Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Joseph Tarbuck 6 February 1940 Liverpool, England |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, presenter |
| Years active | 1964 - Present |
| Children | Liza Tarbuck |
James Joseph "Jimmy" Tarbuck, OBE (born 6 February 1940)[1] is an English comedian. He is known as an early host of Sunday Night at the London Palladium and for his numerous hostings of game and quiz shows on ITV during the 1960s, and for leading ITV's Live From Her Majesty's and its subsequent incarnations during the 1980s. His daughter is the actress, television and radio presenter, Liza Tarbuck.
Biography
Growing up, Tarbuck attended Dovedale Primary School in Liverpool where he was a schoolmate of John Lennon.[2][3] In 1960, at the age of 20, he was convicted of stealing a diamond-encrusted cigarette holder from the dressing room of comedian Terry-Thomas, and was placed on probation for two years.[4] His first television show was It's Tarbuck 65! on ITV in 1964,[5] and he was the last original host of Sunday Night at the London Palladium, from 1965. He has also hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All, Full Swing, and Tarby's Frame Game.
In the 1980s, he hosted similar Sunday night variety shows, Live From Her Majesty's, Live from the Piccadilly and finally Live from the Palladium, which were produced by London Weekend Television for ITV. Nicknamed Tarby, he is a Conservative Party supporter,[6] and at the height of his celebrity was a prominent supporter of Margaret Thatcher and her policies, once baking her a cake for her 60th birthday in October 1985.
He was appearing on the fourth series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing in 2006, but he was forced to pull out on medical advice.[7] In 2008, he returned to a variety format on television screens when he co-hosted, alongside Emma Bunton, an edition of ITV1's new variety show, For One Night Only. On 25 May 2012 he appeared on Piers Morgan's Life Stories while on 3 December 2012 he was invited to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Variety Performance.
He lives with his wife, Pauline, in Coombe, Kingston upon Thames, London.
On 26 April 2013, North Yorkshire Police arrested Tarbuck over an alleged sexual assault on a young boy in the 1970s.[8] However, on 24 March 2014, the force announced he had been released without charge.[9]
Notes
- ^ "Tarbuck, Jimmy (1940-)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
- ^ "John Lennon, the boy we knew". The Guardian. 13 December 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ Norman, Philip (2008) John Lennon: The Life
- ^ McCann, Graham (2008-09-05). "I say! What a bounder... All dandy comic legend Terry-Thomas really liked was 'jolly eager girls'". Mail Online. Retrieved 2013-07-17.
- ^ Bemuddlement - It's Tarbuck!
- ^ Wheeler, Brian (26 May 2004). "Ugly business for show people?". BBC News.
- ^ "Tarbuck pulls out of dance show". BBC News.
- ^ "Jimmy Tarbuck arrested over allegation of assault on young boy". Guardian. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
- ^ "Jimmy Tarbuck will not face abuse charges". BBC News. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.