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Bobby Ball

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Robert Harper was a factory welder in Oldham, Lancashire when he met Tommy Derbyshire, and together decided to form the double act Cannon and Ball. They started as singers working the pubs and clubs before switching to comedy because the money was better. From a 1974 appearance in Opportunity Knocks they rose to be a staple of primetime Saturday night TV in the 1980s, with their self-titled LWT show running for nine series, leading to the 1982 film The Boys in Blue together in 1982, in which they played policemen. They enjoyed the trappings – and the stresses - of success in their heyday, living the high life – with Ball an especially notorious hell raiser - but also falling out to the point they were barely on speaking terms. That changed when Ball became a Christian in 1986 and put his wild days behind him, and the pair eventually had a rapprochement. In 2005, Ball took part in reality series I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and in 2009, he was cast as Frank, the father of Lee Mack’s character, in the BBC One sitcom Not Going Out, He also appeared in the 2019 comedy, The Cockfields. Ball died in Blackpool on October 28, 2020m at the aged of 76 from Covid complications.

He'd have been piggin' chuffed...

9ft statue to Bobby Ball unveiled

A 9ft statue of Bobby Ball has been unveiled in his Lancashire hometown.

The comic’s double-act partner Tommy Cannon was among those who helped pull the drapes off the likeness in Lowther Gardens in Lytham St Annes, just south of Blackpool.

Also at the event were his widow, Yvonne Ball, and their three children plus Lee Mack – who worked with Bobby on Not Going Out, and actresses Sherrie Hewson and Cheryl Fergison.

According to LancsLive, Yvonne said her husband of 46 years would have been ‘overwhelmed’ by the honour, adding: ‘To put it in his words, he’d be "piggin’ chuffed". Bob loved living in Lytham. We had made it our home, so to have him remembered with a statue in the gardens of Lowther Pavilion is very special indeed.’

The moment of the unvieling of Bobby Ball in #Lytham, watched by his family and @TheTommyCannon.#BobbyBall pic.twitter.com/ktHlH6RSad
— BBC Lancashire (@BBCLancashire) August 28, 2022

The statue was commissioned from sculptor Ben Twiston-Davies after a £100,000 fundraising effort from fans and family following Ball’s death in October 2020 at the age of 76.

It is based on how the comedian looked when he was 40 with a ‘twinkle in his eye’, one leg slightly forward and slightly pulling on his right brace with his right thumb.

What a belter! #bobbyball #statue pic.twitter.com/e2YlehwlB8
— The Bobby Ball Foundation (@TheBobbyBall) August 29, 2022

Fylde council leader Karen Buckley previously said: ‘Bobby was a very special, incredibly talented and unique individual who was truly adopted by the locals of Lytham St Annes.

‘His lasting legacy of kindness and joy means he will be sadly missed and this statue will ensure he can go on giving that joy to visitors and residents of the area long after Bobby took his final bow and left the stage.’

Though born in Oldham, Ball – real name Robert Harper – lived in Lytham for the last 25 years of his life.

Bobby in real life