Posts Tagged :

newspaper column

Silent Night: Unusual story of ever-popular Christmas carol 150 150 mhamer

Silent Night: Unusual story of ever-popular Christmas carol

The serendipitous story of how Silent Night became one of the world's best-loved Christmas carols is told in Jimmy's Cricket's latest newspaper column.

The serendipitous story of how Silent Night became one of the world’s best-loved Christmas carols is told in Jimmy’s Cricket’s latest newspaper column.

The famous funnyman tells readers of the Lancashire Evening Post that it all started with a broken church organ…

Here is the full column which appeared in the newspaper earlier this month:

I’m afraid I’m going to have to relay some sad news, readers.

Come closer… the fairy on my Christmas tree is retiring this year.

Yes, she wants to step down while she’s still at the top!

Did I take you to the edge with that one?

Have you ever wondered how some of the Christmas carols we sing every year came about?

Well, let me tell you about one in particular.

This story takes place in a village called Oberndorf in Austria, on a snowy Christmas Eve night in the year 1818.

While preparing for midnight Mass at the local aptly named St Nicholas Church, Fr Joseph Mohr discovered he could not get a sound from the church organ, no matter how hard he pumped the pedals.

Looking for Divine inspiration, he remembered a poem he’d written a year before, after visiting a poor family in his parish to bless their child.

Enchanting melody

The image of a young mother holding her infant, wrapped snugly against the winter cold, captured Fr Joseph’s imagination and reminded him of another birth almost two thousand years earlier.

He fetched his written poem and rushed round to his schoolteacher friend, organist and composer, Franz Gruber, asking him if he could put music to it?

When Franz read the words, he was struck by their beauty and simplicity and immediately wove a slow, hauntingly enchanting melody to them.

That night, the song Stille Nacht was born, which we all know now as Silent Night.

With barely time for a rehearsal, the two men agreed that Fr Mohr would play his guitar, and sing tenor, while Franz sang bass.

We can only imagine the surprised look on the parishioners’ faces as they filed into the church for Midnight Mass later on that night, expecting to hear traditional Christmas hymns being played on the organ.

Instead, they heard two voices blending in harmony with an acoustic guitar singing an original carol that was as pure as an Alpine stream.

Pretty soon they all joined in.

Captivated

The story might have ended there but for an organ builder called Karl Mauracher who, while repairing the organ at St Nicholas Church in 1824, came across the song in the loft and was determined to popularise it.

It was then published, although Fr Mohr and Franz weren’t mentioned as the writers, and troupes of folk singers used it in their repertoires as they travelled all around Europe.

A famous family of singers called the Rainers, who were popular in America during the 1850s, were so captivated by the melody and words they had it translated into English.

In fact, it has been translated into 300 languages and is said to be the most translated Christian hymn of all.

But there’s more…

Silent Night has also become a symbol of peace.

For during the Christmas Truce of 1914 in the first year of World War I, British, German and French soldiers all sang it in their own language as they crossed over into No Man’s Land to shake hands and exchange gifts.

So, this Christmas as we sing Silent Night in our local carol service, let’s give a thought to Fr Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber.

They may not have earned a penny from their song, but they’ve given us something more important – an enduring musical legacy that’s lasted over 200 years.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Come closer – there’s more…

Did you miss Jimmy’s 80th Birthday Gala Show in November?

Or were you lucky enough to be there at the Lowry Theatre in Salford to see it in person?

Either way, you can watch the highights on The Irish in The Uk TV at 5.30pm every Saturday.

It was first broadcast on Tuesday (9 December) and is on repeat on SKY 588 and Freeview 279.

80th birthday charity show: Enjoy all the highlights on TV!

Need an ideal last-minute Christmas gift for someone who loves a good read? Memoirs of an Irish Comedian will fit the bill – full details here.

Have you heard Jimmy’s song created especially for Christmas? Listen to it here.

Jimmy Cricket's 2025 Christmas card

 

Steve Royle’s lozenge cured my cough and saved the show! 150 150 mhamer

Steve Royle’s lozenge cured my cough and saved the show!

Steve Royle's lozenge cured cough and saved the day!

Comedian and juggler Steve Royle rushed to Jimmy Cricket’s rescue during a show in Liverpool.

Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy developed a “ferocious” cough early in his act.

And as he struggled to get rid of it, Steve handed him a lozenge – and the crisis was over!

The story is told in Jimmy’s newspaper column, which appears monthly in the Lancashire Evening Post (LEP).

Jimmy’s full column is below:

I’d like to tell you about a show I did at the Woolton Village Club in Liverpool recently.

Come closer… I’d just been 15 minutes into my act when I had a fit of coughing.

It was the aftermath of a virus I’d had.

Normally, I’d get the odd tickly cough towards the end of my set and I would make a joke of it but this one was quite ferocious.

As Mrs Cricket raced to the bar to get a glass of iced water, a sympathetic audience that included Syd Little from the great double act Little and Large roared me on.

In fact, it being Liverpool, a few of the audience members actually coughed in harmony with me to help make me feel better.

And then it happened… like the fairy godmother in Cinderella, my fellow comedian Steve Royle appeared at the front of the stage and handed me a lozenge, whispering: “This works for me every time.”

And you know what folks, he was dead right.

Unique performer

That lozenge did the trick and I was soon back into my stride.

And we didn’t have to give the audience their money back!

Of course, Steve is no stranger to LEP readers.

He’s been contributing interesting and informative articles for a number of years.

However, what makes him unique as a performer is not only his quick-fire patter, but he’s also an accomplished juggler as well.

I particularly like the way he weaves the juggling into his act with hilarious consequences – whether it be juggling clubs with an unseen partner or spitting ping pong balls into the air in perfect unison.

His big finish is so spectacular I wouldn’t want to give it away. But it’s worth the price of a ticket on its own.

Steve hails from the town where I now live – Rochdale.

As a teenager, he learnt his juggling skills at the Skyline Circus.

Edgar the Court Jester

Then his life took a change of direction when he went to study and get a degree in Economic and Social History at Kent University in Canterbury.

I have this funny picture in my mind of Steve turning up at the university every morning on a unicycle with his books under his arm.

The world of showbiz beckoned again and he headed off to the medieval theme park of Camelot at Charnock Richard near Chorley, where he became immensely popular as Edgar the Court Jester.

He was loved by adults and children alike.

Mrs Cricket and our children would watch Steve there.

That gave him great grounding for another form of entertainment, that he took to like a duck to water, namely pantomime.

From the first moment when Steve stepped on to the stage at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool in pantomime, both he and the audience knew it was his natural habitat and he went on to play 22 seasons at that self-same theatre.

Steve’s next big project is to play the part of Eric Morcambe in a touring play called The Last Laugh.

The play imagines what would happen if Eric, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse all met up in a backstage dressing room.

It is a must-see for all enthusiasts of traditional comedy.

Some would say proper comedy, but I wouldn’t dream of saying that myself, dear readers.

And you can bet your boots that if any of the other actors get a bout of coughing, Steve will be on hand with one of his magic lozenges.

Also read:

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

George Formby legacy lives on thanks to stars like Andy Eastwood 150 150 mhamer

George Formby legacy lives on thanks to stars like Andy Eastwood

Hi folks here is my latest #leponline here I chat about the great George Formby and the young ukulele/multi-instrumentalist Andy with his lovely family!

The amazing legacy of iconic entertainer George Formby will endure thanks to the likes of talented musician Andy Eastwood.

Jimmy Cricket devotes his latest long-running newspaper column to Andy, who went into showbusiness as a child.

He studied classical violin and piano, but also developed a passion for jazz and pop.

Andy made history at Oxford University by becoming the first musician to give a degree recital on the ukulele! 

Below is Jimmy’s Lancashire Evening Post column about George Formby and Andy.

In George Formby’s song Riding in The TT Races, there are two lines that always make me chuckle: “In a ten-mile race/I’m the best” and “I ride two miles/and skid the rest.”

It’s from a movie made in 1935 called No Limit, in which George plays a hapless would-be motorcyclist who wants to compete in the Isle-of-Man Grand Prix.

George’s gormless character, who always got it right in the end, made him a global star and endeared him to millions of moviegoers, especially during the war years when he helped to lift people’s spirits.

The amazing legacy of iconic entertainer George Formby will endure thanks to the likes of talented musician Andy Eastwood.

However, it will be for his wonderful songs like Leaning on a Lampost and When I’m Cleaning Windows that he will be remembered for in generations to come.

Golden classics

One such entertainer who will make sure his legacy endures is Andy Eastwood.

In fact, he performs the Formby songbook so well that none other than the American Banjo Museum invited him over to Oklahoma City to perform at a ceremony in which George Formby was inducted into their Hall of Fame.

George’s niece Gina was there on behalf of the family and I bet she had a tear in her eye as she watched Andy sing and play those golden classics!

Andy’s own career is quite remarkable.

Born in Blackburn, he moved to Dorset when his dad took up a teaching post there.

Genuine George Formby ukulele

He made his stage debut when he was only 12 at a vehicle rally in Southsea.

A few years later he turned his back on the bright lights of the entertainment profession, when he got a musical scholarship to Oxford University.

He must be one of the few people in the whole wide world to come away from that great institute of learning with a music degree in ukulele studies.

I can just picture all the students and professors at his graduation singing With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock.

Career crossroads

With his musical studies completed, Andy returned to showbiz and it was around about that time our paths crossed when we both appeared in a variety show in Ilfracombe, North Devon.

I remember vividly he was with his father and mentor, Walter, and they’d just been gifted a genuine George Formby ukulele from a lady whose late husband had paid £1,500 at an auction.

Apparently, she was so enthralled when she saw Andy performing on stage one night that she felt he was the one to carry on George’s legacy.

What a present!

Andy then toured extensively with Sir Ken Dodd and Blackpool impresario Duggie Chapman, but when both these giants of the entertainment industry sadly passed away within 18 months of each other, he found himself at a crossroads in his career.

I can’t wait to see her play the ukelele!

However, the show must go on, so Andy put on his producer’s hat on and to this day he promotes his own afternoon shows specialising in nostalgia for older theatregoers with titles like We’ll Meet Again celebrating wartime anniversaries and other shows that relive the great music from the fifties and sixties.

Oh, and there’s more, if you turn up to any of these matinees, he’ll not only regale you with his singing and ukulele expertise, but you’ll be amazed at his virtuoso violin-playing as well.

Andy lives in Blackpool with his lovely wife Helen Farrell, a beautiful singer in her own right.

When I worked at the Cast Theatre in Doncaster with them a few weeks ago, they had with them their seven-month-old baby Poppy May whom they brought on stage and, needless to say, stole the show.

I can’t wait to see her play the ukulele!

To find out more about Andy check out his website at www.andyeastwood.com

Also read from this website: Show included George Formby tribute act

My son Fr Frankie, the Mercy Bus and Pope Francis 150 150 mhamer

My son Fr Frankie, the Mercy Bus and Pope Francis

Jimmy Cricket's son Fr Frankie met the late Pope Francis, thanks to s special vehicle called the Mercy Bus!

Jimmy Cricket’s son Fr Frankie met the late Pope Francis, thanks to a special vehicle called the Mercy Bus!

The story is told in Jimmy’s latest newspaper column in the Lancashire Evening Post.

The full column is below.
It went exactly according to the script.

After a long, painful period in intensive care battling serious illness in hospital, Pope Francis, although frail, turns up at St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday to  bless the faithful, take a trip in his Pope mobile to meet some of them and pays visits to some prisoners and homeless.

Then, on Easter Monday, he leaves this earth to his new address.

Thus ends one of the most remarkable papacies in history.

Pope Francis brought an air of simplicity to the office of pontiff.

Oh, make no mistake, he was a deep-thinking man, which was borne out by the spiritual advice he dispensed though his daily tweets to help vulnerable people like me on their journey.

But what I mean is he preferred to downplay a lot of the trappings that go with that high office and embrace poverty just like the saint he was named after – St Francis – and reach out to the poor and needy and those who had fallen by the wayside.

My own son Frank, who is a priest, cherishes one moment in particular.

Offload their troubles

During his papacy, Pope Francis decreed a Year of Mercy and it gave Frank and his friends an idea!

With the permission of Bishop John of Salford, they hired a double decker bus and drove it to public places like shopping centres and supermarket car parks around Lancashire where they parked up.

It was called the Mercy Bus and inside it he and a few of his fellow priests would warmly welcome anyone that wanted to offload their troubles, seek advice and even go to confession.

The thinking behind it was that in these present times some folks are reluctant to step inside a church and this was a way of making it accessible to help them realise that perhaps there really was a Divine Power out there that could help them.

When the Vatican heard of it, Frank was invited over to Rome and actually had a photograph taken with himself and Pope Francis holding up a photograph of the Mercy Bus.

So, you see readers, miracles do happen!

Opportune moment

Now as I write this, history is being made with the election of the first American Pope – Pope Leo.

Born on the south side of Chicago, he took his Papal name from an Italian Pope who in 1891 wrote an encyclical on workers’ rights during the industrial revolution.

He’s come at an opportune moment with artificial intelligence heralding in another industrial revolution in 2025.

I’d like to finish on a light-hearted story about a chap that goes to have a haircut and says to the barber: “I want you to give me a good haircut, because I’m going to Rome next week to meet the Pope.”

The barber says to him: “You’ll never get near the Pope!”

Then the barber proceeds to cut this customer’s hair, all the while chiding him about his chances of meeting the Pontiff.

Terrible haircut!

A few months pass by and the customer goes back to the barber’s shop and the barber is gobsmacked to hear that he actually did get to meet the Pope.

“What did the Pope say?” asked the barber.

The customer looked at him wryly and answered: “Well, he said to me who gave you that terrible haircut!”

I’d like to give you a heads-up, readers, about my 80th Birthday Show, which takes place at the Quays Theatre at The Lowry in Salford on Saturday 1 November.

I’ll be joined by an all-star cast of fellow comedians and all the money raised on the night will go to Francis House Children’s Hospice in Didsbury.

If you’d like to come along and help me blow the candles out, you can book here.

Also read from this website

Tickets are selling fast for big birthday bash

 

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!

 

Sorry saga has a happy ending – like all good pantos! 150 150 mhamer

Sorry saga has a happy ending – like all good pantos!

Jimmy Cricket has had a couple of unfortunate moments with the press over the years, though one of them had a happy ending.

Jimmy Cricket has had a couple of unfortunate moments with the press over the years, though one of them had a happy ending.

The famous funnyman told readers in his Monday newspaper column for November that they involved the Sunday People and the Lichfield Mercury.

Writing in the Lancashire Evening Post, Jimmy said: “It was a quiet Sunday morning in summertime, around about the mid 1980s when the phone rang.

It was my oldest brother John calling from Northern Ireland. ‘I’ve got the Sunday People newspaper right in front of me’, he said in an agitated tone.

‘And the headline states that you’re frightened to visit your hometown of Belfast because you’re a Catholic and your wife May is a Protestant!’

‘But that’s preposterous, John,’ I replied, trying to calm him down.

‘Why, only a few months ago, the TV Times paid for me and my family to go to over to the province with a journalist and photographer to visit all the tourist attractions like the Mountains of Mourne and the Giant’s Causeway and extol the virtues of a family holiday over there for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.’

When John then enquired if I was going to take legal action, I replied that I’d rather write straight to the editor, appeal to his better nature and get a retraction printed in one of the future editions of his newspaper.

Thrity-eight years later, I’m still waiting for a reply from him.

You’ll be happy to know readers, that the second half of this column takes an upbeat turn, and it centres around a rare instance where a newspaper journalist really did retract his opinion.

In 2003, the Garrick Theatre in Lichfield opened its doors.

Empty seats

It was named after an actor of the 17th century called David Garrick who was born in the town and who went to become a famous Shakespearean actor in London.

The Christmas of that year I was part of a pantomime production of Cinderella that played there.

Being the very first panto in, the theatre management had very little time to build up advance bookings, so our opening night was very quiet.

I can still see in my mind’s eye the mother of the young actress who played Cinderella, sitting in an empty auditorium holding a bouquet of flowers and surrounded by empty seats.

Unfortunately, one of the few people who did occupy a seat was the critic from the local newspaper – the Lichfield Mercury.

No doubt fired up by a lack of response from a practically non-existent audience, he gave a scathing review of our production.

Despite a deep gloom descending on the cast when the newspaper hit the streets the next morning, we buoyed ourselves up by the fact that we’d done the same production the year before in Truro, Cornwall and played to respectable audiences.

Unduly harsh

Then, after the first week, comments began to appear in the letters page of the Lichfield Mercury.

From pensioners to Girl Guides, they were all unanimous in their praise for the panto and thought the critic was being unduly harsh in his criticism of it.

Then, a few days before Christmas, there was a knock on my dressing room door.

When I opened it, standing in front of me was the critic himself with a photographer by his side.

In a remorseful tone, he said: ‘All right, I admit I was wrong.

I’m going I take it all back… and to illustrate the fact, if you go and get one of those paper plates full of shaving foam that you use in the slapstick sketch, and hit me in the face with it, we’ll take a photo to go with the retraction.’

And so readers, like all good pantomimes, this article has a happy ending!”

Also read: Mary’s Meals: ‘What better way to start the festive season!’

Why my This is Your Life moment almost never happened 150 150 mhamer

Why my This is Your Life moment almost never happened

Jimmy Cricket was once the star of TV's This Is Your Life - but it nearly never happened.

Jimmy Cricket was once the star of TV’s This Is Your Life – but it nearly never happened.

In the popular primetime programme, the host would pop in unexpectedly on a special guest.

The celebrity would then be transported to a television studio and be taken through their life with the assistance of the ‘big red book’ and the help of friends and family.

This Is Your Life was originally broadcast live and alternated between on the BBC and  on ITV over the years.

It was on 29 September 1987 when famous funnyman Jimmy was surprised by presenter Eamonn Andrews on a central London building site.

Jimmy has been recalling the whole experience, which included an amazing coincidence, in his latest Saturday column in the Lancashire Evening Post.

“It happened in the late 1980s but I can still remember it to this day… I’d just come up from the underground and as I stepped out into one of London’s busiest thoroughfares, Oxford Circus, who should I see in front of my eyes but my sister-in-law Evelyn strolling along with her husband Barry by her side.

What made it even more surprising was that Evelyn had emigrated to Australia 15 years before.

Bigger surprise

We exchanged a few pleasantries and Evelyn then mentioned that she’d be up to see her sister May in Rochdale in the coming days.

The object of my visit to London was to promote a book I’d just written called Letters From My Mammy.

So the next morning my agent/manager Phyllis Rounce and I were driven to a building site where the publishers had arranged for me to have some publicity shots taken.

Little did I know that another even bigger surprise was in store for me.

As our car approached this building site, whom should I see but Evelyn again, and beside her a man wearing a black and white donkey jacket, with a yellow tin hat on his head, carrying a big red book under his arm.

And as we drew closer, it became clear that the man was none other than a famous television personality of that era called Eamonn Andrews.

As I stepped out of the car, he greeted me with his soft Irish dulcet tones: “Last night you saw your sister-in-Law Evelyn in the street in London, but tonight Jimmy Cricket, This is your life.

Melodious singing

It had all started many years before, in the summer of 1972, when in my mid-20s, I got job as a Pontin Bluecoat at their holiday camp in Middleton Towers near Morecambe.

Three young sisters – May, Margaret and Evelyn – also worked there as waitresses, and, as they too came from Belfast, I struck up an instant rapport with them.

After they’d finished their dining room duties, May and Margaret would get up in the Sundowner Bar and, under the name The Tweedie Sisters, regale the holidaymakers with their melodious singing.

I was bowled over by the reception the girls got and as I harboured a burning desire to be a full-time comic myself, I hatched a plan that when the season finished at the camp, we would all head off to seek our fame and fortune.

As Manchester was the nearest area with a thriving club scene, we decided to try our luck there.

Evelyn, the eldest sister, was crucial to the project because she was the only one of us who could actually drive.

Recklessness of youth!

I remember one particular night when we were all coming back from a gig and our clapped-out banger broke down.

Two policemen got out of their patrol car to help us, when they saw us pushing it.

When we eventually did get it to go and they waved us off, we all gave a mighty sigh of relief… little did our boys in blue realise that our vehicle was neither taxed nor insured.

Oh the recklessness of youth! It was around this time that Evelyn decided to emigrate to Oz.

Back to This Is Your Life… because of the surprise meet-up in Oxford Circus the night before, the programme itself was very nearly cancelled.

What saved the day was the fact that May had been told her sister wouldn’t be able to come over from Australia.

So, just before the end of the show when Eamonn enquired about Evelyn, I was able to turn the tables and tell her the good news.

Then on came Evelyn for an emotional reunion with her sisters.

Affinity

The only sad bit was that Eamonn himself passed away peacefully in hospital a few weeks later.

It was said he actually watched the show shortly before his death and I have felt an affinity with him ever since.

The programme can be seen on my website – see link below.

The site also contains a fuller version of these events in my autobiography Memoirs of an Irish Comedian.”

The paperback version of Jimmy’s autobiography costs £11.99 at online retailer Amazon.

It is also available via eBook and audio formats.

Signed copies (£13.99 including postage and packing) can be purchased on this website here.

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

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

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

Watch: Jimmy Cricket on TV’s This Is Your Life