Bobby Ball | |
|---|---|
 Ball in August 2013 | |
| Born | Robert Harper (1944-01-28)28 January 1944 Oldham,Lancashire, England |
| Died | 28 October 2020(2020-10-28) (aged 76) |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian and actor |
| Years active | 1972–2020 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Robert Harper (28 January 1944 – 28 October 2020), known professionally asBobby Ball, was a British comic, actor, singer and television host. He was best known as a member of the comicdouble actCannon and Ball, withTommy Cannon (Thomas Derbyshire).
They hosted their ownITV 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 includingLast of the Summer Wine,Heartbeat andNot Going Out. In 2005, Ball took part inI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.
Ball was born atBoundary Park General Hospital inOldham, Lancashire, on 28 January 1944,[2] to May (née Savage) and Bob Harper.[3][4] He attended Crompton House C of E school, Shaw, Oldham, and briefly studied Shipping Management at Wigan Mining & Technical College[2] before going to work in a factory as a welder, where he also met his future partner in comedy, Thomas Derbyshire (Tommy Cannon).[5]
Ball was one half of comedy duo Cannon and Ball, opposite his friend and colleagueTommy Cannon.[6] The duo's primetime Saturday night television seriesThe Cannon and Ball Show, was one ofLWT's most successful series, with consistently high viewing ratings that lasted for nine years.[7] They starred in the filmThe Boys in Blue together in 1982 and guest starred in theEric Sykes slapstick film,Mr H Is Late, in 1988.[6][8] Other notable guest appearances wereThe Kenny Everett Television Show in 1982 andShooting Stars in 1996.
Cannon and Ball competed in thefifth series ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!,[9] and in 2011, Cannon and Ball were guest judges on one episode of ITV'sShow Me the Funny.[10]
Ball was the creator of theITV children's cartoon seriesMilitary Style!, which aired in 1990,[6] and theBBC children's cartoon seriesJuniper Jungle, which aired in 1992.[11] He played Mr. Turner (also known as Topsy Turner) in the ITV drama seriesHeartbeat from 2005 to 2006.[12] From 2005 to 2008, he played Lenny in the BBC seriesLast of the Summer Wine.[6] In 2009, Ball starred in the comedyThe Fattest Man in Britain playing Morris Morrissey.[13]
In 2009, Ball was cast as Frank in the long-runningBBC One sitcomNot 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 theSky1 sitcom seriesMount Pleasant.[16] The following year, he took part inBBC One'sPointless Celebrities alongside Cannon.[17] His second appearance on the show was for aChildren in Need special in November 2013 withLee Mack.[18]
In 2013, Ball played the role of Duckers in theITV sitcom pilotThe Security Men, starring alongside the likes ofBrendan O'Carroll andPaddy McGuinness.[19] The episode, written byCaroline Aherne andJeff Pope, was later not picked up for a full series. Cannon and Ball appeared in ITV'sLast Laugh in Vegas in 2018. Cannon and Ball have also previously starred in theSafestyle UK television advertisements.[20]
In November 2019, he played the regular character Ray, stepdad toJoe Wilkinson's character Simon, inThe Cockfields.[21]
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 onBBC Tees on 28 June 2016, Ball said that he met Yvonne while performing with Cannon at a club inNorton, 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 inLytham 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 theBradford 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 aChristian,[30] which helped re-kindle his broken friendship with Cannon.[31] Cannon became a Christian in 1992, with the pair publishing a book calledChristianity 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, entitledMy Life, in 1993.[34]
He was a supporter of theVariety 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]
Ball died at theVictoria Hospital inBlackpool, on 28 October 2020, aged 76 fromCOVID-19.[1][37] A small tribute was paid to Ball after the closing credits of the 2021 New Year's special ofNot 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]
| Year | Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Boys in Blue | PC Bobby Ball |
| 1988 | Mr H Is Late | Driver's mate |
| Year | Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Opportunity Knocks[38] | Himself (co-star) |
| 1974 | Win, Place or Steal | Professor |
| 1978 | Bruce Forsyth's Big Night[39] | Himself (co-star) |
| 1979–1988 | The Cannon and Ball Show | Himself (co-star) |
| 1980 | Summer Royal | Himself[citation needed] |
| 1982 | The Kenny Everett Show | Himself (guest)[citation needed] |
| 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 characters[citation needed] |
| The Royal | John Wilson[citation needed] | |
| 2005 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | Himself (contestant) |
| 2005–2008 | Last of the Summer Wine | Lenny[citation needed] |
| 2005–2006 | Heartbeat | Mr. Turner/Topsy Turner[citation needed] |
| 2006 | It's Behind You... | |
| 2007 | The Afternoon Play | Bingo Manager[citation needed] |
| 2009 | The Fattest Man in Britain | Morris |
| 2009–2021 | Not Going Out | Frank (Lee's Dad) |
| 2010 | All Star Mr & Mrs | Himself (contestant)[citation needed] |
| 2011 | Show Me the Funny | Himself (guest judge)[citation needed] |
| 2011–2017 | Mount Pleasant | Barry |
| 2012 | Blackpool: Big Night Out | |
| Coach Trip | Himself (guest)[40] | |
| Casualty | Gerry Davies[citation needed] | |
| Strictly Come Dancing: Christmas Special | Himself (contestant)[41] | |
| 2013 | Success and Television | |
| The Security Men | Duckers | |
| 2018 | Last Laugh in Vegas | Himself[42] |
| 2018 | Benidorm | Ron Pickford |
| 2019 | The Cockfields | Ray |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
