Cannon and Ball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cannon and Ball are an English comedy double act consisting of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball. The duo met in the early 1960s while working as go-go dancers in Oldham and began working the pubs and clubs of Lancashire.
Their first major TV appearance was in 1978 with a cameo slot in Bruce Forsyths Big Night on ITV. They were offered their own series, The Cannon and Ball Show which premiered in ITV on Saturday 28th July 1979. Further series followed each year through to 1988, along with Christmas and Easter specials.
In 1982 they appeared in a feature film, The Boys in Blue, based loosely on the classic Will Hay film, Ask A Policeman. The Boys in Blue was regarded critically as weak in comparison and was their only cinema outing. It was re-released on DVD in 2004.
In recent years they have admitted that, during their hey-day of huge popularity in the 1980s, they were barely on speaking terms and would avoid each other completely when not on stage or rehearsing. These tensions - which lasted for years - were later resolved and the two are now extremely close once again.
By the 1990s the duo were seeking a change in direction and appeared in their own sitcom Cannon and Balls Playhouse, the spin-off series Plaza Patrol and their game show Cannon and Ball's Casino. Plaza Patrol saw them play security guards in a shopping mall. Despite relatively high viewing figures for a midweek sitcom no further series were produced.
Their popularity coincided with the rise of so-called alternative comedy, with its emphasis on more socially relevant and political concerns, and as time passed Cannon and Ball fell in popularity, though they were not the only comedy act to suffer as the comic tastes of the nation shifted.
In more recent times they have continued to find success as a comic duo in theatre and pantomime, along with numerous cameo appearances on TV. In 2005 they appeared in the popular British reality TV series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!.
The pair are devout Christians and have published a book called Christianity for Beginners. Bobby Ball became a born-again Christian in 1986 and Tommy Cannon in 1992, their conversion having a lot to do with the re-kindling of their broken friendship. They now regularly feature in their own gospel and "an audience with..." show in churches around the country.
Catchphrases:- "Rock on Tommy", "You little liar", "I piggin' hate you, Tommy".
