They were two welders who liked a giggle and forged one of the strongest partnerships ever seen in the fickle world of showbusiness.
The bond between comedians Cannon and Ball is as unbreakable today as when the durable duo first linked up more than 43 years ago.
The iron-strong friendship occasionally showed signs of strain but never fractured despite dark days when life was no laughing matter and the pair did not speak to each other off stage for three years.
They still spend 46 weeks a year on the road together at an age when most people have retired because they cannot get enough of the buzz from performing, and refuse to contemplate bringing the curtain down on their remarkable career.
Robert Harper, better known as Bobby Ball, and his sidekick Tommy Cannon - real name is Thomas Derbyshire - turned to comedy for a “giggle” in the early 1960s after meeting at the Oldham factory where both worked and have been laughing all the way to the bank ever since.
Bobby explained as they enjoyed lunch at the recently-opened Cafe Zest in Beatties, Wolverhampton: “When Tom and I went pro we never expected to be famous or wanted to be. We just thought it was better than getting up at half past seven every morning to clock on as welders.”
The pair are as much a double act off stage as when they are in the spotlight, so Tommy steps in to complete the sentence. “We were earning more money than welding and did not have to get to the social club to perform until 7.30 at night with the rest of the day to ourselves. We were in heaven.
“It was a giggle and we went from strength to strength. Acts today do not have an apprenticeship or a ladder to climb but we started in pubs before moving on to social clubs. Then you went into nightclubs and, if you were lucky, you got a spot in a theatre.
“The real icing on the cake came if someone from TV saw you and offered a chance on the small screen.
“Those days have gone. We could work seven days a week in social clubs but now you would be lucky to get on at weekends. We used to watch the big names like Tommy Cooper and think ‘wow’ if only we could get that – and we did.”
Their big break came in 1978 when they appeared on Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night on TV. They had their own show on the small screen within 12 months and were ever-presents on the box for the next 14 years.
They have also appeared in sell-out stage shows, pantomimes, a film and written books. Both also found Christianity along the way. Now they are touring in their first stage play Big Bad Mouse and performing this week at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre.
Bobby revealed: “It has not all been plain sailing. I remember coming back from Wales one night when things had gone really badly.
“We talked things over and decided that we would do one more gig before giving up. But that gig was absolutely terrific and so we decided to do one more and see how things went. That was 40 years ago and we have been going from gig to gig ever since.
“We have had a terrific career. We both get such a buzz when the show goes well. I am the sort of comic who needs someone to bounce off and Tom is the best straight man in the business.
“It’s wonderful to get on so well after all these years when all we seem to do is work. We have got no time for socialising because we are on the road 46 weeks a year.”
Bobby said the duo did not feel put out when the TV appearances stopped. “We had 14 great years of it,” he recalled. “Nowadays people come from nowhere onto TV but we were a working act before we got the break and so just carried on working when it was over.
“TV was a bonus and we were probably ready for a change. We like to try new things. That is what keeps the act fresh. It is a lovely feeling to make people laugh because the moment you laugh, you forget all your troubles.
“We have had our dark days, though. When we were on TV we had a big entourage around us and were very high profile.”
The pair stopped speaking to each other when “management and other people got involved”, said Bobby. “We didn’t talk off stage for three years,” he said.
“We would still perform but had no contact afterwards. That is why they call it an act. On stage we could still push each other to good performances but off stage there was nothing. It was horrendous but we came through it and are now closer than ever.
“It happened slowly but after I became a Christian I started looking at him in a different light concentrating on his good points rather than dwelling on the bad.
“We became good friends again and the only trouble with that is that he wants to share my dressing room all the time.”
Tommy confessed: “They were difficult times. We got older and wiser and were honest with each other. That saved the act.
“If you are not friends you cannot discuss things and the act stagnates. You have got to be able to talk frankly without causing offence. You should be able to tell your best mate anything.
“From the end of the 1970s right through to the 80s was a golden period for variety shows and double acts.
“We both love live performance. You can rehearse as much as you like but you only know it if works when you are in front of an audience.
“You develop a rapport with them and cannot do a retake if you get things wrong. it keeps you on edge and we love the challenge. I cannot see us retiring. If we finished we would have nothing left to get up for in the morning.”
Bobby conceded: “I think there will come a time when we do not get the same amount of work. That is inevitable but we will never pack it in. We will probably end up performing for the fellow residents in our old folks home.”
Tommy quickly quipped: “Or a lap dancing club.” And the two friends laughed happily together at the prospect.
Forty three years on the road and they are still having a giggle.
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