Jimmy Clitheroe
Encyclopedia
James Robinson Clitheroe (24 December 1921 – 6 June 1973) was a British
comic entertainer. He never grew any taller than 4 feet 3 inches, and could easily pass for an 11-year-old boy, the character he played in The Clitheroe Kid
.
Clitheroe
was also where he was born, in Lancashire
, England
, the son of James Robert Clitheroe and Emma Pye, who married in 1918. Jimmy was named after Emma's brother James Robinson Pye (who was born in Clitheroe in 1894 and killed in WW1), and was raised in Blacko
, near Nelson
. He started out in variety
and theatre
, but moved into records
, films and then pantomime
and radio
, and finally television
. His long-running radio programme on the BBC
, The Clitheroe Kid
, is still being repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
He never married, and lived quietly with his mother in Blackpool
. He died from an overdose of sleeping pills on the day of her funeral, aged 51. His funeral was held at Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool, where he is commemorated by a plaque attached to memorial tree No.3.
The Buzz Hawkins creation for radio Billy Bradshaw
is based on Jimmy Clitheroe's schoolboy.
Molly Sugden (Mrs Slocombe in the TV series Are You Being Served?) played Jimmy's mother on stage and in his ITV shows.
The title of the 1970s BBC TV sitcom starring Michael Crawford
and Michele Dotrice
, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
, was based on the catchphrase "Don't some mothers 'ave 'em", used by Jimmy at the end of his radio shows.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comic entertainer. He never grew any taller than 4 feet 3 inches, and could easily pass for an 11-year-old boy, the character he played in The Clitheroe Kid
The Clitheroe Kid
The Clitheroe Kid was a long-running BBC radio comedy show featuring diminutive Northern comedian Jimmy Clitheroe in the role of a cheeky schoolboy, who lived with his family at 33 Lilac Avenue in an un-named town in the north of England. Jimmy's best friend was Ozzie, alias Oswald Higginbottom, a...
.
Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
was also where he was born, in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of James Robert Clitheroe and Emma Pye, who married in 1918. Jimmy was named after Emma's brother James Robinson Pye (who was born in Clitheroe in 1894 and killed in WW1), and was raised in Blacko
Blacko
Blacko is a village and civil parish within the Pendle district of Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 595.The village is on the old turnpike road to Gisburn...
, near Nelson
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
. He started out in variety
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, but moved into records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, films and then pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, and finally television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. His long-running radio programme on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, The Clitheroe Kid
The Clitheroe Kid
The Clitheroe Kid was a long-running BBC radio comedy show featuring diminutive Northern comedian Jimmy Clitheroe in the role of a cheeky schoolboy, who lived with his family at 33 Lilac Avenue in an un-named town in the north of England. Jimmy's best friend was Ozzie, alias Oswald Higginbottom, a...
, is still being repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
He never married, and lived quietly with his mother in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. He died from an overdose of sleeping pills on the day of her funeral, aged 51. His funeral was held at Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool, where he is commemorated by a plaque attached to memorial tree No.3.
The Buzz Hawkins creation for radio Billy Bradshaw
The Bradshaws
The Bradshaws is a fictional family created and voiced by the comedian and musician Buzz Hawkins.'The family was created for The Gary Davies Show with Gary Davies on Piccadilly Radio in 1983 when Hawkins wrote a poem about a family's day trip to Blackpool, this soon developed into a series...
is based on Jimmy Clitheroe's schoolboy.
Molly Sugden (Mrs Slocombe in the TV series Are You Being Served?) played Jimmy's mother on stage and in his ITV shows.
The title of the 1970s BBC TV sitcom starring Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
and Michele Dotrice
Michele Dotrice
Michele Dotrice is an English actress best known for her portrayal of Betty, the long-suffering wife of Frank Spencer, played by Michael Crawford, in the BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em, which ran from 1973 to 1978....
, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice.The series followed the accident-prone Frank Spencer and his tolerant wife Betty through Frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in...
, was based on the catchphrase "Don't some mothers 'ave 'em", used by Jimmy at the end of his radio shows.
Selected filmography
- Much Too ShyMuch Too ShyMuch Too Shy is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring George Formby, Kathleen Harrison, Hilda Bayley and Eileen Bennett.-Cast:* George Formby - George Any* Kathleen Harrison - Amelia Peabody* Hilda Bayley - Lady Driscoll...
(1942) - Stars in Your EyesStars in Your EyesStars in Your Eyes is a 1956 British musical film directed by Maurice Elvey.-Plot:As the world of vaudeville gradually loses its attraction, more and more entertainers are losing their jobs. In hopes of fixing their financial problems, a group of entertainers band together and buy a run-down...
(1956) - Jules Verne's Rocket to the MoonJules Verne's Rocket to the MoonJules Verne's Rocket to the Moon is a 1967 British science fiction comedy film directed by Don Sharp and produced by Harry Alan Towers...
(1967)