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5 unusual facts about Cannon and Ball


Bobby Ball

Robert Harper known as Bobby Ball (born 28 January 1944) is an English comedian, best known as one half of the double act Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon.

Cannon and Ball

The pair revived a touring version of the theatrical farce Big Bad Mouse, originally a highly successful vehicle for Jimmy Edwards and Eric Sykes in the 1960s and 1970s.

The latest incarnation of the show featured Cannon and Ball in the starring roles, supported by Allo Allo’s Sue Hodge as Lady Chesapeake and newcomer Emily Trebicki as secretary Miss Spencer.

During the 1980s, Greg Dyke, the then Head of Programming at ITV station TVS and later to hold a similar position at LWT expressed a concern that northern comedy shows may not suit southern tastes.

They also featured in a comic strip Rock On Tommy, which was published in the magazine Look-in.


Alec Bregonzi

Later on, Bregonzi worked with comedians Cannon and Ball, Kenny Everett, Hale and Pace, Little and Large, Kelly Monteith, and on half a dozen occasions in the television series The Two Ronnies (with Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett) and Filthy Rich and Catflap (1987, with Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer).

Ben Watton

Ben Watton's first professional stage appearance was at the age of 6, appearing as a mini Bobby Ball opposite the comedians Cannon and Ball in A Night of a Thousand Laughs at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth.

Pavilion Theatre, Cromer Pier

Over the years many well-known artists have appeared at the Pavilion Theatre including - Ken Dodd; Cannon and Ball; Joe Brown, The Searchers; Jimmy Tarbuck; Paul Daniels; The Barron Knights; Marty Wilde; Vince Hill; Max Bygraves; Val Doonican;Raymond Froggatt.


see also

Bobby Ball

Bobby was one half of comedy duo Cannon and Ball alongside his friend and former colleague Tommy Cannon (real name Thomas Derbyshire).