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Autobiography: Buy The Jimmy Cricket Story now! 150 150 mhamer

Autobiography: Buy The Jimmy Cricket Story now!

The Jimmy Cricket Story is the famous comedian's official autobiography

Jimmy Cricket proudly shows off a copy of his official autobiography, which 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.

The book can be ordered from online retailer Amazon here.

Jimmy launched the book last week, saying: “It’s here, friends. The story of how it all began.

“From my childhood growing up in Northern Ireland …

“… through the Butlin’s Redcoat days in the sixties,  when every camp  had a custom-built theatre …

“… the Pontins Bluecoat days when I met my good lady May …

” … the northern clubs in the seventies when there was a social club in practically every street corner …

” … and the eighties when the television schedules were dominated by variety shows.

“It’ll strike a chord with older readers and give younger ones an insight into a world that seemed to vanish before our very eyes.

“And there’s more.

“It also gives me a chance to thank publicly some of the people who’ve helped me through life’s journey.”

Warm memories

The page promoting Jimmy’s autobiography on Amazon says: “This book is a personally written account of Jimmy’s 50 Golden Years in showbusiness.

“From holiday camp Redcoat to Bluecoat, then on to his first big break on television, (after many struggles).

“Going on to headline for four of his own series for Central television in the 1980s with Royal Command Performances and TV Variety shows in between.

“Then his BBC Radio 2 series written by the great scriptwriter Eddie Braben in the 1990s which ran for five years called, Jimmy’s Cricket Team.

“As Jimmy says himself in the book: ‘I hope it brings back warm memories for older readers’.

“‘And gives a taste to younger readers of a form of entertainment that seemed to vanish before our very eyes.'”

A reminder that Jimmy’s book is available on 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.

Also read: Mary’s Meals: 20 years serving global communities

From bingo caller to 50 Golden Years in showbiz!

Frankie Whittle: A great friend for over half a century 150 150 mhamer

Frankie Whittle: A great friend for over half a century

What a fabulous turn out for our dear friend and showbiz colleague, Frankie Whittle at Carleton Crematorium today, we started out as Redcoats at Butlins Clacton in 1968, and had remained great friends during all these years! ! R.I.P.

Jimmy Cricket said a final farewell to fellow entertainer Frankie Whittle, a great friend for more than 50 years.

The crematorium service for Frankie, known as Bolton’s “singing milkman”, took place in Blackpool on Wednesday 16 February.

Jimmy said: “What a fabulous turnout for our dear friend and showbiz colleague, Frankie Whittle at Carleton Crematorium today.

“We started out as Redcoats at Butlins Clacton in 1968 and had remained great friends during all these years! R.I.P.”

Jimmy and Frankie were fellow Redcoats at Butlin’s holiday site in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

“Being a Redcoat was a great passion of Frankie’s – he would have done it 365 days of the year if he could,” added Jimmy.

“It’s special to think that we stayed very good friends for 54 years.”

Frankie enjoyed a showbiz career of more than 50 years.

Among other things, he was an actor/panto dame in addition to being singer/compere at The Music Hall Tavern in Blackpool.

Jimmy recently posted a video on social media of a sketch involving dancing binmen in memory of his late friend.

It features him, Frankie and others as binmen who perform a dance routine around the bins.

The funny clip ends with them running after the bin lorry which has driven off without them!

Watch the video by clicking here – it should begin automatically, but if not click on the arrow in the image and turn on/up the volume as necessary.

Frankie’s Redcoat Memories

Also read from this website: Butlin’s reunion from the 1960s

Frankie Whittle: From Butlin’s to Blackpool’s Music Hall Tavern

A reunion of old friends at the Lyndene Hotel 150 150 mhamer

A reunion of old friends at the Lyndene Hotel

Great to catch up with old friends @LyndeneHotel with Frankie who was a Redcoat with me, Mal Ford got up for a song, alongside Mal Dixon, star from films Star Wars, Harry Potter, Willy Wonky, etc, with his lovely wife Anita and Lyall, (magician)Jimmy Cricket enjoyed a reunion with some old pals at the Lyndene Hotel in Blackpool where he has been performing regularly over the past few years.

Among those the famous comedian caught up with recently was actor Malcolm Dixon, who played a character in Star Wars, and his wife Anita.

Star Wars is an American epic space movie franchise based on the series created by George Lucas. It depicts the adventures of various characters “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”.

Malcolm played Leektar in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

Jimmy posted on Twitter: Great to catch up with old friends with Frankie who was a Redcoat with me, Mal Ford got up for a song, alongside Mal Dixon, star from films Star Wars, Harry Potter, Willy Wonky, etc, with his lovely wife Anita and Lyall, (magician).

Butlins photo from 1968 evokes fond memories 150 150 mhamer

Butlins photo from 1968 evokes fond memories

Butlins Redcoat Jimmy Cricket with Jill Bright and her sister Joy in 1968

A photograph almost half-a-century old has brought back some great memories for famous entertainer Jimmy Cricket.

The Northern Irish comedian was recently sent the picture featuring him as a Butlins Redcoat in 1968.

At that time, Jimmy was at the Butlins resort in the Essex coastal resort of Clacton-on-Sea.

It was sent by a lady from Plymouth called Jill Bright and she and her sister Joy are with Jimmy in the photo above.

Jill explained her family had fond memories from that summer of an Irish Redcoat in Clacton, but it was not until she found negatives of photographs belonging to her mum that she saw a reference to his first name.

When she got the negatives processed, she realised this Irish Redcoat was none other than well-known funnyman Jimmy.

In a further twist, Jill also works in the theatre industry as she is the stage doorkeeper at Plymouth’s Theatre Royal.

Jimmy, 71, said: “I was thrilled to receive the photo as it brought back such wonderful memories for me and I would like to thank Jill for allowing me to see it again.”

Another Redcoats reunion for Jimmy 150 150 mhamer

Another Redcoats reunion for Jimmy

Jimmy with some other former Butlins Redcoats

Jimmy Cricket had his latest Butlins Redcoat reunion when he was appearing at a Pontins holiday village earlier this summer.

Jimmy Cricket with Paul Ogden, another former Butlins Redcoat

The well-known comedian worked as a Redcoat at the Butlins sites in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, and Mosney near Dublin in Ireland during the late 1960s before becoming a household name on television.

He has met up with some of his old colleagues during the decades since then and this was actually the second time he had encountered this particular group of fellow former Redcoats – he also bumped into them the last time he was at Sand Bay Holiday Park in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, a couple of years ago!

The photos are courtesy of Paul Ogden, with whom Jimmy can be seen right.

Above, Jimmy has actually managed to borrow a red coat from one of the group and is pictured alongside them all sharing some comedy banter.

* Redcoat is the name given to front-line staff at Butlins holiday camps in the UK. A Redcoat has duties ranging from adult entertainer or children’s entertainer to stewarding. Read more about them here.

Butlin’s reunion from the 1960s 150 150 mhamer

Butlin’s reunion from the 1960s

Frankie Whittle and Ernie Shrimp and his wife all went to watch Jimmy’s showJimmy Cricket caught up with some old friends during his summer season in Norfolk.

The well-known comedian was headlining the Great British Seaside Special at the Princess Theatre when he visited by some of his former Redcoat colleagues from the Butlin’s holiday site in Clacton-on-Sea.

Frankie Whittle and Ernie Shrimp and his wife all went to watch Jimmy’s show in Hunstanton and chat about the old times afterwards (picture above).

Jimmy said: “Frankie, Ernie and I were all at Butlin’s together in the late 1960s, so this was a wonderful reunion and a really nice way to catch up with these long-time friends.”