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Royal Variety Show

Tom O’Connor: One of the all-time greats 150 150 mhamer

Tom O’Connor: One of the all-time greats

So sad to hear of the passing of my fellow comedian Tom O’Connor. Tom’s razor sharp observations and impeccable timing made him one of the all time greats! Our thoughts and prayers go out to Pat his lovely wife, (pictured here with Tom), and all his family! ♥️xx

Jimmy Cricket has described the late Tom O’Connor as an “all-time great”.

Comedian Tom died in hospital in Buckinghamshire on Sunday 18 July aged 81.

He had had Parkinson’s for more than a decade.

Jimmy said on Facebook: “So sad to hear of the passing of my fellow comedian Tom O’Connor.

“Tom’s razor sharp observations and impeccable timing made him one of the all-time greats.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Pat his lovely wife and all his family ♥️xx.”

Jimmy’s Facebook post has so far attracted around 200 comments – read them here – and been shared more than 650 times.

Tom rose to fame on TV show Opportunity Knocks, which he won three times.

He went on to star in The Comedians and host shows including Name That Tune, Crosswits and the Tom O’Connor Show.

Like Jimmy, Tom’s humour was always completely family friendly.

He was born in Bootle, Merseyside, and went on to become a maths teacher and assistant headteacher.

He became a professional entertainer in the early 1970s, establishing himself as a household name with shows like Pick Pockets and The Zodiac Game.

Again like Jimmy, his career also saw him appearing in the Royal Variety Show at the London Palladium and being the subject of This Is Your Life.

Read the BBC news story about Tom’s passing here 

TV comedy show featured Jimmy Cricket, Jason Manford and Tom O’Connor

‘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.

See Jimmy’s social media post about the 1984 show

Golden memories: Performing in front of Princess Diana

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

Mammy’s Letters saved the day at two big shows 150 150 mhamer

Mammy’s Letters saved the day at two big shows

Jimmy Cricket's column in the Lancashire Evening Post in October 2016

Jimmy Cricket’s much-loved Mammy’s Letters haven’t just been entertaining for audiences – they have also come to the rescue on more than one occasion.

The famous comedian, 70, recalls two of those times in his Lancashire Evening Post column for October.

He says the first was when he was appearing in the Royal Children’s Variety Show in London, which was being recorded to be televised on Christmas Day in 1986 and included Princess Margaret in the audience.

Jimmy had just finished his three-minute act and was heading for the wings when a “very distraught” stage manager indicated to him that the set behind the curtain wasn’t ready for the next performance, which was to star well-known actors Jan Francis and Paul Nicholas.

So he did one of his ever-popular Mammy’s Letters and timed it to perfection; just as he finished, the curtain started opening behind him.

And he also told of the time he was playing panto at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham when there was a power cut, which plunged the theatre and half the city into darkness.

“As the torch-wielding usherettes led the audience quietly down the aisles and out the exit doors, I reached for my pocket. This time in a loud voice – as all the mikes were off, of course – I said: ‘Dear son, I’m cutting down on electricity. I’m only going to plug the electric clock in when I want to know the time!’ said Jimmy.

“As I could hear little pockets of laughter emanating from the stalls, it gave me a warm glow to know I was helping to keep things calm in what can be a scary situation, especially for the children there that night.”

* Jimmy has produced a new Christmas CD in aid of the Francis House Children’s Hospice. It is priced at £5 and available for purchase from either the hospice direct or from the shop on this website.