Theatre News

Comedy actor Bobby Ball has died aged 76

The performer tested positive for Covid-19 before his death

Bobby Ball and The London Palladium, where he broke box office records in 1988
Bobby Ball and The London Palladium, where he broke box office records in 1988
© SolomanMcKenzie at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, MrsEllacott, CC BY-SA 3.

Comedy legend Bobby Ball has died aged 76, and had tested positive for Covid-19.

Born in Lancashire, Ball, one half of comedy duo Cannon and Ball, presented the primetime TV series The Cannon and Ball Show alongside Tommy Cannon from 1979 to 1988.

The pair also appeared together in 1982 film The Boys in Blue , and went on to appear in a plethora of comedic pieces and panel shows.

In the world of the stage, Cannon and Ball sold out a six-week run at the Dominion Theatre before the show had even opened in 1982, and went on to break box office records with their 1988 season at The London Palladium.

In 2019, they appeared alongside Chico in the Crewe Lyceum's pantomime Peter Pan, with other panto appearances at the likes of Cliffs Pavilion.