This page is about Bobby Thompson the comedian. Click here for former baseball player Bobby Thomson. Robert Brown Bobby Thomson (born October 25, 1923 in Glasgow, Scotland), nicknamed The Staten Island Scot, is a Scottish-American former Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the New York Giants (1946-53, 1957), Milwaukee Braves (1954-57), Chicago Cubs (1958-59), Boston Red Sox...

Bobby Thompson (18 November 1911 – 16 April 1988[1]) was a comedian from County Durham in the north east of England. Although born and raised in Sunderland, he later moved to Whitley Bay. is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... County Durham is a county in north-east England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Sunderland (disambiguation). ... , Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. ...

Early years

He was the seventh child of John and Mary Thompson, who both passed away by the time he was 8 years old. He was then raised by his elder sister in the village of Fatfield. Fatfield is a small village in Tyne and Wear, located in the City of Sunderland metropolitan borough. ...

After leaving school at 15, he started worked at North Biddick Colliery, earning 7 shillings and sixpence a week. He would supplement his income by playing the harmonica around local working men's clubs and competing in domino tournaments. Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... A harmonica is a free reed wind instrument. ... Domino redirects here—for other meanings of the word, see Domino (disambiguation). ...

He married twice and his second wife, Cissy was famously taller than he was. They remained married until his death.

Career

Famous for his broad North-east accent, self-deprecating humour and mastery of the mother-in-law joke, Thompson was affectionately known as The Little Waster due to his short stature. His most famous outfit was a worn out stripey jumper and flat cap. His ever-present Woodbine cigarette stub, hanging from the corner of his mouth, was also an integral part of his on-stage persona. Rear view of a flat cap Front view of a flat cap A flat cap (see alternate names below) is a rounded soft mens cap with a small brim in front and a somewhat stiff peak in the back. ... Woodbine is the name of several places in the United States of America: Woodbine, Georgia Woodbine, Iowa Woodbine, Kansas Woodbine, Kentucky Woodbine, Maryland Woodbine, New Jersey It is also the name of a racetrack and a shopping centre in Toronto. ... Two unlit filtered cigarettes. ...

His attempts to move beyond North East England were limited by his accent and the regional bias of his humour, although he did enjoy some success with the BBC show, Wot Cheor Geordie, and with regular appearances on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. North-East England is one of the nine official regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and a small part of North Yorkshire. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Sunday Night at the London Palladium was a television variety show made by ATV for the ITV network in the United Kingdom. ...

He was also renowned for his problems with the tax man. He incorporated this in his stage act.

Problems with drink, finances and his health affected his career in the 1970s, but he remained a North East favourite, particularly on the club scene, until shortly before his death.

Quotes

• "The dole is my shepherd, I shall not work."
• "I'll give yu a bottle o' Brandy if you can tell us you pay the 'lectric bill before you get the red letter."
• "A man come to oor (not wor) door. I says come in, take a seat. He says 'I'm coming in to take the lot.'"
• "Wu got off the train at Blackpool, the porter came up an' asked if 'e could carry me baggage. I said 'Na, let 'er walk'."
• "Wu went into the restaurant an' asked for a coffee. The waiter asked if wu wanted black or white. She says 'I'll have black wi' milk in'."
• On the night of the 1951 election when the Conservative Party was rumoured to be planning to abolish the National Health Service: "It came tu last orders and the barman shouted 'Come on, let's see yer glasses off', and I said 'Well, them Tories haven't wasted any time, have the!'"
• "You believe Bobby Thompson. If yu pays what yu owe yu'll never have nowt."
• "When ya drunk, yu say things yu don't mean. I says to her I love ya. After a wiped the blood off me face... A says gis a kiss under the mistletoe. She says 'aks me mother'. I wish a could've found an axe. Aks 'er mother for a kiss under the mistletoe, a wouldn' kiss 'er under chloroform!"
• "1939 - I was secretary for the street… I went for treasurer but a was too well known!"
• "She’s putting up sandwiches on the Monday an' wa not gannin till the Wednesday. Well ye kna tinned tomatoes torn claggy"
• "They came into the court and they woz givin' the papers out to the jury... She says 'Bobby, there must be a Housie on before the case!'"
• "The judge said 'You owe seven thousand, can you pay?'... I said 'Give 'im the breathalyser!'"
• "Noo, Ah divvent kna where aal ye's are from ... (changes to a posh accent) but I'm from Whitley Bay."
• "She says 'Bobby, we'll just have a two course lunch cos its rather warm'. Two course?! Chips n' sauce!!"

The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... NHS redirects here. ... Housie is a gambling game played in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, where it is called Bingo. ... A breathalyzer (or breathalyser) is a device containing a spectrophotometer that is used by police forces to detect the amount of alcohol in ones breath during traffic stops. ...

External links

• Bobby Thompson tribute website