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wellies

The summer of 2006 150 150 mhamer

The summer of 2006

Jimmy Cricket with Tracy Hudson and Sue

This picture of Jimmy Cricket was taken at the West Cliff Theatre in Clacton–on-Sea during the summer season of 2006.

The famous entertainer is shown alongside audience member Tracy Hudson and also Sue who was one of the theatre’s ushers.

Tracy is a big fan of Jimmy and regularly watches archive footage on his YouTube channel.
Jimmy said: “Tracy is not currently in the best of health, but I wish her a very speedy recovery so she can get to one of my live shows in the future.”
Walkabout with the Lamplighters 150 150 mhamer

Walkabout with the Lamplighters

Jimmy Cricket and the Lamplighters

Jimmy Cricket teamed up with a musician he has known for more than  40 years when he promoted a show in Stockport earlier this year.

The famous entertainer thought a walkabout would be a good way of publicising his forthcoming visit to Stockport’s Plaza Theatre at the end of January.

Jimmy Cricket and the Lamplighters

Armed with his much-loved saxophone, he decided he would join his friends, the busking outfit called the Lamplighters, and walk from the pub called The Swan With Two Necks in central Stockport.

They went along Mersey Square in front of the main entrance to the Merseyway Shopping Centre, and then on to the theatre itself.

The Lamplighters are in fact the Walker brothers – Cyril (on the accordion) and Ivor, commonly known as Mack (on the drum).
Jimmy has known Cyril for a very long time – it was he who helped the Northern Irish comedian to get established on the North of England club circuit when he first set out on the road to showbusiness back in the early 1970s.
At that time Cyril was part of a double act called Clayton and Walker who were already touring around the entertainment venues in the North.
Jimmy said: “The parade through Stockport was a nice bit of fun. It also certainly made an impact, as when I returned to the Plaza I had a very healthy crowd in attendance who all had a great time watching my stand-up show!”
The ‘wellie wonderman’ 150 150 mhamer

The ‘wellie wonderman’
Jimmy Cricket and his family appeared in the Weekend and Titbits magazine in the 1980s

Jimmy Cricket and his family appeared in the Weekend & Titbits magazine in the 1980s

Jimmy Cricket was described as the “Wellie Wonderman” by a magazine during the 1980s.

Jimmy Cricket and his family appeared in the Weekend and Titbits magazine in the 1980s

The entertainer, famous for his wellies which he wears on the wrong feet, and his family were featured  in the issue of Weekend and Titbits on 19 June 1985.

Jimmy was pictured on the front page of the magazine holding a cricket bat and an article entitled “Wonder in wellies” inside includes a photograph (right) of Jimmy and his young family at the time.

This nostalgic look-back is courtesy of Amy Phillips who has set up a new website and blog (an online diary) about the variety genre under the title Variety Emporium.

Jimmy said: “I am most grateful for Amy featuring on this new website a look-back at one of the publications I appeared in during the 1980s.

“I  was also thrilled Amy recently came along to see my ‘Audience with’ show at the Ormskirk Civic Hall – it shows Amy really is a true supporter of variety!”

Jimmy Cricket and his family appeared in the Weekend and Titbits magazine in the 1980s

Christmas card features stolen wellies 150 150 mhamer

Christmas card features stolen wellies

Jimmy Cricket's Christmas cardJimmy Cricket’s latest Christmas card is based on his concrete wellies which were stolen last summer.

And the specially designed card is the subject of a story in his local newspaper, the Rochdale Observer.

The concrete wellies, which had been given to Rochdale-based Jimmy as a 50th birthday present by fellow comedian Ken Dodd, were taken from his garden in Shawclough.

Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy is famous for wearing wellingtons, marked with the letters R and L on the wrong feet, during his acts.

He said at the time of the theft that the concrete wellies were of “high sentimental value”.

The BBC, ITV, the Rochdale Observer and several radio stations were among many media organisations to report on the crime.

Saturday’s edition (21 December) of the Observer features Jimmy’s 2013 Christmas card (above right) which has him appealing to Santa Claus to retrieve his wellies and put them under his Christmas tree on the big day (see image below).

The Belfast-born funnyman used the inspiration of London 2012 when it came to designing last year’s Christmas card, which featured Olympic champions Usain Bolt and Mo Farah.

* Jimmy, who is currently appearing in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Forum Theatre in Billingham near Middlesbrough, wishes everybody a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Jimmy Cricket's Christmas card which features in the Rochdale Observer

Backing the Big Red Seat Appeal 150 150 mhamer

Backing the Big Red Seat Appeal

Jimmy Cricket makes an appeal on behalf of the Royal Concert Hall in NottinghamJimmy Cricket used his legendary wellies to support a campaign set up to renovate a famous theatre. 

The Big Red Seat Appeal aims to raise enough funds to replace all 2,500 seats in the Royal Concert Hall auditorium in Nottingham.

It costs £300 to replace each seat is £300, meaning a fundraising target of £750,000 with Nottingham City Council pledging to match all donations, so every £1 given becomes £2.

Since singer-songwriter, composer and pianist Sir Elton John opened the Royal Concert Hall on 27 November 1982, millions of people have come through its doors to experience live performances, from every genre of music, dance and comedy.

Famous entertainer Jimmy was the headline performer of a national music hall tour during 2013 and the Nottingham venue was one of the autumn dates in the show’s schedule.

While he was there, he was asked to support the Royal Concert Hall appeal, a request he could not resist, so he grabbed his trademark wellington boots and made his own personal endorsement of the campaign.

Jimmy is a big supporter of live theatre and this was another opportunity to put his words into action.

Find out more about the appeal.

Still a Mammy’s boy 150 150 mhamer

Still a Mammy’s boy
The Sunday Life article about Jimmy Cricket returning to Belfast for the festival

The Sunday Life article about famous comedian Jimmy Cricket returning to Belfast for the festival

Jimmy Cricket launched an international comedy festival in his native city at the weekend.

Now living in Rochdale, the Northern Irish comedian returned to Belfast to officially open Belly Laughs.

The week-long inaugural Belfast International Comedy Festival began on Sunday with Jimmy’s show at the Black Box venue in the Cathedral Quarter of the city.

In total, the festival, which closes on Sunday (7 October) comprises of 30 performances at 15 venues across Belfast.

As well as stand-up comedy, the festival also features poetry, magic, cabaret, workshops, seminars, club nights, book readings and events for children.

The Belfast-based Sunday Life newspaper previewed the festival and Jimmy’s return to his home city.

Jimmy said: “The show went very well and was a great start to this festival which is in its inaugural year and which it is hoped will become an annual future in Belfast’s cultural calendar.”

‘Hit for six by star comic’s latest reinvention’ 150 150 mhamer

‘Hit for six by star comic’s latest reinvention’

South Wales Argus article about Jimmy Cricket

Jimmy Cricket and his wellies had them laughing in the Valleys recently.

The famous Irish comedian performed at Pontypool Park in Pontypool, south Wales, in mid-August.

A feature all about Jimmy and his successful showbiz career appeared in the South Wales Argus a week before the show.

The newspaper article began… If you were a keen viewer of comedy sketch shows in the 1980s, the name Jimmy Cricket stirs up many a comical image.

Remembered for reading humorous letters from his “mammy” while sporting an out-of-shape hat, a dinner jacket matched with a pair of cut-off evening trousers and a trademark pair of wrongly matched wellies clearly marked “L” and “R”, Jimmy was loved by young and old alike for his numerous TV and radio appearances.

The Irish-born comedian’s training ground stretches back to the 1960s when he was a redcoat in Butlins holiday camps organising everything from darts matches to hula-hoop contests.

“Looking back, it’s like what young people do for these performance degrees,” he says.

“I suppose the holiday camps were a bit like that because you learned how to project to the back of the theatre and to put stage make up on. It held me in great stead for pantomime and things like that…”