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little and large

What a celebration as we paid our respects to the great Mo 150 150 mhamer

What a celebration as we paid our respects to the great Mo

What a celebration this morning as we paid our respects to the great performer/comedian/dancer/singer, Maureen Moreland aka Mo from the Roly Poly’s our thanks to family friends of Mo, Tracey, Sam and Charlotte Dawson who helped us give her a great send off! ♥️xx

Jimmy Cricket was among those to pay their respects to the “great” Mo Moreland at her funeral in Lancashire.

Entertainer Mo, originally from Sheffield, died in December after a long illness at a nursing home on the Fylde coast.

The service took place at Lytham Park Cemetery & Crematorium in Lytham St Annes on Thursday morning (18 January).

So saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Ashton, I had the great pleasure working with her and the rest of the girls, they were such fun to be with backstage. So glad she found happiness with the great comedian Jack Diamond as they settled in Southport

Jimmy said afterwards: “What a celebration this morning as we paid our respects to the great performer/comedian/dancer/singer Maureen Moreland, aka Mo, from the Roly Polys.

“Our thanks to family friends of Mo, Tracey, Sam and Charlotte Dawson who helped us give her a great send off! ♥️xx.”

Mo was best known as the lead dancer in comedy dance troupe the Roly Polys, devised by late comedian Les Dawson.

Their success took them across the world to perform, including travelling to France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Italy and Japan in their 20-year career.

Jimmy Cricket, who featured on performance bills with Mo and The Roly Polys, described her as a "great comic, singer and dancer"

They were especially popular with German audiences and visited the country on numerous occasions.

Mo also appeared in Coronation Street, as well as on the Little and Large Show, and Super Gran.

Northern Irish comic Jimmy had first met her when she was one half of the Mighty Atom and Roy act, in which she teamed up with her husband.

Mo was born Maureen McCluskey in 1936 and married singer Roy in 1959. He died in 2001.

She first performed on stage aged three and attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

At just 4ft 11in tall, she performed as The Mighty Atom and was a skilled dancer, particularly at tap.

Also read from this website: ‘Saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Ashton’

 

Belfast among UK destinations on special Easter cruise 150 150 mhamer

Belfast among UK destinations on special Easter cruise

We hope that you will unwind in comfortable surroundings as we take an exciting voyage across the waters whilst celebrating Easter with our special celebrity entertainers and guests.

The city in which Jimmy Cricket was born is among the ports of call on his current working cruise around the British Isles and France.

Famous funnyman Jimmy is a celebrity entertainer on the Ambience, the flagship of Ambassador Cruise Line.

The boat set sail from London Tilbury on Monday (3 April).

Guernsey, Tobermory on the Isle of Mull and Belfast in Northern Ireland – Jimmy’s place of birth – are among the destinations on the 11-night trip.

Le Havre in France is also on the itinerary for the Easter British Isles Discovery.

It includes a ‘Journey through Holy Week’ theme with Easter services and reflections on board.

Promotional material about the cruise says Jimmy is one of a rare breed of “‘clean’ comedians who has his audiences falling off their seats with laughter”.

It adds he “will be delighting [audiences] … with cabaret appearances”.

Syd Little, of comedy duo Little and Large fame, is also one of the celebrity entertainers on  the cruise.

Find out who else is on the cruise here.

Little and Large: It was a joy to work with them both

Jimmy’s autobiography!

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

Memoirs Of An Irish Comedian tells the heart-warming story of Jimmy’s illustrious life and career – told in his own words.

It can be ordered from online retailer Amazon here.

The paperback is priced at £11.99.

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.

Covid outbreak in the Cricket household dashes unveiling trip 150 150 mhamer

Covid outbreak in the Cricket household dashes unveiling trip

Just seen this on Facebook folks, how wonderful is this! The unveiling of Eddie’s portrait today! xx

A bout of Covid-19 prevented Jimmy Cricket from attending the unveiling of a portrait of the late Eddie Large in Blackpool.

Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy tested positive for coronavirus, meaning he could not travel to the famous seaside resort for the event.

He posted the photo below of his positive Covid test on Saturday 2 April – the day of the unveiling.

Jimmy said: “Gutted I won’t be able to attend the unveiling of the portrait today in Blackpool of one of showbiz’s greatest talent, Eddie Large.

“Sending our love to his widow Patsy and son Ryan and the rest of his family and friends who will be there this morning! #WinterGardensBlackpool.”

Eddie was usually the funny guy in the legendary comedy duo of Little and Large.
How wonderful!
Syd Little was the straight man of the two and they went on to be one of the best-loved comedy acts in showbusiness.
They had a TV series and appeared in theatres and pantomimes for many years before their partnership ended when Eddie developed serious health problems.

Eddie, who was born Edward Hugh McGinnis, died aged 78 in April 2020.

He had been suffering with heart failure and contracted coronavirus in hospital.

Family and celebrity friends attended the invitation-only unveiling at the weekend.
The portrait can be seen at The Floral Hall in the Winter Gardens.
It will also be on display at Showtown, Blackpool’s first museum of fun and entertainment.

Jimmy Cricket tested positive for Covid

Jimmy posted the photo at the top of this article on social media on Saturday.

He commented: “Just seen this on Facebook folks, how wonderful is this!

“The unveiling of Eddie’s portrait today!”

Watch video of the unveiling here (note: this is an external website and the video is preceded by an advertisement).

Also read from this website:
Providing an update on his wellbeing, Jimmy said on Sunday: “Hoping to be Covid-free soon.
“Mrs Cricket has been very supportive, although I’m not sure about her medical advice.
“She told me to drink a hot glass of orange after a hot bath…. that was four days ago and I’m still drinking the hot bath!”
Little and Large: It was a joy to work with them both 150 150 mhamer

Little and Large: It was a joy to work with them both

Hi folks my tribute to Eddie Large and Syd Little efore the unveiling of Eddie's Portrait this weekend in Blackpool, it was always a joy to work with them both! #keepvarietyalive

Jimmy Cricket says Little and Large were one of the best-loved comedy acts to ever play in the famous seaside resort of Blackpool.

Syd Little was the straight man of then two great entertainers, while Eddie Large was generally the funny guy.

They had a TV series and appeared in theatres and pantomimes for many years before their partnership ended when Eddie had serious health problems.

Eddie, who was born Edward Hugh McGinnis, died aged 78 in April 2020.

He had been suffering with heart failure and contracted coronavirus in hospital.

Fellow comedian Jimmy devoted his latest newspaper column to the famous comic duo.
It was published ahead of an unveiling of a portrait of Eddie this weekend at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.
Jimmy said: “It was always a joy to work with them both.”
Here is his column in full:

Little and large were appearing in summer season at the Princess Theatre in Torquay when I went backstage to visit them with a sketch I’d written.

It was the early 80s and I was breaking into television.

They had a prime-time show on Saturday evenings at that time, that used guest artistes and as I’d done a few one-night­ers with them, I thought I’d pitch an idea to them.

I knew from experience that you had a much better chance of getting your material accepted if you let the stars of the show get as many laughs as you did.

So I hit on this idea to do a sketch based on me teaching Eddie to be an Irish comedian.

Eddie was a brilliant mimic and I figured if we could do a couple of routines, we could split the jokes between us.

I also figured if the wardrobe lady could tog him out in the same garb as my comedy character It would be even better.

Here’s the jist of the sketch:

Jimmy: Ladies and gentlemen, come ‘ere, I’ve been for a haircut.

He said: Do you want your hair cut round the back; I said, is there no room in the shop?

Eddie: And there’s more…

He said: You know it needs cutting badly; I said: I don’t want it cutting badly, I want it cut properly.

And so on…. the sketch finished with Eddie’s long-suffering on-stage partner Syd,
(they were the best of friends off stage), coming on to try and keep order but of course we both give him his come comeuppance and do a little jig off set.

When I knocked on the boys’ dressing room at the Princess Theatre in Torquay that evening, Eddie was there on his own and he warmly welcomed me in.

When I handed him the script, he sat down and perused it attentively, (comedy’s a serious business folks), but gradually a smile appeared as he visualised the comic potential of it and a huge feeling of relief came over me.

Happy summer season

He said he would show it to Syd and the two of them would show it to their producer Bill Wilson.

I left the theatre that evening in a confident mood.

You’ll be happy to know, readers, the sketch did make it on to the show.

From the moment we came to the set, in identical hat, wellies and tailcoat the studio audience lapped it up and I’m sure that was replicated with the viewers at home.

Many years later, I did a very happy summer season at the Britannia Theatre in Great Yarmouth with them.

Syd and Eddie never had a hang-up about other comedians on the bill getting laughs.

Another 15 years

To them it was the success of the overall show that mattered and the louder people laughed the more likely they would be to spread the word around the resort.

Not long after that season, Eddie’s heart condition deteriorated, but miraculously he was given a heart transplant at the Papworth Hospital in Cambridge which gave him another 15 years.

I made him laugh once when I sent him an email and jokingly suggested that the reason his new heart was in such good nick was that it came from a theatrical agent and had hardly been used!

It was while Eddie was having treatment for his heart at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, that he succumbed to the coronavirus and sadly died on the 2nd of April 2020.

A light went out in the UK entertainment industry.

All the happy memories of working with Eddie and Syd have been rekindled these last few weeks, because Eddie’s wife Patsy, and son Ryan, have passed on to me the happy news that a portrait of Eddie is to be unveiled at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.

Given the fact that Little and Large broke all box office records during their summer seasons in Blackpool, this is a fitting and lasting tribute from our premier seaside resort to one half of one of the best-loved comedy acts to ever play there.

Memorial page set up for tributes to the late Eddie Large 150 150 mhamer

Memorial page set up for tributes to the late Eddie Large

Hi everyone here is a link by #RyanMcGinnis the son of the great comic Eddie Large, where you can add a tribute to a memorial page in memory of his Dad, husband to Patsy! ????

The funeral for the late comedian Eddie Large takes place on 24 April.

Eddie, best known for being part of double act Little and Large, died with coronavirus earlier this month aged 78.

His son Ryan McGinnis has created an online memorial page for people to pay tribute to him.

Ryan tweeted: “As you all know my dad, @eddie6large, passed away.

“The funeral will be on the 24/04/20 and I have set up a memorial page for him.

“We ask that instead flowers to the funeral could you donate to our charity, @RoyalPapworth.”

‘Heavy heart’

Eddie was a well-known face on TV in the 1970s and 80s and was famous for his comedy partnership with Syd Little.

The TV star, who was born Edward Hugh McGinnis, had been suffering with heart failure and contracted coronavirus in hospital.

Jimmy, 74, had said when hearing of Eddie’s death: “It is with a heavy heart I have just found out, (through his son Ryan), that his father Eddie Large has passed away.

“I worked many times with him and his partner Syd.

“They were not only a wonderful double act, but such great fun to be with off stage!

“Our thoughts and prayers goes to Patsy his wife and Ryan and his family, but also with Syd, Sheree and son Dominic xx.”

Jimmy’s Facebook post on 2 April attracted more than 1,000 likes, almost 400 comments and nearly 600 shares (to date).

Also read: What is Syd of Little and Large fame doing now?

It is with a heavy heart I have just found out, (through his son Ryan), that his father Eddie Large has passed away. I worked many times with him and his partner Sid, they were not only a wonderful double act, but such great fun to be with off stage! Our thoughts and prayers goes to Patsy his wife and Ryan and his family, but also with Sid, Sheree and son Dominic xx

‘Wanted to see Jimmy Cricket live for practically my lifetime’ 150 150 mhamer

‘Wanted to see Jimmy Cricket live for practically my lifetime’

Enjoyed performing @SlapstickFest in the, “Weston Studio”, at the Old Vic here in the great city of Bristol ?

Jimmy Cricket was told that he “went down a storm” in the 15th Slapstick Festival in Bristol at the weekend.

The famous comedian performed on Sunday (20 January) in The Weston Studio at the Bristol Old Vic.

Since 2005, the festival has hosted more than 300 events for over 100,000 people, introducing rare archive and silent comedy films, and combining them with live music from world-class musicians, well-known guests and film experts.

The organisers said on social media after the event: “Thanks for coming Jimmy – cracking show, went down a storm.”

Jimmy posted: “Enjoyed performing in the, “Weston Studio”, at the Old Vic here in the great city of Bristol.”

He later said: “For the past 15 years, the Slapstick festival has been celebrating Charlie, Buster, Stan and Ollie and all the great visual comedy pioneers of the past. It was an honour and a pleasure to perform my one-man show for them last Sunday at the Bristol Old Vic.”

A member of the audience, Jonathan Sloman, who is a freelance film and TV editor and historian, tweeted: “Wanted to see Jimmy Cricket live for practically my lifetime. A real treat to be at this. Was hypnotised by those boots!”

Other performers at the 33 events over six days included Bill OddieGraeme Garden, Tim Brooke-TaylorBarry CryerLittle & LargeSally Phillips and Dad’s Army’s Frank Williams, who is among those pictured below with Jimmy and his wife May.

Jimmy posted on social media: “Lovely meeting up with old friends Producer and Author and Katherine his wife, alongside Ronnie, and actor Frank Williams, (Rev Farthing in Dad’s Army), after the in Hotel last night.”

Lovely meeting up with old friends Producer and Author @ChrisGidney and Katherine his wife, alongside Ronnie, and actor Frank Williams, (Rev Farthing in Dad’s Army), after the @SlapstickFest in @BristolDoyle Hotel last night ?

Watch Jimmy Cricket at Bristol’s slapstick festival 150 150 mhamer

Watch Jimmy Cricket at Bristol’s slapstick festival

Jimmy Cricket is without doubt a 1980s comedy icon

Jimmy Cricket is taking part in the 15th Slapstick Festival in Bristol at the weekend.

The famous comedian will be performing from 5pm on Sunday (20 January) at The Weston Studio Bristol Old Vic on King Street.

Other performers at the 33 events over six days include Bill OddieGraeme Garden, Tim Brooke-TaylorBarry CryerLittle & LargeSally Phillips and Dad’s Army’s Frank Williams.

The promotional write-up for the festival says: “Jimmy Cricket is without doubt a 1980s comedy icon. With his trademark wellington boots (on the wrong feet), his famous letters from his Mammy and his catchphrases of ‘come closer’ and ‘there’s more’, he holds the hearts of all those that were fans of his TV and radio shows.

“As hilarious as ever, and winning new fans wherever he performs, Jimmy will excite and delight audiences with his special brand of family friendly stand up comedy. A real nostalgic family treat.”

Book tickets to see Jimmy

Read more about Slapstick 2019 here