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LEP column

Jimmy takes a ‘little sabbatical’ for health reasons 150 150 mhamer

Jimmy takes a ‘little sabbatical’ for health reasons

Jimmy Cricket is having a break from performing until later this year.

Jimmy Cricket is having a break from performing until later this year.

The Northern Irish entertainer said he was taking a “ittle sabbatical for health reasons”.

He added: “I hope to catch up with you all via live performances (as I am missing the warmth of your laughter) in the autumn of 2026!”

Jimmy remembers two great comedians, Billy Dainty and Ken Goodwin, in one of his recent newspaper columns.

Here is Jimmy’s full column in the Lancashire Evening Post in April:

Recently readers, I noticed a few lumps on my head.

I didn’t like them at first, but they grew on me.

So the GP sent me to the dermatologist. Dermott sent me to a plastic surgeon.

I was a bit wary at this point because I remembered I’d lent a guy some money a while ago to have a facelift and now I can’t recognise him to get my money back.

However, this plastic surgeon was quite witty and friendly.

In fact, on the day of the operation he sent me a text: “Meet me in the theatre, Jimmy, and I’ll have you in stitches in no time!”

It was a local anaesthetic and I could hear him upstairs crunching away at my napper and I thought: “I need this like I need a hole in the head.”

Blessed

However it all turned out all right – the operation was a success – and Mrs Cricket turned up with a box of biscuits for the medical team, so they could enjoy a well-earned cuppa.

While I was recuperating, I went on to YouTube to remind myself how funny some of the great comedians of the past actually were.

I was blessed to have known some of them and what made them special was the visual element they brought to their comedy – Max Wall’s funny walk, Norman Collier’s Cchicken routine and who can forget Freddie Starr’s amazing appearance at the 1970 Royal Variety Performance when he did those hilarious impressions of 1960s pop stars?

Another comedian who conjures up warm memories when I see him on YouTube is Billy Dainty.

Billy first caught my eye when I saw him doing his eccentric dance routine on the Sunday Night at the London Palladium television show when I was growing up in Northern Ireland.

Many moons later, I actually appeared in two pantos with him when, as dame, Billy played my mother and I played his silly son!

It was near the end of the run of one of those pantomimes at The Theatre Royal Nottingham when Billy was stricken with prostate cancer which took him from us at just 59 years of age.

Funny walk

Not long before his death, I visited him at his home near Guildford in Surrey.

Ever the pro, he jumped out of his bed and shouted: “Look at this Jimmy, I can still do it!” and he did a funny walk all the way to the bathroom – a never-to-be-forgotten moment.

Another comedian who found a new lease of life on YouTube is Ken Goodwin.

Ken first broke through on The Comedians television series.

His silly gags, infectious giggle and catchphrase – settle down now! – endeared him to viewers all over the country.

I’d like to share a quick story about Ken and myself – come closer readers.

I was booked to do Wednesdays through the summer around about the mid-1990s at the idyllic coastal resort of Ilfracombe in North Devon.

The promoter excitedly told me that although Ken was living in semi-retirement in Spain, he was coming over to the UK for that summer and he was pretty sure he could nail him for our show.

Mortified

I could hardly contain my own excitement at working alongside Ken, as I headed to Ilfracombe on the morning of that first Wednesday.

However, that soon turned to shock as I saw the poster for the show outside the theatre.

Splashed along the top, it said “The Jimmy Cricket laughter Show” and at the very bottom, in tiny letters, it said: “Also starring comedian Ken Goodwin.”

I was so mortified, I waited outside the theatre for Ken to turn up so I could explain I had nothing to do with the billing.

My major concern was the fact lookalikes were on the ascendancy during this period and I was worried some audience members would think they were going to see somebody doing a tribute to Ken.

Rightful place

However, when he drove up in front of the theatre with his wife Vicky and I rushed over to apologise, he could see I was visibly upset and told me not to worry.

We both rang the promoter and Ken was given his rightful place on the poster.

Needless to say our Wednesday shows played to sell-out audiences right through the season.

I’d like to recommend a new movie which you can catch on Sky television.

It’s called The Ballad of Wallis Island and it stars Tim Key as a lottery winner who buys his own personal island and books his favourite pop group to come and do a concert for him.

Innocent, gentle fun with eye-catching scenery – what a combination!

You can listen to Jimmy reading chapter one of his autobiography, Memoirs Of An Irish Comedian, on the homepage of this website.

I wish the new Prime Minister well, but… 150 150 mhamer

I wish the new Prime Minister well, but…

New UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has received some advice from newspaper columnist and famous funnyman Jimmy Cricket.

New UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has received some advice from newspaper columnist and famous funnyman Jimmy Cricket.

Now writing monthly for the Lancashire Evening Post on a Saturday, Jimmy warns the PM in his August column: “All your flowery pre-election promises can turn to dust.”

He adds: “It’s not like pantomime where the fairy godmother can change everything with a wave of her wand.”

Here’s is the column in full:

Well, the general election has come and gone readers and, depending on whom you voted for, you’ll either be toasting with a glass of beer or crying into it.

I did hear that a few days before the election that Keir Starmer was seen in our local swimming baths in Rochdale… he was looking for a floating voter!

You see, I never let you down!

I wish the new Prime Minister well, but it’s not like pantomime where the fairy godmother can change everything with a wave of her wand.

A New York mayor once said: “You canvass in poetry and govern in prose.”

In other words, all your flowery pre-election promises can turn to dust in daily grind of day-to-day politics.

Gem of a place

A week before the election, Equity sent out a message to all its members telling us to vote for the candidates who won’t cut funding for the arts.

It’s a difficult one because people have bigger worries.

Like keeping hospitals open and making sure there’s enough police on the streets.

The local theatre isn’t exactly their first priority.

Having said all that, I once got involved in trying to save a theatre.

The Princess Theatre (pictured) above) in Hunstanton is a gem of a place.

It stands proudly, and majestically, in the centre of the town on a slight hill overlooking the sea.

I got wind that the local council wanted to close it.

When I say local council, it was actually under the jurisdiction of King’s Lynn Council, which is about 25 mile down the road.

I politely asked them to think twice about pulling down a beautiful theatre that families could come out and enjoy a live show.

We owed it to future generations to keep its doors open.

After all, I continued, hadn’t the late Princess Diana herself taken William and Harry when they were small to a pantomime theate when they were staying at Sandringham on their Christmas break (I’d known the producer of that panto – Mark Andrews)?

Strong and flourishing

A few weeks later, I received a nasty letter from the leader of King’s Lynn Council, asking me who did I think I was meddling in their affairs before adding caustically: “And who are you anyway? I’ve never heard of you.”

To be honest folks, I was quite taken aback by his bluntness, as I’d always been brought up to think councillors were the pillars of the community.

But you have to take it on the chin. It’s so much easier to do nothing, but if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

I’m happy to say that due to public pressure King’s Lynn Council reconsidered their decision and the Princess Theatre in Hunstanton is still going strong and flourishing.

And there’s more… I’d like to finish on a story I heard recently about a barber who cuts the hair of a florist.

When the florist offers to pay, the barber says: “I’m sorry, I’m on community service and I’m not allowed to accept any money.”

New UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has received some advice from newspaper columnist and famous funnyman Jimmy Cricket.

The next morning, when the barber turns up for work,there’s a dozen red roses outside his shop.

When he gives a policeman a short back and sides and tells him his story, the next morning when he turns up for work, there’s a dozen donuts outside his shop.

Then a politician turns up. When he cuts his hair and explains the situation to him, the next morning when he turns up for work there’s a dozen politicians waiting for a free haircut!

Buy Jimmy’s autobiography!

Don’t forget that Jimmy’s official autobiography is on sale.

Jimmy Cricket with his autobiography

Memoirs Of An Irish Comedian tells the heart-warming story of Jimmy’s illustrious life and 50-year career.

The paperback version costs £11.99 at online retailer Amazon. It is also available via eBook and audio.

Signed copies (£15.99 including postage and packing) can be purchased on this website here.

It is also available at Jimmy’s live gigs for £10, where Jimmy will also sign it.

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.

Also read: Jimmy Cricket’s signed autobiographies now available by post!

Raising a toast to ‘the godfather of theatrical agents’ 150 150 mhamer

Raising a toast to ‘the godfather of theatrical agents’

Former theatrical agent Johnny Martin was there when his acts needed him the most, says famous comedian Jimmy Cricket.

Former theatrical agent Johnny Martin was there when his acts needed him the most, says famous comedian Jimmy Cricket.

Jimmy and two fellow famous entertainers met up a few months ago to celebrate Johnny’s career.

In his latest newspaper column, which appears in both the Lancashire Evening Post and the Blackpool Gazette, Jimmy recalls the meeting.

He says: “On a sunny Sunday afternoon in late October last year, three entertainers – Syd Little (of Little and Large fame), Phil Cool (comedian, impressionist and musician) and Jimmy Cricket (that’s me folks), gathered at the Bukhara Indian Restaurant near Preston, to celebrate the career of former theatrical agent Johnny Martin.

“This was quite an unusual event in the entertainment world.

“Normally, agents stay in the background while their artistes get all the plaudits… in other words they get the commission while their turns get the glory.

Excited tones

“So, what made Johnny – who now resides in Chorley – so special? Well, he was there when his acts needed them most.

“Let’s let Syd tell his story first: “My partner Eddie Large had to retire because of heart problems, so one minute I was one half of one of the most successful comedy double acts in Britian and the next I was on my own.

“Johnny believed I could  go solo and got me a booking entertaining passengers on the QE2.

“He also encouraged me to write a book about my time as part of Little and Large… he helped me promote it well as getting me live work around the country… and he was there for me when I needed somebody to help build my confidence.

“You could say he’s the godfather of theatrical agents.

Short-lived

“My personal anecdote about Johnny was the time he fixed pantomime for me in my hometown.

“I remember the telephone conversation vividly when he told me in excited tones that he’d booked me to do Jack and The Beanstalk at the Grand Opera House in Belfast at the end of that year.

“Unfortunately, my euphoria was short-lived, for a few weeks later he rang again and this time in more sombre tones he told me that a bomb had gone off next door to the theatre and the pantomime may now not go ahead.

“He said he’d keep me posted.

“I can’t tell you how deflated I was readers, when I put the phone down after that conversation.

“However, like all good pantomimes this story does have a happy ending, because within a few weeks, Johnny rang to say that with the help of a few very talented architects and engineers the theatre could be saved, repaired and brought back to its former glory.

Emotional moment

“It wouldn’t be completely ready for that Christmas, so we would have to change in portable cabins, but that was a minor inconvenience.

“The important thing was Jack and The Beanstalk opened and played to record attendances that year.

“And it had a lot to do with the people of Belfast voting with their feet and showing they wouldn’t be beaten by violence.

“Closer to home now for Phil‘s heart-warming story of how when he had developed his unique style of impressions that entailed bringing his characters to life with his descriptive facial expressions.

“It was Johnny who kept bringing producers and promoters into see his live act that eventually led to him having his own television series.

Yes, it was an emotional moment in that restaurant for Johnny and his lovely wife Chris, as we all raised a toast to the man who helped our career when we needed it most.

“In fact, we all enjoyed our lunchtime get-together so much, that we even thought of forming our own showbiz fraternity to meet in the future.

“Syd suggested calling ourselves ‘The Chorley Chaplin’s’, but Johnny himself had the last word.

“He said: ‘Instead of ‘The Four Musketeers’, how about ‘The Four Must Have a Beers!'”.

Buy Jimmy’s autobiography!Jimmy Cricket with his autobiography

Don’t forget that Jimmy’s official autobiography is on sale.

Memoirs Of An Irish Comedian tells the heart-warming story of Jimmy’s illustrious life and 50-year career.

The paperback costs £11.99 and can be bought at online retailer Amazon here. It is also available via eBook and audio.

Signed copies (£15.99 including postage and packing) can be purchased on this website here.

It is also available at Jimmy’s live gigs for £10 where Jimmy will also sign it.

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.

Also read: Jimmy Cricket’s signed autobiographies now available by post!

Vince Hill was ‘one of the nation’s finest vocalists’ 150 150 mhamer

Vince Hill was ‘one of the nation’s finest vocalists’

Jimmy Cricket used a recent newspaper column to pay tribute to the late, great Vince Hill

A light went out in the entertainment industry when Vince Hill passed away earlier this year, says Jimmy Cricket.

Entertainer Jimmy pays tribute in a recent newspaper column to singer/songwriter Vince, best known for his cover of the hit Edelweiss.

His version reached number two in the UK pop charts in 1967. It stayed in the charts for 17 weeks.

The song was originally from the 1965 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music.

In a recent Blackpool Gazette column (which also appears in the Lancashire Evening Post newspaper), Jimmy recalls Vince’s amazing life and career.

He describes him as “one of the nation’s finest vocalists”.

“Most readers will remember Vince for his big hits during the 60s like Edelweiss from the musical, The Sound of Music, and Roses of Picardy – a ballad about a wartime romance.”

Jimmy recalls doing several UK tours with Vince, including of Scotland.

“Vince enthralled the Scottish audiences, especially when he did this amazing arrangement of Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s most popular tunes.”

He concludes: “When he left us, we lost one of our greatest ever singers and a light went out in the UK entertainment industry.”

Successful TV shows

Vince first sang in public as a teenager and joined vocal group The Raindrops, but went solo in the early sixties.

He rose to fame with his debut single The River’s Run Dry and went on to produce a number of hits.

His other songs included Take Me To Your Heart Again and Love Letters In The Sand.

While known mainly for his singing, he was also a songwriter.

Additionally, he hosted several successful TV shows during the seventies and eighties, including the BBC’s The Musical Time Machine.

Before finding fame as a singer, he worked as baker, truck driver and coal miner.

Vince died peacefully at his home in Oxfordshire on 22 July.

Read: The life of British singer Vince Hill

From this website: Vince Hill: Cherished memories of touring Scotland with him

Autobiography – Buy Jimmy Cricket’s autobiography now

 

Who was Jimmy’s hero while growing up in Belfast? 150 150 mhamer

Who was Jimmy’s hero while growing up in Belfast?

Hi folks! Here is my July @leponline & @The_Gazette article, where I share my story of while growing up in Belfast, I had dreams of a life on the stage! #keepvarietyalive

Jimmy Cricket has revealed who his hero was while he dreamed as a child of a career on stage.

The popular Irish comedian gives the answer in his latest newspaper column.

He says: When I was growing up in Belfast in the fifties, there were lots of heroes to which you could hitch your wagon.

Elvis was turning pop music on its head, John Wayne was giving the baddies their comeuppance on the big silver screen and Lucile Ball was taking physical comedy to new heights with her television sitcom, I Love Lucy.

However, I didn’t have to go far to find my hero.

He was right there in the school I went to – St Patrick’s Secondary School on the Antrim Road.

His name was Tommy Kelly – or Tucker to his friends.

And why was I so besotted with him?

Because, Tommy Tucker Kelly, at the ripe old age of 12, was appearing in pantomime in the Grand Opera Theatre, Belfast.

The panto ran for six weeks.

It boasted lavish sets, dazzling costumers, a seven-piece orchestra in the pit and families came from all over Northern Ireland to see it.

This particular production of Cinderella, in 1957, starred Des O’Connor as Buttons.

Running gag

I saw it three times.

Tommy played the shorter of the two Brokers Men and every time they’d both come on stage, he’d say: I want to sing.”

And his tall, gangly partner would shout: “No!”

This became a running gag, with the audience becoming more and more vocal in their support for Tommy to be allowed to exercise his vocal chords.

Finally, in the second half, the big guy relents and Tommy regales the crowd with a wonderful animated version of He’s Got The Whole World, which brings the house down.

I couldn’t believe he was just another pupil just like me.

Because he wasn’t in my class, I was much too shy to approach him.

I’d gaze forlornly out of the classroom window as he’s be excused lessons and head out of the school gates on his way to do a matinee performance.

Tommy finished up appearing on the famous television pop show of the day – The Six Five Special.

Enormous talent

In 1998, when I went over to play Button in Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, I was curious to find out how Tommy was, and to invite him to the panto.

It turns out he’s become an astute businessman who was now the proud owner of three fish and chip shops.

We became friends and three years later I went back to play in Jack and The Beanstalk. at the same theatre.

I got his eight-year-old daughter Rachel up to sing one night in the finale – the reaction of the audience proved she’d inherited her dad’s enormous talent.

Like all good pantomimes, this has a happy ending because that little girl, Rachel Tucker, is now a star in West End musicals.

You could say she’s a chip off the old block.

Also read: Second visit of 2022 to Blackpool’s Lyndene nears!

Tom O’Connor ‘had the gift of seeing the funny side to everything’ 150 150 mhamer

Tom O’Connor ‘had the gift of seeing the funny side to everything’

Latest LEP column is tribute to Tom O'ConnorThe great career of the late comedian Tom O’Connor is remembered in Jimmy Cricket’s latest newspaper column.

Tom died in hospital in Buckinghamshire in July aged 81.

He had had Parkinson’s for more than a decade.

Tom rose to fame on TV show Opportunity Knocks, which he won three times.

He went on to star in The Comedians and host shows including Name That Tune, Crosswits and the Tom O’Connor Show.

Like Jimmy, his humour was always completely family friendly.

He was born in Bootle, Merseyside, and went on to become a maths teacher and assistant headteacher.

He became a professional entertainer in the early 1970s, establishing himself as a household name with shows like Pick Pockets.

His career saw him appearing in the Royal Variety Show at the London Palladium and being the subject of This Is Your Life.

‘Impeccable timing’

Jimmy paid tribute to Tom at the time of his death.

And he also devoted his August column in the Lancashire Evening Post to his friend and fellow entertainer.

He began by writing: “Most people will remember Tom O’Connor for the professional and effortless way he hosted game shows and quiz shows on television.

“But those of us who were lucky enough to see any of his live performances will have cherished memories of a comedian whose razor-sharp observations and impeccable timing had audiences in fits of helpless laughter.”

To finish, Jimmy said: “The one thread which ran through Tom’s comedy was that it was clean and it was also wholesome family humour.

“I was lucky enough to do a couple of television shows with him when he had his own series.

“It was at that time that I vividly remember his parting remark after one of them…

“He said: ‘Take care Jimmy, and remember we’re the guys in the white hats!’

“He will be sadly missed by us all.”

Jimmy posted on Twitter: “Here is my latest @leponline column where I pay my tribute to a wonderful Comic/Game/Quiz/ShowHost.”

He added that Tom’s “live stand-up performances thrilled audiences all over the U.K. for many decades! #livestandup”.

So sad to hear of the passing of my fellow comedian Tom O’Connor. Tom’s razor sharp observations and impeccable timing made him one of the all time greats! Our thoughts and prayers go out to Pat his lovely wife, (pictured here with Tom), and all his family! ♥️xx

Read the BBC news story about Tom’s passing here 

TV comedy show featured Jimmy Cricket, Jason Manford and Tom O’Connor

Tom O’Connor: One of the all-time greats

The day I ended up in court facing a hefty fine… 150 150 mhamer

The day I ended up in court facing a hefty fine…

True story! Going back decades here is this months @leponline column, here I'm sharing my humble beginnings in the world of showbusiness, which doesn't get much funnier than this! 

Jimmy Cricket was once summoned to court for not doing something he didn’t even know he had to do!

In the 1970s, before he was famous, the Northern Irishman fell foul of the TV licensing authorities.

He revealed his story in his Lancashire Post column.

Jimmy posted on social media: “Hi folks! True story!

“Going back decades here is this month’s @leponline column.

“Here I’m sharing my humble beginnings in the world of showbusiness, which doesn’t get much funnier than this! #savevariety”

His column said: “I’m going back a bit now – 1973. I was in my mid-20s and trying to eke out a living as a comedian in the Northern clubs.

“My girlfriend and soon-to-be-my-wife May and her sister Margaret did a sing­ing act under the name, The Tweedie Sisters.

“We both landed a week’s booking at the Norbreck Ho­tel in Blackpool. However, it didn’t quite turn out that way.

“Oh, the girls had a great week finishing their act to tumultuous applause every evening.

“I, however, didn’t make it past the Sunday. To be honest I was a bit rough round the edges, and when I didn’t get too many laughs on the opening night, the hotel manager fired me.

Disbelieving glance

“So while the girls trav­elled back and forth to Black­pool every night, (Margaret’s boyfriend Graham had a car), I sat alone in the flat we all shared in Stockport trying to figure out a new act.

“It was on the Tuesday night that the doorbell rang. I’d barely opened the door when a guy pushed past me.

“I followed behind him in hot pursuit calling out, ‘Hi, what is this?’ until he stopped with a jolt in the middle of the living room and, pointing to the corner, shout­ed: ‘Have you got a licence for that television?’

“I explained that my fian­cee had ordered it from a lo­cal shop a few weeks before.

“Then I naively enquired: ‘Doesn’t the rental cover the cost of the licence?’ He threw me a disbelieving glance, wrote something in his book and marched straight out the door.

“A summons duly arrived a few weeks later for me to appear in court, where I paid a hefty fine, not for some­thing I did but for something I didn’t know I had to do.

“Don’t get me wrong folks. I’m a big fan of the BBC. What’s not to like about it?

“They do the best period cos­tume dramas. They give us uninterrupted coverage of top sporting events and the best movies, and their news coverage is the envy of the world.

“Just like the National Health Service it’s a quintessential British institution and I couldn’t imagine life without it.

“I just hope they have nicer people driving their detector vans these days than the guy I got in Stockport.”

Also read: The first time I met Bobby Ball

The Lancashire Post website