A special edition from the third series of The Mike Neville Show recorded in front of a live audience at the Live Theatre in Newcastle telling the story of one of the Northeast’s favourite sons the comedian Bobby Thompson. Joining Mike on stage is local actor Peter Peverley whose one-man show about The Little Waster forms the basis of the programme recreating many of Bobby’s comedy routines and mannerisms including his broad Pitmatic accent. Through puffs of Woodbine tobacco smoke on a...

A special edition from the third series of The Mike Neville Show recorded in front of a live audience at the Live Theatre in Newcastle telling the story of one of the Northeast’s favourite sons the comedian Bobby Thompson. Joining Mike on stage is local actor Peter Peverley whose one-man show about The Little Waster forms the basis of the programme recreating many of Bobby’s comedy routines and mannerisms including his broad Pitmatic accent. Through puffs of Woodbine tobacco smoke on a blackened stage at Live Theatre in Newcastle, the worn-out striped jumper and a baggy army uniforms worn by Northeast comedian Bobby Thompson as his stage persona’s The Little Waster and Private Thompson. Coming to stand beside them is Mike Neville who explains how Bobby was the regions best-loved stand-up act of all time because he didn’t tell jokes he told stories, observations of life in the region in a style that was peculiarly northern. Explaining that tonight with the help of actor Peter Peverley they will pay tribute and celebrate the life and work of our very own Bobby Thompson. With a Woodbine cigarette burning in an ashtray the opening title. Title: The Bobby Thompson Story Credit: Narrated by Mike Neville Coming to stand beside a microphone on the darkened stage actor Peter Peverley as Bobby Thompson wearing Bobby’s trade-mark worn-out striped jumper and flat cap and smoking a Woodbine cigarette while waving at an applauding unseen audience. Sitting on a chair nearby Mike Neville who begins the story of Bobby Thompson be explaining that the fortunes of the people in the Northeast have been up and down and how this also sums up the life of Northeast’s favourite sons Bobby Thompson who as a living legend enjoyed some hugely successful times packing clubs and theatres across the region, but also the bad tames shadowed by tragedy, addiction and debt. The light comes up on Peter Peverley as Bobby who performs the first of several comedy skits taken from Bobby’s actual act. Returning to Mike who continues the Bobby Thompson story by providing details of his early life beginning with his birth at New Penshaw in County Durham in 1911 and the death of his parents being raised by an older sister, going to school at Fatfield near Washington and overcoming the school bullies before joining his older brothers down the mine at North Biddick. He talks about Bobby leaving mining when the colliery closed in 1931 and the hard times during the Depression before providing details of Bobby’s wartime record serving as a ‘dogsbody’ to a captain based in Carlisle. Mike also provides details on his first marriage to Anna Marjoram and their daughter Beatrice, the marriage failure and eventual marriage in 1946 to his second wife Phyllis Coates. A mixture of still images plus a clip from the British Movietone Newsreel of the Jarrow March feature to help illustrate some of the points being raised. At several points during this monologue Peter Peverley recreates some of the comedy skits done by Bobby relating to some of these topics being discussed including his school days, his time as a miner and his second wife as well as his mother-in-law. Title: The Bobby Thompson Story End of Part One Part Two Mike Neville continues the Bobby Thompson story beginning in 1950 with Bobby working as a labourer during the day and by night a member of ‘The Merry Magpies’ stage show. Details are given with regards a how Bobby joined the BBC Radio Newcastle show ‘Wot Cheor Geordie’, a variety show recorded on location in different village each week. Once again Peter Peverley as Bobby Thompson walks up to the microphone wearing a different outfit and performs one of Bobby’s radio skits. Returning to Mike he continues to narrator the story of Bobby’s life through the 1950s into the 1960s providing details on his working relationship with Lyle Willis and ‘Wot Cheor Geordie’ producer Richard Kelly to help improve his act, his move to television and the failure of the Tyne Tees Television series he wrote along with wife Phyllis which pushed both of them into alcoholism. Details are provided about six fallow years in Bobby’s career and a tax bill he received for £900. Back at the microphone Peter Peverley as Bobby Thompson performs another of skit relating to what Bobby describes as the ‘income tax racket.’ Mike explains that Bobby’s great gift was if anything bad happened in his life then it all ended up in his act, this was what made him so relatable. Another skit follows relating to a disagreement Bobby had with Brook Brothers Tailors of Chester-le-Street in the early 1960s. Again, returning to Mike details are provided of Bobby’s growing unreliability within the regions club circuit, and with the ‘swinging 60’s’ tastes were changing, and clubs no longer were willing to hire an unreliable Bobby. To make ends meet Bobby and Phyllis began to write new material and Private Thompson, the British Army’s secret weapon was born. Again, Peter Peverley as Bobby Thompson comes to the microphone dressed in a baggy army uniform and performs one of Bobby’s skits relating to the war. Returning to Mike he takes the programme into another break but that the second part of The Bobby Thompson Story will continue after the national and international news. Title: The Bobby Thompson Story Join Mike and Private Thompson after the News Part Three As Mike Neville continues the story of Private Thompson, a skit with Peter Peverley pretending to be on the phone with the wife of then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin who according to Mike had ‘popped out for the coal’ and on meeting Adolf Hitler in the chip shop. Over an archive clip of the 1966 English World Cup team celebrating their victory, Mike explains the same year Bobby hiring of a new manager Brian Shelley who was able to clean up Bobby’s reputation in the region’s clubs with the help of Private Thompson. Over a photograph of Phyllis Mike explains that the next blow was just around the corner when she died a year later in 1967. Details are providing of Lottie Tate who was hired as a housekeeper and was able to get Bobby to give up the drink. Now one of the highest paid acts in the area back at the microphone Peter Peverley doing a skit as Bobby about going on holiday. Archive of crowds around the busy bar inside a working men’s club with barmaids pulling pints of beer and Mike explaining that by the 1970s the club scene in the region was booming and if Bobby was performing it would be packed. He was as popular aged sixty-six in 1977 as he was back in the 1950s. Mikes provides details on Bobby’s routine on arriving at a venue to perform that includes references to his long-term dresser Paddy Fox and that Bobby made sure he was paid in cash. Back at the microphone Private Thompson continues his skit relating to Neville Chamberlin and his own mother-in-law. Returning to Mike he explains that by the late 1970s Bobby had become the hottest property in town with a recording of one of his acts topping the Northeast chart. Over a photograph of him with fellow castmates David Jason and singer Leah Bell details are provided on how Bobby was able to make £2500 a week performing a nightly cabaret spot during the 1979 pantomime Cinderella at the Newcastle Theatre Royal. However, in the late 70s Lottie died and over a photograph of their wedding in 1982, details are provided about Bobby’s third wife and housekeeper Cissie Palmer. Back at the microphone Peter Peverley does a short skit about Bobby forgetting where he hid his money much to the amusement of the audience. Title: The Bobby Thompson Story End of Part Three Part Four Continuing the story into 1983 Mike explains that Bobby was finally getting national recognition with two sell-out shows at the Wimbledon Theatre in London. A clip from the BBC talk-show Wogan in which presenter Terry Wogan interviews Bobby who tells him that he had just been given a contract to perform at the London Palladium. As he and Terry shake hands the audience applauding. Believing that London had never met anyone like Bobby before or since, at the microphone Private Thompson doing a skit in about his and Cissies trip to the capital. Although Bobby had been given a dream shot and an offer to perform at the London Palladium, Mikes explains that due to the promotors wanting him to perform alongside singer Leah Bell he refused, and the show was cancelled with no-one knowing why. Another short skit with Peter Peverley about drinking in a pub in the town of Consett in County Durham. Over archive of a closed coalmine Mike explains that by the early 1980s policies of Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government were beginning to have an effect on Bobby’s traditional audience with the regions heavy industrial being hit hard was well as the communities that depending on their existence. Tough times to for Bobby who as well as splitting from his manager Brian Shelley received another tax bill for £137,000 which Bobby refused to pay. Details are also given with regards the final two years of his life with failing health now affecting his performance eventually passing on the 16th April 1988. A clip from a Tyne Tees Television news item on Bobby’s funeral in which hundreds were in attendance. Over a photograph of a smiling Bobby Mikes explains he was once asked what his epitaph should be, he replied ‘pay naught!’. Back at the microphone Peter Peverley as Bobby Thompson does a final skit about taking a holiday. Bringing the programme to a close Mikes describes Bobby as ‘sometime hero, sometime rogue always legend.’ Over the closing credits Peter Peverley as Bobby Thompson playing the harmonica. Credit: Narrator Mike Neville Bobby Thompson Peter Peverley Original Bobby Thompson Material Courtesy of Keith Thompson With thanks to Live Theatre Make-Up Michael Birtley Theatre Technician Gavin Frost Electricians John Mason, Gordon Porteous Grips Renny Borthwick Floor Manager Caroline Ritchie Cameras Simon Elphinstone, Mike Parker Sound Recordist Robbie Carruthers Dubbing Mixer John Cook Director of Photography Digby Elliott Designer Bessie Dunkerley Editor Mike Pounder Associate Producer Barbara Burgess Executive Producer Graeme Thompson Director Tony Kysh Producer Peter Mitchell With Peter finishing on the harmonica a final photograph of Bobby Thompson with the audience in the background applauding. End title: A Peter Mitchell production for Yorkshire/Tyne Tees Television. © Tyne Tees Television MM