COMEDY ACTS for hire
JIMMY CRICKET
Information
Jimmy Cricket was born James Mulgrew on October 17 1945 in Cookstown, Northern Ireland.
He left school at 16 years of age and worked for the next two years in a Belfast betting shop, before spending the summer of 1966 working as a Redcoat at the Butlin's holiday camp in Mosney, outside Dublin. This was followed by two more summers at the Butlin's holiday camp in Clacton-on-sea.
By the early 1970s Jimmy was living in Manchester and from 1972 worked at the Pontin's holiday camps in Southport and Morecambe. It was at this time he started to develop as a comedian, as he started to appear around the then vibrant northern club scene.
At the beginning of the 1980's, Jimmy won ITV's television talent contest 'Search For A Star' and was later given his own television show called 'And There's More' broadcast over four series between 1985 - 1988 (which included the first TV appearance by the impressionist Rory Bremner).
Jimmy has had other numerous television appearances and has featured on the Royal Variety performance and the children's equivalent. He also appeared in the 2007 Comic Relief video of The Proclaimers' song 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' which featured Matt Lucas and Peter Kay.
Jimmy also had his own radio series on BBC Radio 2 during the 1990's called 'Jimmy's Cricket Team.'
After producing several CDs, Jimmy's first live stand up comedy DVD called 'Jimmy Cricket - Pull your seats forward' was released in early 2010.
Jimmy has also written three musical shows. The latest is called 'Maloney's Big Moment' and was given its premiere at the Thwaites Empire Theatre in Blackburn in 2013. This new musical is all about an ex-pat Brit who lives in an anglicised Spanish seaside resort and who happens to be made mayor, in spite of not speaking a word of Spanish!
Jimmy's best-known catchphrases include 'come ere!' and '...and there's more!' Of course, he is instantly recognisable for the attire he wears, which includes a funny hat and his trademark wellies on the wrong feet. Jimmy is also famed for reading out a Letter from his Mammy!
In 2015 Jimmy made a long awaited appearance in a feature film which was shot over the summer on location in North Wales. The film is entitled 'Womble the Movie' and revolves around a central character called Womble, who, in spite of having to live with Asperger's Syndrome, has an aspiration to become a stand-up comedian. Jimmy's role is towards the end of the film when Womble is due to perform in a local talent show. This was one of the few remaining bridges for Jimmy to have crossed, as over an illustrious and celebrated career he as appeared across most platforms within stage and screen.
Finally, at the end of 2015 Jimmy featured in a special Christmas show alongside the internationally acclaimed 'Osmonds'. The show was called the 'Andy Williams Christmas Spectacular' and toured for fifteen dates during December across the UK, visiting venues such as the O2 Arena in London and the Harrogate International centre.