Princess Theatre Torquay, Friday and Saturday 17th July to 5th September.
With the Nolans.
Brochure
Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball are Britain’s funniest and most successful double act. In a career spanning over 30 years they have achieved a string of honours that puts them among the all-time greats of show business and given millions a great night out.
On television they have starred in their own series practically every year since 1979; they have also ‘guested’ on all the major shows including Wogan, Parkinson, Sunday Night at the Palladium, several Royal Variety Shows and been featured in a BBC Documentary Funny Business based on double acts, which also included footage on Martin and Lewis, Laurel and Hardy, and Morecambe and Wise.
Recently they have appeared on many major TV shows including The Des O’Connor Show, Noel’s House Party and Talking Telephone Numbers.
To add to their pedigree, they remain the only act to have won three separate National Club Awards and have been named as the Variety Club ‘Personalities of the Year’. Their feature film The Boys in Blue in addition to it’s cinema success, has gone on to become a video best seller. The boys have also been the subject of This is Your Life!
During 1993 they were offered the chance to play a season in the USA. Orlando, Florida was the location. Their three month season was such a success that they were immediately rebooked for April, May, June 1994, starring at King Henry’s Feast, Orlando and making several US television appearances.
As the undisputed Kings of Live Entertainment, Cannon & Ball have set standards that will never be equalled.
During the 1970’s they ‘topped the bill’ for the very first time at the North Pier, Blackpool, where they played to capacity business for 22 weeks; a feat they surpassed in 1991 when they returned to the pier and celebrated their 25th Anniversary with a 25 week sell out season.
Live theatre has already been what Tommy and Bobby do best, even with their TV and film experience, a live audience still gives them a ‘buzz’. Tommy and Bobby have broken records in theatres all over the UK, including London. In 1981 they played a 6 week season at the Dominion Theatre when every seat was sold before the show opened, and in 1988 their pantomime Babes in the Wood broke all previous pantomime records at the world famous London Palladium, where Cannon and Ball created the record for the largest box office amount taken in one week in British Theatre history.
With Panto, summer season and shows across the world, Tommy and Bobby are still packing them in.
The Nolans made their TV debut in 1972 along with the rest of the family. In 1974 the parents and brothers stepped aside and The Nolans were born, comprising of Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda, Bernie and later Colleen.
Following a season at the London Rooms in Drury Lane, London the girls became a household name almost overnight when they guested on an entire series of BBC TV’s top rated Cliff Richard Show. The series led to The Nolans guesting on Frank Sinatra’s 1975 European Tour and with the Sinatra seal of approval the girls’ career exploded with countless TV appearances, summer seasons and overseas tours with the likes of Englebert Humperdink.
Record success, however, still eluded the girls – they had released two albums through small independent labels, The Singing Nolans (1973) and The Nolan Sisters (1977), until early in 1978 they recorded a collection of classic hits under the title 20 Giant Hits released on Target Records. The Album hit number three in the British Album Charts and went Gold and still the girls were mostly in their teens. The Nolans had arrived.
The girls had sung their way into the hearts of the British public and The Nolans signed to CBS records. This combination went on to produce massive success with hit singles and albums world -wide. Spirit, Body and Soul gave the girls their first hit single in November 1979, but it was the classic In The Mood For Dancing which became the definitive Nolans hit. Released in February 1980, the single went Gold, hit number three in the British Charts and established a new image for the girls. The Nolans had grown up and become acceptable to the vast contemporary market.
The Nolans international success mushroomed particularly in Japan, where the girls achieved platinum record sales, selling in excess of nine million records and becoming the first overseas act to top the Japanese charts in over ten years and winning the prestigious Tokyo Music Festival. Some of the records they broke in the international and domestic charts still stand to this day.
At the end of 1986 the girls toured Russia in a 25 date sell – out tour. They had a great time despite losing weight through various illnesses due to lack of food.
By now the girls had established themselves as a very good ‘live’ act and were constantly busy with concert tours and summer seasons. At the end of 1994 the group consisted of Anne, Maureen, Bernie and Colleen, however, Colleen had decided to retire from show business in order to bring up her young family. A year later Bernie decided to leave the group and pursue her solo career. The Nolans were then down to two members but not for long … 1998 brought two new additions to the group. First came Anne’s eldest daughter, Amy, who at 16 years of age had decided that show business was the career for her. This was not to be Amy’s first appearance with the group. Her first appearance was on a Russell Harty special with her mum and the rest of The Nolans at the grand old age of… 9 months. Amy’s cousin Julia also chose 1998 as her debut year in the world of show business and has joined The Nolans thus making the group, once again, a four piece unit.
