred, Barry continued: “Last year, no, no. When he came out and told us about his sexuality... no, no, I think a lot of people respected you for that. Your bravery was amazing.”

Gracious in his response while his co-star was in utter hysterics, Dermot said: “Thank you, I’ll pass that on to the gentleman who’s here from Monday to Thursday.”

“What?” A confused Barry asked, to which Dermot said: “Don’t worry. Your memory is... crystal clear. Thank you for your kind comments.”

“And by the way,” Barry winked. “We’re all in show business.”

At the end of the interview, Demot joked: “Thank you for liberating me again.”

Philip, who hosts This Morning with Holly Willoughby Monday-Thursday, came out as gay on the show last year.