William Caulfield honours comedy hero '˜Our Jimmy'

One of the most well known Northern Irish comedians doing the circuit today, William Caulfield, will be honouring one of his heroes, James Young, when he takes to the road to mark the great man's 100th birthday.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Feb 2018, 10:30 BST
Updated 9th Feb 2018, 10:33 BST

James Young, better known as ‘Our Jimmy’, was one of the trailblazers of Northern Irish comedy, paving the way for future generations, including William Caulfield, who felt it was only right to pay tribute to one of his greatest inspirations with a new theatre show.

One Hundred Years of Our Jimmy will feature both original and new material based on the iconic characters created by James Young back in the 70s, including, of course, Lily O’Condriac, Billy Hulk, Big Derek, Orange Lil, Willie Simpson, and The Ballymena Man.

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“When I was a boy, a long time ago, in our house there was no TV, simply because my father didn’t believe in a TV so when other children were going home to watch Blue Peter, I was setting up a reel-to-reel,” said William. “My brother had an LP with James Young recorded on it and I listened to it over and over.

“On a Sunday evening when people visited after church, my father would ask me to do ‘Our Jimmy’ for them and make people laugh.”

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.

Looking forward to the tour, William added: “The characters are as relevant today as they ever were. We should remember James Young because he was one of the best comedians we have ever had.”

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William will be bringing the show to theatres up and down the Province, including The McNeill Theatre, Larne, on February 15, The Old Courthouse, Antrim, on February 16, Island Hall, Lisburn, on February 17, Market Place Theatre, Armagh, on February 23, the Ulster Hall on February 24, Millennum Forum, Londonderry on February 28, Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, on March 3, the Riverside Theatre, Coleraine, on March 9, Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen, on April 27, and The Braid Arts Centre, Ballymena, on April 28. Tickets are on sale now from the various theatre box offices or log ontowww.williamcaulfield.co.uk for more details.