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phil collinge

Entertainers get together for lunch 150 150 mhamer

Entertainers get together for lunch
Jimmy Cricket with entertainer Eric Devereaux, swing singer Andy Prior and comedian Austin Knight

Jimmy with fellow comedian Austin Knight and singers Eric Devereaux and Andy Prior

The latest luncheon arranged for Jimmy Cricket and some of his friends from the showbusiness fraternity in northern England took place earlier this summer.

The Wooden Hut club is the periodic and informal get-together arranged for the fellow entertainers.

It takes place at the Royal Toby restaurant in Castleton, Rochdale, which is ideally located because of the easy access to and from the M62 motorway, and is jointly organised by two of Jimmy’s good friends – BBC Radio producer Steve Garner and Rochdale-based performer Eric Devereaux.

This latest edition of the club was at the beginning of June and was also attended, among others, by comedian Smug Roberts, Buzz Hawkins from the Bradshaws – the radio and television comedy – actor John Hensall and impersonator Johnny Moore.

Meet the Wooden Hut Club 150 150 mhamer

Meet the Wooden Hut Club
Members of the Wooden Hut Club

Members of the Wooden Hut Club

November saw the latest gathering of the informal showbiz fraternity group that Jimmy Cricket attends, which is lovingly called the “Wooden Hut Club”.

Conveniently for Jimmy, the location where this get-together takes place is in Rochdale. It was felt Rochdale was well placed on the M62 between Manchester/Cheshire and Yorkshire for his showbiz pals to get to. After the first ‘do’ was successfully held at the Royal Toby Hotel restaurant on Manchester Road in Castleton, the club have met there ever since.

This gathering has been meeting on and off for last four years and, as you can see from the photo, there was a large number who attended the last lunch showing it is well supported. This is probably because it is a rare chance for showbiz professionals to come together and catch up with the industry news – and of course reminisce about old times.

Some of the individuals in the photo with Jimmy are: Buzz Hawkins from ‘The Bradshaws’, ‘The Comedians’ producer Johnnie Hamp, impressionist Johnny More, BBC radio producer Steve Garner, comedy script writer Phil Collinge, the wife of former BBC radio comedy producer Mike Craig, Treflyn Jones from Target television and entertainer Eric Devereaux.