Posts Tagged :

ken dodd

80th birthday show: ‘You could sense and feel the love from the audience’ 150 150 mhamer

80th birthday show: ‘You could sense and feel the love from the audience’

Famous funnyman Jimmy Cricket has described the charity show to celebrate his 80th birthday as an "absolute joy".

Famous funnyman Jimmy Cricket described the charity show to celebrate his 80th birthday as an “absolute joy”.

A full theatre and a host of top comedians helped to give Jimmy a night to remember at the Lowry in Salford.

Hundreds of people packed  for the Big Birthday Gala Show on 1 November to pay tribute to the Northern Irish entertainer.

Jimmy said on social media: “Hi Friends, what an absolute joy it was last Saturday night at the #quaystheatre in the Lowry, Salford with so many friends and family members to help me celebrate turning ‘80 Years Young’.

“You could sense and feel the love from the audience.

“My huge thanks to the very funny lineup of fellow comics who shared the stage with me, and who brought so much laughter to the show.

“#roywalker, #timvine #sydlittle, #steveroyle, #adrianwalsh #missbarbaranice, #frfrankiemulgrew, #katiemulgrew and organising the raffle (with family members), my son #dalemulgrew.

“The big surprise of the night was Lady Anne Dodd who brought the cake on and a big thank you also goes to my son-in-law Lee Martin and colleagues at #gagreflex who managed the gig.

Very special

“They did an absolutely wonderful technical job with the screen behind, alongside the brilliant #quaytheatrestaff and volunteers who made us all feel so welcome, while raising funds for #FrancisHouseChildrensHospice.”

Go to Jimmy’s Facebook page here to see photographs from the event.

The performers were:

  • Tim Vine (Not Going Out, Live at the Apollo)
  • Steve Royle (Britain’s Got Talent, Phoenix Nights)
  • Roy Walker (Catchphrase, The Comedians)
  • Syd Little (The Little and Large Show, Shooting Stars)
  • Adrian Walsh (Today with Des and Mel)
  • Barbara Nice (Coronation Street, Britain’s Got Talent)
  • Katie Mulgrew (Coronation Street, Lovefix, The Dog Ate My Homework)

Lady Anne Dodd – whose famous comedian husband, the late Sir Ken Dodd, was a good friend of Jimmy’s – made her special appearance just before the interval.

At the end of the show, Jimmy’s family played a video on the big screen of some of the most memorable moments of his career.

And he told the appreciate audience: “You’ve made it very special for us.”

Read about his illustrious life here.

The event raised funds for Francis House Children’s Hospice, based in Didsbury, south Manchester.

Proceeds from a raffle held on the night raised £1,144.

‘Loads more legends’

Steve Royle, a Britain’s Got Talent finalist in 2020, said on social media: “Such a huge honour to be asked by a legend to perform at his 80th Birthday celebration show.

“Alongside loads more legends too!!

“Happy Birthday Jimmy Cricket.”

A full theatre and a host of top comedians helped Jimmy Cricket celebrate his 80th birthday on an evening of love and laughter.

Steve Royle posted photographs on social media of himself, Jimmy & fellow performers

Jimmy turned 80 on 17 October.

He has raised many thousands of pounds over many years for Francis House.

The charity cares for children and young adults with life-threatening conditions.

It provides a home from home where families receive professional care, support and friendship.

Sister Aloysius and Fr Thomas Mulheran set up the Rainbow Family Trust in the early 1990s as a charity.

They were concerned about the lack of palliative care for the families of children with a short-life expectancy.

The late Diana, Princess of Wales, officially opened the seven-bedroom Francis House in November 1991.

Also read: Francis House benefits from Rochdale ‘jam’ night

Below: Applause all round at the end of the show.

Ken Dodd and the stolen concrete wellies 150 150 mhamer

Ken Dodd and the stolen concrete wellies

Hi friends! Here is my latest #leponline column, a funny and true story which involves one of the greatest comedians we ever produced, (and whom we all sadly miss) Sir Ken Dodd.

The mystery of Jimmy Cricket’s stolen concrete wellies and why there was a happy ending despite them never being found is the subject of his latest newspaper column.

Writing in the Lancashire Evening Post, the Northern Irish comedian tells the story involving a close and famous friend.

Jimmy said on social media: “Hi friends! Here is my latest #leponline column.

“A funny and true story which involves one of the greatest comedians we ever produced (and whom we all sadly miss), Sir Ken Dodd.”

Here is the column:

Welcome readers, I’d like to share a memory – come closer…

It happened over 30 years ago – 1995 to be precise.

And it happened in a restaurant called Patricks in Rawtenstall, Lancashire.

It was my 50th birthday and my family had hired the restaurant to help me celebrate the occasion.

It was wonderful to sit there surrounded by all my friends.

And although the room was full, I couldn’t help noticing two empty seats right next to me.

Then it happened!

I was just about to swallow a spoonful of soup when two people came through the door – could it be?

No it couldn’t, yes it was! Sir Ken Dodd with Lady Anne by his side.

Any doubts I had that it was the real Doddy were swept aside as they both saddled straight up to our table.

Anne placed a tickling stick down, but Ken was carrying something much heavier and when he plonked down his present the table nearly collapsed!

It was a king-sized pair of concrete wellingtons!

Totally unprepared

As I looked closer, I could see the handwritten inscription To Jimmy, Lots of Happiness – Ken.

Now the mystery of the two empty chairs had been solved.

And for the next couple of hours, I shared my birthday meal with a man whom I had both loved and admired all my life.

The next part of this story takes an unexpected twist.

A few years later I was taken aback when Mrs Cricket broke the news to me that the spot in my front garden that was occupied by my birthday wellies was now empty.

Yes folks, they’d been nicked, and I was gutted.

After informing the police, I rang a local radio station.

I thought it would be a novel little story to amuse the listeners.

But I was totally unprepared for the avalanche of publicity that came my way.

Happy ending

The phone calls and emails from radio presenters and journalists around the country enquiring about my missing wellies just kept coming.

I suppose it was a testament to the esteem and affection the nation held for Ken.

It gave me an idea to write a song called Santa Bring My Wellies Back To Me which raised some money for a children’s hospice in Manchester called Francis House.

So you could say I turned a disadvantage into an advantage.

As for the wellies themselves? Well, I never did get them back, but the story does have a happy ending.

Not long after, my good lady sent off for a pair of concrete wellingtons on eBay, which Sir Ken kindly signed again, and they’ve got pride of place in my living room.

Every time I look over at them, I realis how blessed I was to be friends with one of the greatest comedians that ever landed on planet Earth!

Memoirs Of An Irish Comedian now just £10!

 

‘Amazing memorabilia from the maestro of Knotty Ash!’ 150 150 mhamer

‘Amazing memorabilia from the maestro of Knotty Ash!’

The late Sir Ken Dodd is being remembered with a special exhibiton of memorabilia in his hometown of Liverpool.

The late Sir Ken Dodd is being remembered with a special exhibiton of memorabilia in his hometown of Liverpool.

Sir Ken, who died at the age of 90 in March 2018, was a famous comedian and singer.

He often did very long stand-up shows, which sometimes lasted until the early hours of the morning.

People will also remember him fondly for his Diddy Men from Knotty Ash (where he was born and died) and his tickling stick.

The Museum of Liverpool exhibition, entitled Happiness!, celebrates his life and career.

It runs from Saturday (9 September) to 3 March 2024.

The website promoting the event says: “Ken’s unique blend of whimsical, physical, surreal and theatrical humour transformed the UK’s comedy scene.

‘Natural gift for making people laugh’

“Using memorabilia from Ken Dodd’s personal archive, this show will explore Ken’s career and how his comedic approach continues to be used and adopted by some of the UK’s most well-known and emerging comedians.

“Fondly remembered for the magical world he created, including Ken Dodd’s Diddymen, his tickling stick and the jam butty mines, his true passion was his natural gift for making people laugh.

“The exhibition will build on Ken’s passion, looking at the science of comedy, happiness and why laughter is good for our health.”

You can book tickets here for the exhibition.

Fellow funnyman Jimmy Cricket, a very good friend of Ken’s, highlighted the event on social media.

He said: “Hi folks. Opening soon is the ‘Happiness Exhibition’ dedicated to one of the greatest comics who ever graced the stage.

“Running till March 2024, why not pop along and see some amazing memorabilia from the maestro of Knotty Ash!”

Signature song

The son of a coal merchant, Ken Dodd had been a comedian since 1954.

He made it into the Guinness Book of Records for telling 1,500 jokes in three-and-a-half hours.

Sir Ken was also a ventriloquist and an established singer.

He had many recording hits, charting on 18 occasions in the UK Top 40.

His version of Bill Anderson’s Happiness, which reached 31 in the charts in 1964, became his signature song.

And his recording of Tears topped the UK singles chart for five weeks in 1965.

It was the biggest hit single in Britain that year, selling more than one million copies in the UK alone.

Autobiography

Don’t forget that Jimmy Cricket’s autobiography is on sale.
Memoirs Of An Irish Comedian is priced at £11.99 as a paperback.

It is also available as an ebook priced £9.99 (unless you have subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, in which case it is free).

Amazon Kindle allows users to read ebooks purchased on Amazon.

Jimmy has said he is happy to sign copies of the book at his live shows, where they are available for a discounted price of £10.

The autobiography tells the heart-warming story of his 50 golden years in showbusiness – told in his own words.

Recognisable for wearing a funny hat and green wellies marked L and R on the wrong feet, Jimmy has been making people laugh as a professional comedian for half a century.

And he proudly keeps his comedy clean – increasingly rare these days –  making him the perfect family entertainer.

The book is available from online retailer Amazon here.

Mary’s Meals

His best-known catchphrases include ‘And there’s more!’ and ‘Come closer!’

He is also famed for reading out Letters from his Mammy, which have provided the material for two published books.

One pound from the sale of every book goes to Mary’s Meals.

The charity supports feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education.

Also read: Mary’s Meals: 20 years serving global communities

From bingo caller to 50 Golden Years in showbiz!

 

Mary’s Meals: Charity marks memorable milestone 150 150 mhamer

Mary’s Meals: Charity marks memorable milestone

My thanks to #FrFrankieMulgrew and all the Team Members here at headquarters for the invite to Mary's Meals here in the great City of Glasgow for the celebrations of reaching the monumental figure of now providing meals for over 2million children in over 19 countries around the world! #pleasehelpifyoucanJimmy Cricket helped charity Mary’s Meals celebrate passing the great milestone of providing food for two million children.

The famous comedian was in Glasgow earlier this week for the special event.

Mary’s Meals supports feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education.

Jimmy’s comedian-turned-priest son, Fr Frankie Mulgrew, is a long-standing supporter of Mary’s Meals.

Jimmy said on social media: “My thanks to #FrFrankieMulgrew and all the Team Members here at headquarters for the invite to #MarysMeals here in the great City of Glasgow…

“… for the celebrations of reaching the monumental figure of now providing meals for over 2million children in over 19 countries around the world! #pleasehelpifyoucan”

Fr Frankie has previously written two books, with the proceeds from both going to Mary’s Meals.

He compiled and edited Does God LOL? (LOL is internet slang for Laugh Out Loud), published in 2013.

Sir Ken Dodd, Ricky Tomlinson, Tim Vine and the late Frank Carson were among the famous showbiz names to contribute to the book.

God’s love and power

Fr Frankie also compiled and edited Miracles R Us: Supernatural Miracles In The Catholic Church.

A summary of the book, published three years ago, asks: “Do miracles really happen? Are there miracles in the 21st century just as there were during the life of Jesus?

“This book proves that God’s love and power to traFr Frankie Mulgrew leaves church after saying his first Mass as a Catholic priestnsform hearts and lives is as real today as it was in the time of Jesus.”

It includes a contribution from Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

Fr Frankie (right) was a professional comedian like his dad before being ordained in 2013.

The Salford-based Roman Catholic priest had the stage name of Frankie Doodle as an entertainer.

Also read: Packed show is a family affair for Mary’s Meals fundraiser

 

TV tennis sketch – to whom did those umpire legs belong?! 150 150 mhamer

TV tennis sketch – to whom did those umpire legs belong?!

Hi folks! with the US Open a week away, here is a fun sketch, (will be featuring many on the front page of my website in the coming weeks), meanwhile who do these umpire legs belong to?Jimmy Cricket chose a topical time to post his popular TV tennis sketch on social media.

The US Open starts on Monday at Flushing Meadows in New York and lasts two weeks.

It is usually tennis’s final Grand Slam tournament of the year, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon.

The tennis sketch is from Jimmy’s popular TV show called And There’s More.

It went out on ITV prime-time on Saturday nights and ran for three years between 1985 and 1988.

The show was a mixture of stand-up routines and sketches.

He said earlier this week: “Hi folks! With the US Open a week away, here is a fun sketch, (will be featuring many on the front page of my website in the coming weeks).

“Meanwhile, who do these umpire legs belong to?” Thinking face

Jimmy subsequently shared the answer to his question.

He revealed: “Hi folks, the umpire legs belonged to the great scriptwriter Eddie Braben.

“The great man himself kindly lent us his knees for the sketch and was always fantastic fun to work with, as we went through the scripts he had written!

“You can spot him many times doing cameos throughout the series of And There’s More.”

Eddie, who died aged 82 in 2013, was a legendary comedy writer.

As well as Jimmy, he provided material for Morecambe and Wise.

Eddie was credited with changing the profile of the famous duo.

He helped to turn them into one of the most popular and enduring comedy acts in the history of British entertainment.

Jimmy started working with Eddie on his TV show, And There’s More, and then his radio show, Jimmy’s Cricket Show.

Watch the tennis sketch here

Eddie Braben exhibition is ‘a tribute to a genius’

 

Losing the Grand Theatre in Blackpool would be a ‘tragedy’ 150 150 mhamer

Losing the Grand Theatre in Blackpool would be a ‘tragedy’

Jimmy Cricket says the closure of the iconic Grand Theatre in Blackpool would be a "tragedy" for future generationsJimmy Cricket says the closure of the iconic Grand Theatre in Blackpool would be a “tragedy” for future generations.

The theatre, which was almost demolished in 1972, could be closed because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Management warned it would shut unless the government intervened.

Most of the 57 staff were furloughed during the lockdown.

They could be left redundant when the job-saving scheme ends on 31 October.

A charitable trust has run the theatre since 1972, when local campaigners saved it from the bulldozers.

Among them were entertainers such as Sir Ken Dodd and BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke.

It reopened in March 1981 with a performance of The Merchant of Venice starring Timothy West and Prunella Scales.

Like other provincial theatres which depend largely on box office receipts to keep going, the venue has had no income since the lockdown began.

All tickets were refunded for cancelled shows and plays.

‘We must all get together‘

The theatre, which first opened in 1894, had applied for a £500,000 government grant to keep it going until it might be able to put shows on in January.

However, if social distancing measures were still in place then, it would not make the shows viable and also the money would have run out.

Jimmy said: “We must all get together to save the Grand in Blackpool folks.

“To deprive future generations of this wonderful theatre would be a tragedy.”

His post on Twitter attracted hundreds of likes and retweets as well as some comments.

Also read: Grand Theatre in Blackpool hosts charity concert

External link: Blackpool’s Grand Theatre facing closure amid coronavirus pandemic

The late, great Paul Melba was one of the finest 150 150 mhamer

The late, great Paul Melba was one of the finest

Sad to hear of the passing of one of showbiz finest comedians and impressionist the great Paul Melba, known for his classy mimicking of the great stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, alongside his acclaimed James Mason voice, amongst others! R.I.P.

Jimmy Cricket described Paul Melba, who has died aged 84, as one of the finest comedians and impressionists in showbusiness.

Paul Melba, whose real name was Francis ‘Frank’ Staunton, passed away on 11 August from heart failure.

The dad-of-three grew up in Huyton on Merseyside and went on to enjoy a  successful career on stage and television.

It included him performing at the Royal Variety Performance and he became friends with some famous celebrities.

He was known for voice impressions of stars such as James Mason, John Wayne, Eric Morecambe, Ken Dodd and Billy Connolly.

Paul also did memorable singing impressions of the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jnr among many others.

Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy said on social media: “Sad to hear of the passing of one of showbiz’s finest comedians and impressionists the great Paul Melba.

‘Great entertainer and gentlemen‘

“Known for his classy mimicking of the great stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, alongside his acclaimed James Mason voice, amongst others! R.I.P.”

Jimmy’s post prompted tributes from others.

They included:

:: Met him once lovely talented man Jimmy will be greatly missed!

:: A great entertainer and gentlemen, RIP

:: Thank you, he will be sorely missed #PaulMelba x
Jimmy found out there was a fund-raising appeal in the wake of Paul’s death.
He said: “We’re living in difficult times folks, but if you can help financially, by donating a little for this worthy cause! Paul’s Melba’s Funeral Expenses.”

Paul’s daughter, Kate Richards, 50, organised the fundraiser, saying: “I am so sad to say that my Father passed away peacefully at his home in Spain on the 10th of August.

“Unfortunately his financial circumstances were not great and he left no will.

‘Dad would have been so overwhelmed’

“I am sorry to say that we are struggling to find the money to cremate my Father and need to raise the funds to do this due to our own personal financial circumstances.

“Anything you can donate would help towards easing the financial responsibility which has been placed solely with me.

“Many thanks for anything you can spare.

The target was £3,000 and Kate posted again several days later.

She said: “Thank you so much for all of your help, Dad would have been so overwhelmed.

“We have reached the goal with further donations from The Royal Variety Charity & The Water Rats charity.”

Also read: Lord Alton’s ‘wonderful tribute’ to John Hume