1. Robert Harper, known professionally as Bobby Ball, was a British comic, actor, singer and television host.
21 Facts About Bobby Ball
1. 2.
Bobby Ball was best known as a member of the comic double act Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon.
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Bobby Ball then went on to have acting roles in various sitcoms and dramas including Last of the Summer Wine, Heartbeat and Not Going Out.
4.
Bobby Ball was born at Boundary Park General Hospital in Oldham, Lancashire, on 28 January 1944, to May and Bob Harper.
5.
Bobby Ball was one half of comedy duo Cannon and Bobby Ball, opposite his friend and colleague Tommy Cannon.
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The duo's primetime Saturday night television series The Cannon and Bobby Ball Show, was one of LWT's most successful series, with consistently high viewing ratings that lasted for nine years.
7.
Cannon and Bobby Ball competed in the fifth series of I'm a Celebrity.
8.
Bobby Ball played Mr Turner in the ITV drama series Heartbeat from 2005 to 2006.
9.
In 2009, Bobby Ball starred in the comedy The Fattest Man in Britain playing Morris Morrissey.
10.
In 2009, Bobby Ball was cast as Frank in the long-running BBC One sitcom Not Going Out.
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Bobby 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.
12.
From 2011 to 2017, Bobby Ball played Barry in the Sky1 sitcom series Mount Pleasant.
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In 2013, Bobby Ball played the role of Duckers in the ITV sitcom pilot The Security Men, starring alongside the likes of Brendan O'Carroll and Paddy McGuinness.
14.
Cannon and Bobby Ball appeared in ITV's Last Laugh in Vegas in 2018.
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Cannon and Bobby Ball have previously starred in the Safestyle UK television advertisements.
16.
In 1986, while working at the Bradford Alhambra, Bobby Ball began talking with chaplain Max Wigley.
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Bobby Ball taught vicars and clergy how to incorporate humour into sermons.
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Bobby Ball published an autobiography, entitled My Life, in 1993.
19.
Bobby Ball was a supporter of the Variety Children's Charity, presiding over the organization's ceremonies and appearing in fundraising events.
20.
Bobby Ball received a lifetime achievement honor from Variety, in 2018.
21.
Bobby Ball died at the Victoria Hospital in Blackpool, on 28 October 2020, aged 76 from COVID-19.