The cast of "LETS HEAR IT FOR THE WEE MAN"
with Rochdale Lord and Lady Mayor
It is now August 2026 and as it has been a few years since my last post, I’m just letting you know where I’m up to.
Showbusiness wise I am more or less semi-retired especially when it comes to driving long distances although I still work local venues. Places like, the Strawberry Duck, The Rozafa, The Millstone etc. plus yearly events such as The Irish Golfing annual charity at Northenden. I still do the odd concert, in fact, I did The GLEN SOUTH Variety Show in the Muni theatre Colne last week. It was a great show and nice to meet up with a great friend from my cruising days, JULIE SCOTT who, incidentally, is singing better than ever.
I also do birthday parties for friends and even believe it or not, funerals. So, all in all I’m as busy as I want to be.
I would like to thank everyone who bought my book “KEY TO YESTERDAY” and also let you know about my new book called “I WAS ONLY SAYING.” It will be out soon and more information on that will be in a future post.
I think one of the worst things about getting on in years is, losing one’s friends and family members.
For me it was saying goodbye to people like DAVE BARRON a great local comedian. FRED FIELDER a terrific Manchester radio presenter and a great character. Then, there was ERIC DEVEREAUX one of Manchester’s legendary comperes and, on a personal level KEVIN NEIL'S wife CLARE. A lovely woman who Margaret and I were privileged to know.
OK now it’s Monday the 3rd of August and Dale Mulgrew, Jimmy Cricket's son, informs me that his dad passed away that morning. May, his wife had told me a week before that he was in palliative care but it was still hard to get my head around the fact that he was gone.
Yes, Jimmy Cricket is gone but my oh my, what memories he has left for all of us to treasure.
For me our friendship began around 1969/1970 when I was compere in the Del Sol night club and Jimmy was in the talent contest doing a routine dressed as a Japanese prisoner of war.
He didn’t win, but he was undeterred and that’s what I always admired about him, he was always positive, he would see good in everything. Jimmy was always funny, but sometimes that is not enough, you need the determination as well and he had both, in abundance.
Consequently, it came as no surprise to me when he achieved the fame and success he so richly deserved.
I remember working with him in the Candlelight Club in Oldham and top of the bill was a 7-piece band called Seventh Avenue. On the second night he said hello to each one of them by name. He really cared about people.
This showed through his charity work as he raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for good causes like Saint Francis House (a children’s hospice). Parkinsons Disease and many other charities benefited from his kindness, leading to the Pope bestowing on him a Papal Knighthood.
Our paths were to cross many times over the years. For example, I knew his wife May before they were married as she sang in a double act called The Tweedie Sisters who I worked with a lot. Then, there were all the shows Jimmy and I did together when I was with The Bachelors.
Great memories.
Like I said Jimmy was always volunteering to do charities and sometimes he would volunteer me as well, Saint Vincents in Rochdale springs to mind. We had great fun doing these shows as the audiences were more like friends - and they simply loved Jimmy as did, in my opinion, the whole world, especially anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him.
They say behind every great man is a great woman. Well, that is certainly the case where May Mulgrew is concerned. She was everything to Jimmy throughout their 52 years of marriage. Setting up the equipment, secretary, adviser, driver, wife, mother and most of all his greatest FAN.
I never thought Jimmy got enough credit for the Plays and the Musicals he wrote, and because I was busy with The Bachelors I only got to appear in two, although, I did record “We built a snowman“ for him.
It will always be a memorable moment for me when I was asked to stand in at the last minute for the Coronation Street actor Charles Lawson and do the narration for LETS HEAR IT FOR THE WEE MAN in Rochdale town hall with a great cast including Sue Devaney.
Looking back, I think Jimmy and I were never closer than when he asked me to play the part of Joe Faffing in his play “NO MORE FIFFING AND FAFFING” - and of course I said yes! What followed was a lot of rehearsing with Jimmy and that great actor Colin Meredth, then a tour of about half a dozen theatres. It’s worth mentioning that the tour would have been longer if not for the outbreak of Covid.
Of course, Jimmy Cricket will always be remembered as one of the great comedians of his day, all the tributes in the press and television will tell you that.
It goes without saying that no one will feel this great loss more than Jimmy’s family and so I think I speak for everyone when I say that they will be in our thoughts and in our prayers.
His wife May, sons Dale and Frankie, daughters Katie and Jamie and grandchildren, Tristan, Lorelia, Bill and Jim.
Finally, I believe that when people get tired of the foul language and smut that passes for comedy today maybe they will show reruns of JIMMY CRICKET’S old TV shows so we can laugh at good clean humour and then once again we will hear those immortal words:
“AND THERES MORE”
