Is there anything quite so melancholy as a bereaved straight man, soldiering on as a solo turn after the funny half of the double act has died?
Ernie Wise cut a lonely figure after Eric Morecambe died – and Tommy Cannon, without Bobby Ball beside him, I feared might be much the same.
I needn’t have worried. It’s nearly three years since Bobby died, aged 76 (a cruel combination of pulmonary disease and Covid). Though Tommy still misses him terribly, he seems content and self-assured. His bright eyes twinkle with fun and laughter – he wears his 85 years lightly.
Still, it’s impossible for me (and countless other Cannon & Ball fans) to meet him without thinking about Bobby. I’ve met Tommy twice before, both times with Bobby, backstage in Blackpool and Skegness,
