Frank joined by ex-Albion stars
Frank Skinner will be putting on a one-off gig next week. Andy Richardson reports
Lifelong West Bromwich Albion fan Frank Skinner will take time out from a hectic TV schedule to play a one-off gig at Birmingham's Town Hall.
The Black Country star will appear on Wednesday in a sold-out show called Three Degrees Cooler.
He will be joined by the West Bromwich Albion legends of the 1970s and 1980s, including Cyrille Regis, Brendon Batson, Ron Atkinson, Tony "Bomber" Brown, Gary Owen, Alistair Robertson, Derek Statham and John Wile.
The one-off charity event will help to raise funds for The Celebration statue. The statue, which will be unveiled in West Bromwich town centre in July 2014, highlights the careers of pioneering black footballers Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson who played for West Bromwich Albion in the late 1970s and paved the way for future generations of black players in this country.
The fundraising project is being led by Black Country businessman Jim Cadman with the support of Sandwell Council.
Leader of Sandwell Council, Councillor Darren Cooper, said: "It is fantastic to see Frank, one of Sandwell's most famous sons and a fellow West Brom fan, getting involved and supporting this great cause.
"We're looking forward to seeing this excellent sculpture in the borough next year and this event will help make that a reality."
Skinner has been busy filming a new series of Room 101, the popular TV show that focuses on things that celebrities don't like.
Skinner, whose real name is Christopher Graham Collins, took his stage name from a friend of his father. "My dad had a dominoes team, and there was a Frank Skinner in it. I nearly chose West Bromwich, after my football team, but I don't think we'd be sitting here now if I'd done that."
Skinner's life has changed dramatically in recent years. The 56-year-old became a father for the first time last year when Buzz Cody Collins arrived in May.
"When you start, when you first get the baby, you think 'oh man, my heart is melting, I've discovered this whole new part of me.' But then six months on you look back and think 'that was rubbish compared to what I feel now.'"
Teetotal Skinner keeps himself healthy by meditating. "I've heard that if you completely cut off contact for three weeks, the first two weeks will be nightmarish but in the third you will find clarity. I like the idea of going through the dark night of the soul."
