Jimmy Cricket

Cricket was born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and left school at 16. He spent the next two years working in a betting shop, before spending the summer of 1966 working as a Red Coat in Butlins Holiday camp at Mosney, County Meath, Republic of Ireland. He spent the following two summers at the Butlins Holiday Camp in Clacton, Essex. By the early 1970s he was living in Manchester. From 1972 he worked at the Pontins holiday camps in Southport and Morecambe. He returned to Clacton-on-Sea in 2006 to star in the eight-week summer show, Summer Special at the West Cliff Theatre.

Jimmy has been touring for decades in the UK with other such artistes as The Osmonds, Brotherhood of Man, Gerry and the Pacemakers, to name but a few bands from the 60's and 70's, he has also toured in comedy themed shows for Empresario Tony Denton in the Best Of British Variety Tour in 2008 with Cannon and Ball, Paul Daniels, Frank Carson and The Krankies. Jimmy is looking forward to touring in 2022 with Leah Bell in the, "Right Royal Knees Up Show" for the Queens Platinum Jubilee next year.

He was given his own four television series on a show called And There's More (named after his best-known catchphrase), produced by Central Television (also notable for including the first TV appearance by Rory Bremner) and Brian Conley. He also had his own radio series for BBC Radio 2 called Jimmy's Cricket Team, written by Eddie Braben and starring Peter Goodwright, Bill Pertwee and Noreen Kershaw.

He featured in The Krankies Klub alongside the Krankies and Bobby Davro. He also appeared in numerous Royal Variety Shows. He made many appearances on BBC TVs long running TV show The Good Old Days.

Jimmy was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1987 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in central London - the last regular edition of the programme to be broadcast with Andrews as presenter.

Cricket was one of a number of veteran performers to appear in the video for the 2007 Comic Relief single, a cover of The Proclaimers' song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by Matt Lucas as Andy Pipkin and Peter Kay as Brian Potter.

Cricket's humour is entirely clean. A popular theme of his comedy is Irish logic, and the ubiquitous letter from his "Mammy". He almost always appears in his trademark outfit of cut-off evening trousers, evening tailcoat, hat (given to him by the BBC to wear on The Good Old Days) and wellington boots marked "L" and "R" for left and right, but worn on the wrong feet. He frequently prefaces an anecdote with the catchphrase: "Ladies and gentlemen, [beat], come here [or c'mere]".

Cricket lives in Lancashire with his wife, May. He has four children and four grandchildren, Tristan, Lorelai, Jim and Bill. Two of his children, Frankie and Katie Mulgrew, followed him into comedy; Katie using her own name, Frankie as 'Frankie Doodle'. Frankie has since become ordained as a Catholic priest and published his first book, Does God LOL?, in June 2013 and his second, Miracles Of Grace in 2020. Another of Cricket's daughters, Jamie, became a Headteacher and now lives in Florida USA. His oldest son Dale is an events organiser for Bury Hospice.

On 18 September 2015 it was announced that he had been awarded a papal knighthood (Order of St. Gregory the Great) by Pope Francis for his charity work.[2]

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