Bobby Ball

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Robert Harper (28 January 1944 – 28 October 2020), known professionally as Bobby Ball, was a British comic, actor, singer and television host. He was best known as a member of the comic double act Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon (Thomas Derbyshire).

They hosted their own ITV show, The Cannon and Ball Show, for nine years between 1979 and 1988. Ball then went on to have acting roles in various sitcoms and dramas including Last of the Summer Wine, Heartbeat and Not Going Out. In 2005, Ball took part in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

Early life

Ball was born at Boundary Park General Hospital in Oldham, Lancashire, on 28 January 1944,[1] to May (née Savage) and Bob Harper.[2][3] He attended Crompton House C of E school, Shaw, Oldham, and briefly studied Shipping Management at Wigan Mining & Technical College[1] before going to work in a factory as a welder, where he also met his future partner in comedy, Thomas Derbyshire (Tommy Cannon).[4]

Career

Cannon and Ball

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Ball was one half of comedy duo Cannon and Ball, opposite his friend and colleague Tommy Cannon.[5] The duo's primetime Saturday night television series The Cannon and Ball Show, was one of LWT's most successful series, with consistently high viewing ratings that lasted for nine years.[6] They starred in the film The Boys in Blue together in 1982[7] and guest starred in the Eric Sykes slapstick film, Mr H Is Late, in 1988.[5][8] Other notable guest appearances were The Kenny Everett Television Show in 1982 and Shooting Stars in 1996.

Cannon and Ball competed in the fifth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!,[9] and in 2011, Cannon and Ball were guest judges on one episode of ITV's Show Me the Funny.[10]

Television

Ball was the creator of the ITV children's cartoon series Military Style!, which aired in 1990,[5] and the BBC children's cartoon series Juniper Jungle, which aired in 1992.[11] He played Mr. Turner (also known as Topsy Turner) in the ITV drama series Heartbeat from 2005 to 2006.[12] Between 2005 and 2008, he played Lenny in three episodes of the BBC series Last of the Summer Wine.[5] In 2009, Ball starred in the comedy The Fattest Man in Britain playing Morris Morrissey.[13]

In 2009, Ball was cast as Frank in the long-running BBC One sitcom Not Going Out.[14] Ball made his final appearance as Frank in the eleventh season, which began airing in January 2021, and was filmed a few weeks before his death.[15]

From 2011 to 2017, Ball played Barry in the Sky1 sitcom series Mount Pleasant.[16] The following year, he took part in BBC One's Pointless Celebrities alongside Cannon.[17] His second appearance on the show was for a Children in Need special in November 2013 with Lee Mack.[18]

In 2013, Ball played the role of Duckers in the ITV sitcom pilot The Security Men, starring alongside the likes of Brendan O'Carroll and Paddy McGuinness.[19] The episode, written by Caroline Aherne and Jeff Pope, was later not picked up for a full series. Cannon and Ball appeared in ITV's Last Laugh in Vegas in 2018. Cannon and Ball have also previously starred in the Safestyle UK television advertisements.[20]

In November 2019, he played the regular character Ray, stepdad to Joe Wilkinson's character Simon, in The Cockfields.[21]

Personal life

Ball married his first wife, Joan Lynn, in 1964,[22][23] with whom he had two sons, Robert (born 1965) and Darren (born 1969), who are now a comedy double act in their own right, performing under their surname 'Harper'. Ball and Lynn separated in 1970.

Ball married his second wife, Yvonne Nugent,[24] in 1974.[25][26] In an interview on BBC Tees on 28 June 2016, Ball said that he met Yvonne while performing with Cannon at a club in Norton, County Durham: "We were playing there ... she came downstairs in a little mini skirt, looked at me and Tommy, shook her head and walked away. I thought, 'I'd spend my life with her.'"

Ball and his wife lived in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. Together they had a daughter Joanne born in 1972.[27][28]

By 1983, Ball's friendship with Cannon had deteriorated and the pair did not speak to each other outside of rehearsals and performances. In 1986, while working at the Bradford Alhambra, Ball began talking with chaplain Max Wigley. Ball said: "I got talking to him and attacked him verbally about God. But he had a peace about him. I can't explain exactly what he had but he had something that I didn't have. One day I asked to speak to him and after a while he said, 'Let's pray.' I'd never prayed in my life but we prayed and it just changed my life – like that [he snaps his fingers]."[29] Shortly afterward Ball became a Christian,[30] which helped re-kindle his broken friendship with Cannon.[31] Cannon became a Christian in 1992, with the pair publishing a book called Christianity for Beginners.[32] They regularly featured in their own gospel and "An audience with..." show in churches around the country. He also taught vicars and clergy how to incorporate humour into sermons.[33]

He published an autobiography, entitled My Life, in 1993.[34]

He was a supporter of the Variety Children's Charity, presiding over the organization's ceremonies and appearing in fundraising events.[35] He received a lifetime achievement honor from Variety, in 2018.[36]

Death

Ball died from COVID-19 at the Victoria Hospital in Blackpool on 28 October 2020, aged 76.[37][38] A small tribute was paid to Ball after the closing credits of the 2021 New Year's special of Not Going Out, which was the first episode broadcast after his death, before another tribute (a compilation of past scenes featuring his character) that was shown in the final episode of Series 11, which was the final episode recorded before his death. [15]

Filmography

Film
Year Show Role
1982 The Boys in Blue PC Bobby Ball
1988 Mr H Is Late Driver's mate
Television
Year Show Role
1972 Opportunity Knocks[39] Himself (co-star)
1974 Win, Place or Steal Professor
1978 Bruce Forsyth's Big Night[40] Himself (co-star)
1979–1988 The Cannon and Ball Show Himself (co-star)
1980 Summer Royal HimselfScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
1982 The Kenny Everett Show Himself (guest)Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
The Children's Royal Variety Performance Cast member
1983 The Boys in Blue Police Constable Bobby Ball
1986 Tommy Cooper
1987 Prisoners in Park Lane
Anything but the Truth
Slightly Overweight
Splash
1988 A Night of Comic Relief
Mr. H. is Late
1990 Day out with Dana
Casino Host (3 episodes)
1991 Plaza Patrol Trevor Purvis (6 episodes)
1993 Gloria!
1996 Shooting Stars Himself (guest)
1997 Surprise, Surprise
Babies Sam Clarington
2002 Rex the Runt Wayne the Zebra (voice)
2004 Revolver Various charactersScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
The Royal John WilsonScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
2005 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Himself (contestant)
2005–2008 Last of the Summer Wine Lenny (3 episodes: "The Swan Man of Ilkley", "Who's That Talking to Lenny?" and "Get Out of That, Then", in each of which Tommy Cannon also appeared[41][42][43])
2005–2006 Heartbeat Mr. Turner/Topsy TurnerScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
2006 It's Behind You...
2007 The Afternoon Play Bingo ManagerScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
2009 The Fattest Man in Britain Morris
2009–2021 Not Going Out Frank (Lee's Dad)
2010 All Star Mr & Mrs Himself (contestant)Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
2011 Show Me the Funny Himself (guest judge)Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
2011–2017 Mount Pleasant Barry
2012 Blackpool: Big Night Out
Coach Trip Himself (guest)[44]
Casualty Gerry DaviesScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
Strictly Come Dancing: Christmas Special Himself (contestant)[45]
2013 Success and Television
The Security Men Duckers
2018 Last Laugh in Vegas Himself [46]
2018 Benidorm Ron Pickford
2019 The Cockfields Ray

References

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  5. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Marriages – https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl – Robert Harper – Middleton January, February, March 1974
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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