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ken dodd

New concrete wellies arrive – in Bridlington! 150 150 mhamer

New concrete wellies arrive – in Bridlington!

Jimmy Cricket's concrete wellingtons for Ken Dodd

Jimmy Cricket has finally got his hands on a set of concrete wellingtons which will replace the pair stolen last summer – but he won’t be taking them home just yet.

His friend and fellow funnyman Ken Dodd has bought the replacements, having given Jimmy the original wellies for his 50th birthday .

The first set were taken from Jimmy’s garden last April, a theft which left him “devastated” and caused quite a stir in the national media.

Jimmy is famous for wearing green wellington boots, marked with the letters R and L on the wrong feet, during his acts.

The Northern Irish entertainer is pictured above in the foyer of The Spa Theatre in Bridlington with the package containing the replacement concrete wellies after they were delivered there.

Ken recently appeared at The Spa Bridlington, where he signed the new wellies, and they will be presented to Jimmy when he performs at the same venue on Sunday, 24 August.

So the saga is finally set for a happy ending… well almost, as Jimmy still lives in hope that the original pair will be returned one day!

Selfies, Ken Dodd and new concrete wellies 150 150 mhamer

Selfies, Ken Dodd and new concrete wellies

Jimmy Cricket talks about selfies*, his stolen concrete wellingtons and good friend Ken Dodd in a newspaper article ahead of a show in Bolton later this week.

The famous funnyman is appearing in Legend at the Comedy Club at Henighans on Bury Road, Breightmet, with MC Lee Tommo and two support comedians on Friday (25 July).

The article was written by the Bolton Evening News newspaper's entertainment reporter Melanie Wallwork

He told the Bolton Evening New’s entertainment reporter Melanie Wallwork: “I can’t understand these selfies on the mobile you take.

“I took a selfie but one of my arms was missing from the picture!”

The article also says: “Next month, he will be reunited with old pal and legendary comic, Ken Dodd, at a gig in Bridlington, as well as a replacement pair of concrete wellington boots.

“He said: ‘I had a pair of concrete wellies that Ken Dodd gave me for my 50th birthday.

‘Last April, they vanished from my front garden, they were nicked.

‘It was quite devastating for me.’

“The entertainer is famous for wearing wellington boots, marked with the letters R and L on the wrong feet, during his acts.

“He said Mrs Cricket tracked down a new pair of wellies, for £20 off eBay, which Ken will sign and present to Jimmy to replace the stolen pair which were of great sentimental value to the comic.

“Speaking of Ken, Jimmy said: ‘His enthusiasm is contagious. What a career. He is quite unique.'”

Tickets for Friday’s show cost £10, call 01204 435 428. Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm.

 * For those not familiar with a selfie, it is a self-portrait photograph, usually taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone.

Wall of fame features Jimmy & others 150 150 mhamer

Wall of fame features Jimmy & others

Wall of fame includes Ken Dodd and Jimmy CricketA wall of fame photograph put on Facebook includes legendary entertainers such as Ken Dodd, Victoria Wood, Jimmy Cricket and George Formby.

The star-studded montage (right) of famous faces and celebrity autographs has been assembled over the years by Amy Phillips.

Jimmy said : “Amy is clearly a keen collector of autographs and the ones she has accumulated are proudly presented in a mounted display on the wall of one of her rooms.”

Alongside Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy on the wall of fame is actor, Peter Sallis who played Norman Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine, English comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director Victoria Wood, British comedian, actor and television presenter Joe Pasquale and George Formby, OBE, who was a British actor, singer-songwriter and comedian.

George Formby was a major star of stage and screen in the 1930s and ’40s and his songs such as When I’m Cleaning Windows were particularly popular during the Second World War (1939–45).

Jimmy added: “Amy posted this picture on her Facebook page and I  am thrilled to keep such celebrated company on her wall!”

The Nobodies, stolen wellies & keeping busy 150 150 mhamer

The Nobodies, stolen wellies & keeping busy

Jimmy Cricket article in the Local Journal in RossendaleJimmy Cricket has been telling a magazine about how he met his wife May and why he still hopes his concrete wellies will one day be returned to him.

The famous entertainer is featured in the February edition of the  Local Journal in Rossendale – his house falls just metres inside the Rossendale border.

He moved there a couple of years ago  from his previous home in Rochdale which was less than a mile from where he now lives.

The article (above), written by Graham Ashworth, is headlined ‘Jimmy cricket is still bowling them over!’ and describes him as one of the country’s best-known comedians.

It says he was the last person to be interviewed by Eamonn Andrews on the famous This
is your life programme and that it was at Pontins holiday camp in Morecambe where he met his wife May who was singing with a resident group called ‘The Nobodies’.

And Jimmy, who says he has no plans to hang up his wellies any time soon, has not given up hope that his concrete boots, which were stolen from his garden last summer, may yet turn up again eventually.

Christmas card features stolen wellies 150 150 mhamer

Christmas card features stolen wellies

Jimmy Cricket's Christmas cardJimmy Cricket’s latest Christmas card is based on his concrete wellies which were stolen last summer.

And the specially designed card is the subject of a story in his local newspaper, the Rochdale Observer.

The concrete wellies, which had been given to Rochdale-based Jimmy as a 50th birthday present by fellow comedian Ken Dodd, were taken from his garden in Shawclough.

Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy is famous for wearing wellingtons, marked with the letters R and L on the wrong feet, during his acts.

He said at the time of the theft that the concrete wellies were of “high sentimental value”.

The BBC, ITV, the Rochdale Observer and several radio stations were among many media organisations to report on the crime.

Saturday’s edition (21 December) of the Observer features Jimmy’s 2013 Christmas card (above right) which has him appealing to Santa Claus to retrieve his wellies and put them under his Christmas tree on the big day (see image below).

The Belfast-born funnyman used the inspiration of London 2012 when it came to designing last year’s Christmas card, which featured Olympic champions Usain Bolt and Mo Farah.

* Jimmy, who is currently appearing in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Forum Theatre in Billingham near Middlesbrough, wishes everybody a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Jimmy Cricket's Christmas card which features in the Rochdale Observer

Like father like daughter… 150 150 mhamer

Like father like daughter…

Katie Mulgrew features in the Christmas edition of Rochdale magazine StyleJimmy Cricket’s comedienne daughter has appeared in the Christmas edition of the Rochdale-based and focused glossy magazine Style.

Katie Mulgrew was interviewed by Style writer Ruth Meredith for the feature.

The article says Katie has been hailed as one of the UK circuit’s “bright young things” and received some very positive reviews for her Edinburgh Fringe debut this summer.

Famous comedian Jimmy said: “This was a really nice article on Katie and it made me chuckle on a number of occasions when I read it!

“Hats off to Ruth Meredith who wrote the article and her dad Colin for producing another belting edition of the local Rochdale magazine Style.”

Does God laugh out loud? 150 150 mhamer

Does God laugh out loud?

Does God LOL? Compiled by Frankie Mulgrew, son of Jimmy Cricket The comedian-turned-priest younger son of entertainer Jimmy Cricket has had a book published about God and humour.

Frankie Mulgrew, whose stage name was Frankie Doodle, compiled and edited Does God LOL? (LOL is internet slang for Laugh Out Loud), which went on sale recently.

Fr Frankie Mulgrew leaves church after saying his first Mass as a Catholic priest

Ken Dodd, Ricky Tomlinson, Tim Vine, Jo Brand, Milton Jones and the late Frank Carson are among the famous showbiz names to have contributed to the book, which is priced at £7.99 (and is available at all good bookshops and websites, including Amazon).

The foreword was written by top theologian Tom Wright and there are cartoons from Dave Walker, Simone Lia, Mike Kazybrid and Robert Duncan.

All proceeds from sales of the book will go towards the charity Mary’s Meals, an organisation which supports school feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education.

Fr Frankie (above right), who was ordained a Roman Catholic priest at Salford Cathedral last month, dedicated the book to his dad – “for introducing me to one of God’s greatest gifts” – when he celebrated his first Mass, and presented him with a special copy.

Does God LOL? develops a theme around whether the Almighty has a sense of humour, with an impressive array of well-known comedians, actors and performers – including Jimmy Cricket as well of course – all giving it some serious thought.

The book is published by Darton, Longman & Todd.

* Does God LOL? is clearly in demand: The popular Amazon website reported on 4 August that it had “only nine [copies] left in stock (more on the way)”, though there appears to be good availability again now (as of 11 August) – and it is currently available at just £5.99.