NI comedian William Caulfield on playing his final tribute show to the late, great Jimmy Young

William explains how he came to love, and then inhabit, the characters created by Young whilst growing up in an evangelical Christian home.

“When I was a boy there was no TV in our home, simply because my father didn’t believe in TV. My brother had an LP with James Young recorded on it and I listened to it over and over.”

When he was playing those records one Jimmy Young character made a big impression on the budding impressionist.

“As a child, I remember laughing and I could just picture the characters in my head. The beauty of James Young was that the characters he created, I recognised them. I could see my aunt or I could see my granny and the language he was using, and the way that he would talk, was all authentic to me.

“On a Sunday evening when people visited after church, my father would ask me to do ‘Our Jimmy’ for them to laugh. There are recordings of me as a child mimicking James Young.”

Later, as a car salesman, that rascality and talent for imitation was used to brighten up the work day.

“One day I was in the car showroom with three other salespeople. I saw a couple coming in and I said to the guys with me, ‘right, I'm going to be Paisley through this whole transaction.’

"I went up to the couple and said (he adopts the late Rev Ian Paisley’s gruff voice), ‘Hello, how are you? It's nice to see you. Can I help you at all?’ I kept it up the whole time. I used to do all that sort of stuff, which you couldn't get away with now. I just wanted to have fun.”

The impersonations of Paisley, teachers and family friends were great fun, but William’s love of Jimmy Young was the enduring comedy passion, and as a boy, he was lucky enough to meet his hero.

“In 1972 or 73 there was some big thing similar to the Balmoral Show and I went with my school to this event in Belfast. We went in to watch a sheep-shearing competition and they said ‘now remain seated because we have a special 15 minute cabaret for you’. James Young walked out.

"Now, I had never seen him in real life, but as soon as I saw him I knew what was coming. He did three little sketches and I knew them word for word. It was fabulous.

"When the show was over we went forward and I got his autograph and shook his hand. I have no idea where that autograph is. But I often thought if someone could have taken a picture of me shaking his hand, neither he nor I knew that this is a guy that the mantle would be passed to, who would continue the characters all those many years after Jimmy died.”

As William grew up and started to perform his own comedy, he was still very much inspired by his childhood hero.

“If you talk to any comedians here, James Young opened the door for them. When I do my own comedy the influence is huge,” he said.

Back in 1995 encouraged by George Jones (BBC Radio Ulster/Clubsound) William did his first ever tribute to James Young as a 15 minute add on to his normal stand-up comedy routine. It was an instant hit.

Since then, he has developed the show into a full two-hour performance utilising all the iconic Ulster ‘Our Jimmy’ characters that we know and love today.

But on February 13, William will perform the last Jimmy Young Tribute Show at Belfast’s Ulster Hall, which begs the question why?

“Well, a couple of reasons. Number one, I always get a gut feeling about things and I think now's the right time to finish it. But the main reason is because I spend so much time abroad now.

"I do a lot of work on the cruise ships as a guest entertainer. I'm away maybe 35 or 36 weeks of the year. So, it's difficult for me to get time to do a tour at home. Rather than finish on 29 years I thought I’ll wait until I've done my 30th year of the show and that would be a good time to bring it to an end.”

Indeed, William, who is 65, points out he’s been doing the characters even longer than Jimmy Young himself, who died in 1974 aged 56.

Will he be sad to say goodbye to Billy Hulk, Orange Lily, et al?

“I'll be honest, I'm the sort of person, I always have been, that I'll move on from it, I'll turn the page and that will be it. I'll look back on it with great delight and happy memories. But I'll be moving on to the next chapter.”

Yet, he concedes: “That's what I'm saying to you at the minute, but as I walk down the aisle of the Ulster Hall at the end of the show – I always go to the door to speak to the people as they're leaving – will I have a different opinion? I don't know. It might be different on the night.”

Thirty years ago, the content of the show was original James Young sketches but over the years William has written completely new material and brought all the characters and comedy bang up to date.

In recent years he has enhanced the stage show using a supporting cast for some of the sketches.

“It's a three-generational show that you can come to with your mother and your daughter. Nobody will be offended, but everybody will be entertained. And it doesn't matter whether you're Protestant or Catholic, both get hit in such a way that they laugh of the futility of all this stupid sectarian nonsense here.

“At the same time, people can come to the show that don't ever need to have seen James Young because what they're watching is larger than life characters that still roam the streets of Ulster.”

William always finishes the show with the Union Jack-wearing targe, Orange Lily.

"She finishes by reading a book at bedtime, as if it's being recorded for Radio Ulster. It’s well-known stories, but with a twist. There’s the Wizard of Orange, Snow Surrender and the Seven Wee Prods and Jack and the Bonefire.”

When he isn’t making people laugh on home stages or travelling the high seas on cruise ships, William lives in Donaghadee with his two dogs.

He was married twice, joking he was “addicted to wedding cake”, and has two children and five grandchildren. And, he has a very interesting hobby.

"When I was at school, I wanted to join the police and be a speed cop on a motorbike. When it came time for me to leave school, which was about 1974 or 1975, obviously joining the police wasn't the safest occupation. My mother asked me not to and out of respect for her, I didn't."

Instead of law enforcement William swerved into stand-up comedy and entertainment instead, but his love of motorbikes endured.

“During Covid I got my full motorbike license and now I love nothing better than getting the motorbike out and heading off around the country. In my head I'm a police speed cop!”

At the beginning of February, William will travel to Brazil to work on the cruise ships, before flying home for his final Our Jimmy show. Looking back on his career and life he recognises he’s been very blessed.

“I've travelled the world just because I'm a wee guy from Northern Ireland that can make people laugh.”

*The 30th anniversary Our Jimmy tribute show will be for one night only exclusive to the Ulster Hall on February 13, 2025, with special guests Orla Mullan and Keith Lynch as well as musical accompaniment from Ivan Black