Posts Tagged :

Princess Diana

Charles III: Performing in front of the future king 150 150 mhamer

Charles III: Performing in front of the future king

As lockdown continues to #SaveOurNHS I have been looking at nostalgic memorabilia from over the years, all have given me a warm glow, none more than this one when I performed alongside my fellow entertainers in front of the Queen Mum, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, at a time when Variety was King!

Prince Charles, who is now King Charles III, watched Jimmy Cricket performing live on stage back in 1984.

Popular comedian Jimmy was one of the entertainers in that year’s Royal Variety Performance.

The 1984 show took place on 19 November at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.

Royal guests were the Queen Mother, Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

Also among the performers were singer/actor Paul Nicholas and comedians Bernie Winters and Billy Dainty.

Jimmy said on social media: “Hi folks! Sharing a short video of the opening routine of the 1984 production (which consisted of a rich variety of performers) at The Royal Command Performance! #keepvarietyalive.”

The Royal Variety Performance is a televised show held annually.

It raises money for the Royal Variety Charity, of which the late Queen Elizabeth II was life patron.

Senior members of the British Royal Family attend the event.

The evening’s performance is presented as a live variety show, usually from a theatre in London.

It consists of family entertainment, including comedy, music, dance, magic and other speciality acts.

Jimmy said all the memories of his performances give  him “a warm glow”.

And he added: “None more than this one.

“I performed alongside my fellow entertainers in front of the Queen Mum, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, at a time when Variety was King!

Following the Queen’s death earlier this month, Charles, the former Prince of Wales, became King of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms.

As lockdown continues to #SaveOurNHS I have been looking at nostalgic memorabilia from over the years, all have given me a warm glow, none more than this one when I performed alongside my fellow entertainers in front of the Queen Mum, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, at a time when Variety was King!

Also read: ‘Great privilege’ to be in 1984 Royal Variety Show

Queen Elizabeth II: Great lady showed humility & humour

‘Great privilege’ to be in 1984 Royal Variety Show 150 150 mhamer

‘Great privilege’ to be in 1984 Royal Variety Show

Hi folks! Nostalgic footage, the year was 1984 and I had the great privilege to be part of this great Royal Variety Show, present was the Queen Mum, Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

Jimmy Cricket has posted video of the 1984 Royal Variety Show in which he appeared.

The show took place on 19 November at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.

Guests included the Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

Northern Irish comedian Jimmy, now 74, posted a link to the footage on social media.

He said: “Hi folks! Nostalgic footage, the year was 1984.

“I had the great privilege to be part of this great Royal Variety Show.”

The Queen Mum, Princess Diana and Prince Charles attended the event.

Hi folks! Nostalgic footage, the year was 1984 and I had the great privilege to be part of this great Royal Variety Show, present was the Queen Mum, Princess Diana and Prince Charles

Other performers included singer/actor Paul Nicholas (pictured above with Jimmy).

Comedians Bernie Winters and Billy Dainty also starred.

The Royal Variety Performance, a televised variety show, takes place annually.

It raises money for the Royal Variety Charity, of which Queen Elizabeth II is life patron.

Senior members of the British Royal Family attend the event.

It is a live variety show, usually staged in a London theatre.

The event consists of family entertainment, including comedy, music and magic.

The charity assists those who have worked professionally in the entertainment industry and need help.

In addition, it supports anybody who has been on the stage, in the wings, in front of a camera or behind it.

It also helps people who have worked in the support industries dedicated to entertainment.

Golden memories: Performing in front of Princess Diana

Find out more about the Royal Variety Charity on its official website

Golden Memories: Performing in front of Princess Diana 150 150 mhamer

Golden Memories: Performing in front of Princess Diana

As lockdown continues to #SaveOurNHS I have been looking at nostalgic memorabilia from over the years, all have given me a warm glow, none more than this one when I performed alongside my fellow entertainers in front of the Queen Mum, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, at a time when Variety was King!

Jimmy Cricket has worked with many great fellow entertainers in 50 years of showbusiness.

The lovable Northern Irish comedian has also performed in front of some very famous people.

Jimmy, now 74, has been reminiscing on social media about taking part in the Royal Variety Performance in 1984.

The show took place on 19 November at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.

Royal guests were the Queen Mother, Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

Also among the performers were singer/actor Paul Nicholas and comedians Bernie Winters and Billy Dainty.

The Royal Variety Performance is a televised variety show held annually.

It raises money for the Royal Variety Charity, of which Queen Elizabeth II is life patron.

Senior members of the British Royal Family attend the event.

The evening’s performance is presented as a live variety show, usually from a theatre in London.

‘Warm glow’

It consists of family entertainment, including comedy, music, dance, magic and other specialty acts.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Jimmy is unable to do live shows at venues.

However, he has been telling jokes via video on his social media accounts, including Facebook.

Additionally, he has been dipping into the archives and posted the images above and below on social media.

He added: “As lockdown continues to #SaveOurNHS I have been looking at nostalgic memorabilia from over the years.

“All have given me a warm glow. None more than this one.

“I performed alongside my fellow entertainers in front of the Queen Mum, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, at a time when Variety was King! ????”

Golden memories: The Osmonds

If you have any special memories of celebrities with whom Jimmy has performed or would simply like him to feature somebody in our series, you can:

As lockdown continues to #SaveOurNHS I have been looking at nostalgic memorabilia from over the years, all have given me a warm glow, none more than this one when I performed alongside my fellow entertainers in front of the Queen Mum, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, at a time when Variety was King!

Francis House: 18 years of fundraising for hospice 150 150 mhamer

Francis House: 18 years of fundraising for hospice

Jimmy Cricket has posted a booklet about his favourite charity, Francis House Children’s Hospice, on social media.
The popular entertainer has raised around half-a-million pounds for the south Manchester charity over the years.
That is thanks to countless touring shows and parish hall events over almost two decades.

These include The Stars come out for Francis House,which has now had eight editions at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre.

As well as Jimmy, this year’s line-up in April featured 60s rock band Amen Corner and Peter Sarsfield’s tribute to Frankie Valli.

Long-standing hospice supporter and entertainer Jim Nicholas hosted the event.

Came across this Francis House booklet sent to me by @FrancisHouseCH because of my involvement over the last eighteen years of fundraising, with my good friend Jim Nicholas. The Hospice was first conceived by Sister Aloysius and Fr Mulheran, now run by the architect and Pastor David Ireland.
Based at Didsbury, Francis House cares for children and young adults with life-threatening conditions.
It provides a home from home where families can receive professional care, support and friendship.

The Rainbow Family Trust was set up in the early 1990s as a charity by Sister Aloysius and Father Thomas Mulheran.

They were concerned about the lack of palliative care for the families of children with a short life expectancy.

Opened by Princess Diana

As a result, the seven-bedroom Francis House opened in November 1991, with Diana, Princess of Wales, officially doing the honours.

It was only the fifth children’s hospice built in the UK and the world.

Jimmy tweeted: “Came across this booklet [above] sent to me by @FrancisHouseCH  because of my involvement over the last eighteen years of fundraising, with my good friend Jim Nicholas.

“The Hospice was first conceived by Sister Aloysius and Fr Mulheran, now run by the architect and Pastor David Ireland.”

Francis House replied: And we love this fun pic of you from your 70th fun run and one of Jim on the back cover!

Francis House sent a reply to Jimmy’s tweet with the picture above.

It said: “And we love this fun pic of you from your 70th fun run and one of Jim on the back cover!”

Read a timeline of the history of the hospice here

Also see: Francis House benefits from Rochdale ‘jam’ night

 

Return to Norfolk theatre named after the late Princess Diana 150 150 mhamer

Return to Norfolk theatre named after the late Princess Diana

My thanks to Editor Elaine Bird @hunny_bird for printing my article about the history of the Princess Theatre in that lovely seaside town of Hunstanton, and how it was named after the late, "Diana Princess of Wales", whom I had met once while doing a Royal Variety Show!

Jimmy Cricket is returning to a theatre named after Princess Diana – whom he once met.

The famous Northern Irish funnyman, 73, will be back performing at the Princess Theatre in Hunstanton, Norfolk, on Sunday (7 July).

Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Prince Charles and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry. She died in a car crash in a Paris tunnel on 31 August 1997.

On his imminent return at the weekend, Jimmy posted the photo above on social media, saying: “My thanks to Editor Elaine Bird @hunny_bird for printing my article about the history of the Princess Theatre in that lovely seaside town of Hunstanton, and how it was named after the late, “Diana Princess of Wales”, whom I had met once while doing a Royal Variety Show!”

Book your tickets here for the Hunstanton show.