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The secrets behind the BBC’s The Good Old Days 150 150 mhamer

The secrets behind the BBC’s The Good Old Days

Jimmy Cricket's column in the Preston-based Lancashire Evening Post about The Good Old Days on the BBC

Jimmy Cricket has been revealing some of the secrets behind the success of the TV comedy programme, The Good Old Days.

The all-round entertainer, now 70, appeared in the variety show, which ran for 30 years.

It was one of the BBC’s most watched light entertainment programmes of the 1970s and 1980s, and sought to re-create the heydays of music hall entertainment which had charmed audiences at the turn of the 19th century.

The BBC re-creation of the music hall held true to its historic format, as performers appeared in period costume and a chairman entertained those present with hearty introductions. Even audience members were instructed to attend in Victorian attire (see picture below).

This BBC series was filmed on location at one of the best-maintained music hall venues in the country – the City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds.

Jimmy, one of the UK’s best-loved comedians, told readers of his latest Lancashire Evening Post monthly column that the success of the programme was down to one man – Leeds-born Barney Colehan.

The audience dressed in period costume for the Good Old Days programme at the City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds

“Barney had a unique gift for capturing the atmosphere of a live show and getting that across to the viewers in their living rooms.

“But there’s more… as someone who appeared on the show, I can lift the lid on some of the devices Barney used to make his show so popular.

“Firstly, he used the intimate and beautiful City Varieties Theatre in Leeds to transmit the shows from.

“He then put a live orchestra in the pit – with the right blend of instruments to capture the feel of the music hall.

“He brought in the avuncular and immensely likeable Leonard Sacks to act as chairman – from the start to the end of each show, Leonard struck up an irresistible rapport with the audience.

“And that, dear readers, was Barney’s trump card: the audience. But they weren’t just any old audience. Everyone sitting in the front seats were from amateur operatic societies up and down the country.”

Jimmy added: “Barney’s legacy is that the show he put his heart and soul into is now watched avidly on BBC Four every Friday night.

“It is enjoyed both by older viewers who remember it first time round and new viewers who are loving it for the first time.”

Although the BBC finished producing the Good Old Days TV show during the 1980s, the City Varieties Theatre is still open and continues to flourish. It even went through an extensive restoration phase a few years ago and to this day presents a varied diet of music, comedy and drama, including its very own version of The Good Old Days.

 * Jimmy will be appearing in a live recreation of The Good Old Days at the City Varieties in Leeds on 23 and 24 September. For more details, click here. 

LEP readers, come closer to hear about the wellies! 150 150 mhamer

LEP readers, come closer to hear about the wellies!
wellJimmy Cricket's column in the Lancashire Evening Post
Jimmy Cricket has told readers of his newspaper column how he came to end up with his trademark wellingtons – and why they were recently the subject of a photo shoot.

The Northern Irish entertainer is famous for wearing the green wellies – marked with the letters R and L – on the wrong feet during his acts.

Jimmy, 70, said in the Lancashire Evening Post (LEP) that he first donned them in a Manchester club in an effort to “get a laugh on my entrance by being visually funny… to help me win over some of the more hostile audiences”.

He added that an old pair of his boots were currently on display at a footwear exhibition in Nottingham.

Jimmy also told of the time a pair of concrete wellingtons presented to him by fellow funnyman Ken Dodd were stolen from his garden in Rochdale (they still haven’t been found).

And he also related the story of how recently they were the focus of a photo shoot by Andy Hollingworth,  a photographer who specialises in comedy.

Andy wanted to capture an image of Jimmy’s wellies for an exciting project, which involves him photographing iconic artefacts linked to famous comedians – either from mainstream or alternative comedy.

He has already photographed Eric Morecambe’s glasses, Norman Wisdom’s cap, Mr Bean’s teddy, Alan Carr’s glasses and he even flew over to Los Angeles to meet Harpo Marx’s family, who gave him permission to photograph his famous harp.

Las Vegas, Siberian tigers and the chipmonk 150 150 mhamer

Las Vegas, Siberian tigers and the chipmonk

Jimmy Cricket's May column in the Preston-based Lancashire Evening PostJimmy Cricket has been continuing with his Las Vegas travelogue in a regional newspaper.

The famous comedian, 70, visited the United States city of Vegas, known as the Gamblers’ Paradise, about 15 years ago.

And it was an eventful trip, as he told readers of the Preston-based Lancashire Evening Post in his latest monthly column, having told them previously about the time pop legend Gladys Knight blew him a kiss at a concert in the city.

Jimmy said one of the other shows he saw involved two magicians performing “incredible feats of faring”, which included Siberian tigers appearing out of nowhere.

The religious season of Lent started while practising Roman Catholics Jimmy and Mrs Cricket were in Vegas.

“When we went to Mass on Ash Wednesday, we were told that some people actually put gambling chips in the collection plate,” he explained.

“Apparently after Mass, the priest then  brings them into the hotel next door and has changed them into money. Guess what he’s called? The Chipmonk!”

He added: “Look out for my column next month (June) when there will be more… ”

* Jimmy completes his spring season at the Lyndene Hotel in Blackpool with final performances on Wednesday (25 May) and Saturday (28 May).

The day pop legend Gladys Knight blew me a kiss in Las Vegas 150 150 mhamer

The day pop legend Gladys Knight blew me a kiss in Las Vegas

Jimmy Cricket's Lancashire Evening Post column

Jimmy Cricket has been remembering the one and only time he went to Las Vegas – where a music legend blew him a kiss!

In his Lancashire Evening Post column for April, the well-known comedian, 70, recalls his visit about 15 years ago to the United States city of Vegas, famed for its gambling and endless entertainment.

Having entertained passengers on the flight across the Atlantic, Jimmy says he and Mrs Cricket went to see Gladys Knight in concert.

Known as the “Empress of Soul”, she is an American singer–songwriter and actress. She is best known for the hits she recorded during the 1960s and 1970s with her group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which also included her brother and two cousins.

Jimmy says in his column: “At the end of her set, Gladys walked along shaking hands with any members of the audience that went to the front of the stage.

“With a bit of coaxing from Mrs Cricket, I made a bee line towards the great lady. Unfortunately I didn’t quite get the timing right. As I thrust my hand towards the stage Gladys moved on. I missed her hand by a second. As my outstretched hand stood suspended in mid-air in the full glare of the spotlight, I felt the eyes of the whole audience was up on me.

“Then just before she disappeared into the wings, Gladys looked over to notice what had happened and, in a moment that is forever etched in my memory, she blew me a kiss!”

* Jimmy is appearing at the Lyndene Hotel in Blackpool every Wednesday and Saturday until the end of May.

‘I was beginning to think there’d been a mistake’ 150 150 mhamer

‘I was beginning to think there’d been a mistake’

Jimmy Cricket's Lancashire Evening Post columnJimmy Cricket has been reliving the moment he was told he had been awarded a Papal Knighthood by Pope Francis.

The famous entertainer, 70, tells Lancashire Evening Post readers in his latest monthly column that he thought there had been a mistake at first.

“It was a Friday afternoon in early October when Father Joe Sweeney, my  local parish priest from St Patrick’s (here in Rochdale) turned up at my door,” he recalls.

“As I brought him into the living room, I noticed he was carrying a large package.

“He said: ‘Jimmy, I’ve got a surprise for you. Would you like to sit down?’ He then opened the package to reveal a large certificate written in Latin.”

Adds Jimmy: “As he handed it to me and I looked closer, I could make out my real name in large letters – Jacob Joseph Mulgrew. As my full name is James Joseph Mulgrew, I was beginning to think there’d been a mistake.

“Then it dawned on me. Jacob must be Latin for James. Then I started to get excited.”

The veteran comedian was told he had been awarded a Papal Knighthood for all the work he had done over the years in support of charitable causes.

Jimmy was invested as a Knight of the Pontifical Order of St Gregory the Great in a special Mass at St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in January, presided over by the Bishop of the Diocese of Salford, Rt Rev John Arnold.

His LEP column for March continues: “All in all I was thrilled and humbled in equal degree at such an honour bestowed on me.

“Among some of the people who have received Papal Knighthoods in the past are Matt Busby, Bob Hope and Oskar Schindler. So you can see I’m in illustrious company.”

Sir Terry Wogan: ‘Like losing a family friend’ 150 150 mhamer

Sir Terry Wogan: ‘Like losing a family friend’

Jimmy Cricket on Sir Terry Wogan in the Lancashire Evening PostJimmy Cricket has been fondly remembering the life of Sir Terry Wogan, who died last month aged 77.

Sir Terry, the genial Irishman who became one of the best-loved broadcasters in the UK, passed away on 31 January after a short battle with cancer.

In his latest column for the Lancashire Evening Post, Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy recalls the two occasions on which he met the famous presenter.

The first was after he had appeared on a TV talent show called Night Of A Thousand Stars which Sir Terry compered.

Jimmy reflects: “After my spot, I ran breathlessly round to find how I did from the doyen of all communicators.

“In his unmistakeable tones, he gave me a resounding ‘that was great, Jimmy!’ For a fledgling entertainer, it was just what I wanted to hear.”

Jimmy, 70, continues: “A few years later, I appeared on his famous chat show. At the time, Dallas and Dynasty were the big things on television, with larger-than-life characters like JR Ewing in Dallas and Blake Carrington in Dynasty.

“Terry used to get a lot of mileage on his radio programme by gently sending up these American blockbusters. I worked up a routine about a British version of Dynasty and I played a character called, wait for it, Harrington Farrington from Warrington!

“I’m not actually sure how funny this pastiche was, but Terry – gracious as ever – led the audience with bucket-loads of laughter and applause. Afterwards in the hospitality suite, he was unstinting in his praise.”

He adds: “The emotion that poured out of people when they heard of his death a couple of weeks, ago revealed he was more than a broadcaster. Listeners felt they’d lost a family friend.”

Merrill Osmond told me: ‘You’re one of our family’ 150 150 mhamer

Merrill Osmond told me: ‘You’re one of our family’

Jimmy Cricket's column in the Lancashire Evening PostJimmy Cricket relives his successful pre-Christmas tour with the famous Osmonds in his latest newspaper column.

Well-known Northern Irish comedian Jimmy was a special guest for the Andy Williams Christmas Spectacular which ran for 15 shows, several of them sellouts, during December.

The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied history as star performers.

The group first comprised brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay Osmond. They were later joined by younger siblings Donny – the most famous of all of them – and Jimmy. Their only sister Marie, who rarely sang with her brothers at that time, launched a successful solo career in 1973.

Jimmy appeared in every show on their 2015 UK tour, which featured Jimmy, Jay and Merrill Osmond.

In his January column for the Preston-based Lancashire Evening Post, entitled I loved them for a reason, Jimmy says: “Touring with Merrill, Jay and Jimmy was one of the happiest experiences I’ve ever had in showbusiness.

“On the third night of the tour, Merrill said to me: ‘Jimmy, you’re one of our family.’

“There’s something about these guys that makes an artiste go that extra mile for them.”

He concludes: “It was a pleasure, boys… Let’s hope for more peace, love and laughter in 2016.”

Click on either of the arrow-shaped play buttons above to watch a slideshow of pictures from one of the pre-Christmas shows. All the photos were taken during the last tour date at the Winding Wheel concert venue in Chesterfield.