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BBC Pebble Mill at One – images from 1996 show 150 150 mhamer

BBC Pebble Mill at One – images from 1996 show

Pebble Mill from March 1996 - @TheRossKing welcomes (amongst others) Jimmy @jimmy__cricket and The Barron Knights

Jimmy Cricket had a trip down memory lane recently when he was reminded of his appearance on BBC’s Pebble Mill at One more than 22 years ago.

The famous comedian appeared on the show, hosted by Ross King, along with The Barron Knights, a British humorous pop group, originally formed in 1959 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Pebble Mill at One was a live daily chat show broadcast on weekdays at 1pm on BBC One, screened from 2 October 1972 to 23 May 1986 and again from 20 October 1991 to 25 May 1996.

It was transmitted from the Pebble Mill studios at BBC Birmingham, being hosted unusually from the centre’s main foyer area, rather than a conventional television studio.

It was a posting on social media channel Twitter, which provided the flashback for Jimmy.

The tweet, from Dame Agnes Guano (@agnes_guano), said:  “Pebble Mill from March 1996 – welcomes (amongst others) Jimmy and The Barron Knights.”

Ross King MBE is a Scottish television presenter, actor and writer best known for being LA Correspondent for ITV  breakfast programmes Lorraine and Good Morning Britain. He hosted Pebble Mill at One for five years.

Fr Frankie pops in to say ‘hello’ at church show! 150 150 mhamer

Fr Frankie pops in to say ‘hello’ at church show!

Jimmy Cricket posted on Facebook: Wonderful evening at St Bartholomew’s Parish Church in Great Harwood with the double act, (and Anglian Priests), #jackandkrac better known as Chris and Alex, alongside Andy on sound, and #FatherFrankie popped in to say hello to everyone! ?

One of Jimmy Cricket’s sons paid an impromptu visit during a show in east Lancashire.

Famous entertainer Jimmy, 72, was performing on the same bill as Fr Alex Frost and Rev Chris Krawiec, two Church of England curates known as the double comedy act Jack and Krac.

And comedian-turned-Roman Catholic priest Fr Frankie Mulgrew turned up at the event which took place at St Bartholomew’s Parish Church in Great Harwood.

Jimmy said on social media that it had been a “wonderful evening” and added: “#FatherFrankie popped in to say hello to everyone! ?”

A look back to when Mrs Cricket was also surprised on TV’s This Is Your Life! 150 150 mhamer

A look back to when Mrs Cricket was also surprised on TV’s This Is Your Life!

Jimmy Cricket's May column in the Lancashire Evening Post

Jimmy Cricket has been recalling the day he was presented with the famous ‘big red book’ on This Is Your Life – and how his wife May also got a massive surprise!

In his latest column for the Lancashire Evening Post, Jimmy explained how in the late 1980s he had been asked by his publishers to go to London for the launch of his Letters From My Mammy book.

Jimmy was informed the event was going to take place on a building site the following day, when in reality he was going to be met by This Is Your Life presenter Eamonn Andrews.

In the popular and long-running show, the host would spring unexpectedly on a special guest, before going to a studio to take them through their life with the assistance of the ‘big red book’ and the help of friends and family.

The surprise element was a very important part of the show; if the guest heard about the plans beforehand, it would immediately be abandoned.

After arriving in London, Jimmy bumped into his sister-in-law Evelyn much to his amazement (and hers!), as she had moved to Australia several years earlier.

Evelyn had been asked to come back to appear on the show and clearly hadn’t expected to meet Jimmy in the street, but she managed to come up with a story that she had returned to Britain as a special surprise for her sister May, Jimmy’s wife.

Hence, as things turned out, Jimmy was able to turn the tables on May during the show by telling her that Evelyn was in fact there (May had been told her sister could not make it).

The show was broadcast on Wednesday 4 November, the eve of Eamonn Andrews’ death.

This Is Your Life was originally broadcast live, and alternated between on the BBC and  on ITV over the years.

Watch Jimmy’s show below:

Lancashire priests Jack & Krac in night of comedy 150 150 mhamer

Lancashire priests Jack & Krac in night of comedy

Jack&Krac Clergy

Jimmy Cricket will be performing in the same show as comic priests Jack and Krac in July.

Fr Alex Frost and Rev Chris Krawiec (pictured above) are two Church of England curates based in East Lancashire.

Together they form the comedy duo of Jack (Alex) and Krac (Chris), and they will be performing at St Bartholomew’s in Great Harwood along with famous entertainer Jimmy on 20 July at 7pm.

View one of their comedy clips here.

The duo posted on Twitter recently that they will be returning “for another night of comedy starring comedy legend, the one and only . Tickets available from 16th May. This is a wonderful intimate venue and so tickets are very limited!”.

They had previously been approached to audition for ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.

The Chase’s ‘Beast’ Mark Labbett is a gentle giant 150 150 mhamer

The Chase’s ‘Beast’ Mark Labbett is a gentle giant

Jimmy Cricket's February column in the Lancashire Evening Post was about Mark 'The Beast' Labbett from ITV's The Chase

Jimmy Cricket’s latest column in the Lancashire Evening Post was about Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett from TV’s The Chase.

Famous Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy performed with Mark in pantomime in Ellesmere Port and Rochdale during the last festive season.

Mark  is a ‘Chaser’ on the ITV teatime game show The Chase, which is hosted by Bradley Walsh.

He began the role in 2009 and he has since appeared on the American version as their sole Chaser in 2013 as well as being one of six Chasers in the Australian series. He has also appeared in several other television quiz shows and is a regular in quizzing competitions.

His TV nickname ‘The Beast’ is a reference to both his stature (he’s 6ft 6in tall) and his surname – Labbett sounds like the French ‘la bête’, meaning ‘the beast’.

In his February LEP column, Jimmy told how during the time the panto was in Rochdale, Mark hosted a weekly quiz in The Flying Horse Hotel in the town and then in Ellesmere Port, ended up calling out a few games of bingo at a nearby Mecca hall!

On both occasions, Mark declined a fee and instead arranged for himself and the cast to have a meal courtesy of the two venues.

Added Jimmy: “All thanks to big Mark, our gentle giant with the big heart!”.

 

Watch: Jimmy Cricket on TV’s This Is Your Life 150 150 mhamer

Watch: Jimmy Cricket on TV’s This Is Your Life

It’s more than 30 years since Jimmy Cricket was the given the red book treatment on This Is Your Life.

It was on 29 September 1987 when the famous Northern Irish comedian was surprised by presenter Eamonn Andrews on a central London building site.

In the show, the host popped in unexpectedly on a special guest, before going to a studio to take them through their life with the assistance of the ‘big red book’ and the help of friends and family.

The programme was originally broadcast live and alternated between on the BBC and  on ITV over the years.

The surprise element was a very important part of the show; if the guest heard about the plans beforehand, it would be immediately abandoned.

And Jimmy’s show was almost jeopardised by a one-in-a-million chance meeting the day before the surprise. Find out why and watch the whole episode below.

The show was broadcast on Wednesday 4 November, the eve of Eamonn Andrews’ death.

Chatting with Pamela on UTV Life’s famous sofa 150 150 mhamer

Chatting with Pamela on UTV Life’s famous sofa

Jimmy Cricket appeared on UTV Life

Jimmy Cricket was a guest on Northern Irish television programme UTV Life recently.

The famous Belfast-born entertainer, described in the preview material as a “comedy legend”, talked to chat show host Pamela Ballentine.

UTV is a commercial television broadcaster in Northern Ireland owned and operated by ITV plc as part of the ITV Network.

The show featuring Jimmy can be viewed here.

Pamela is one of Northern Ireland’s best-known presenters, renowned for her friendly hosting skills on some of television’s most popular shows, including Friday evening’s UTV Life which draws a weekly plethora of A List stars who join her for a chat on her famous sofa.