| Cannon and Ball | |
|---|---|
 Cannon (left) and Ball (right) | |
| Born | Thomas Derbyshire (Cannon) 27 June 1938 Oldham, Lancashire, England Robert Harper (Ball) 28 January 1944 Oldham, Lancashire, England |
| Died | Ball 28 October 2020 (aged 76) Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
| Medium | Film, television, stand-up, music, books |
| Years active | 1974–2020 |
| Genres | Observational comedy, musical comedy, satire, |
| Subject(s) | Marriage, everyday life, current events, pop culture |
Tommy Cannon (born Thomas Derbyshire; 27 June 1938) and Bobby Ball (born Robert Harper; 28 January 1944 – 28 October 2020), known collectively as Cannon and Ball, were an English comedy double act best known for their comedy variety show The Cannon and Ball Show, which lasted for nine years on ITV.[1] The duo met in the early 1960s while working as welders in Oldham, Lancashire.[2] They started out as singers working the pubs and clubs of Greater Manchester and switched to comedy after being told comics earned an extra £3 a night. They continued to work as a comic duo on television and in theatre and pantomime. Their partnership ended when Ball died on 28 October 2020 following a COVID-19 diagnosis.
- ^ "Cannon & Ball's Humor Is The Old-fashioned Kind". Orlando Sentinel. 20 August 1993. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ Jim White (30 April 1993). "The canonisation of Cannon and Ball: Tommy and Bobby don't do blue any more. They say they're on a mission from God. What's so funny about that? Ask their fans". The Independent. Retrieved 22 April 2013.