Eyes And Teeth

Welcome to the final edition in Season 12. In this episode I know you’re going to enjoy as I take you back to the height of Cannon & Ball’s success as a double act that lasted decades right up until the very sad passing of Bobby Ball in 2020.

Tommy Cannon, a national treasure and one who admits he owes his career to Bobby in those early years as he talks to Eyes & Teeth about a Weld of Laughter.

Double acts over the years on British television have always been there but they seem to have a decade or so dedicated to them, in that case the 1980’s were Cannon & Balls years. Cannon & Ball have always been there it seems from those early Wheeltappers Shows in the 1970’s too I’m a Celebrity and Last Laugh in Las Vegas in more recent years.

I can relate to double acts as a ventriloquist, but I can’t imagine what I’d do without Arthur Lager. It would be like losing a right arm, literally for me, but when the nation lost Bobby Ball, we all felt a great loss as if he were our funny uncle, but he was someone’s father, husband, son, friend and to Tommy more like a brother.

In this final edition to Season 12, welcome to Eyes & Teeth the big big talent of Tommy cannon

Nigel Hogg is a familiar face at Cromer Pier in Norfolk. He's part of the furniture and I have been working in that venue with Nigel since 2006. He has a great sense of humour, but he just doesn’t show it.

I loved learning more about Nigel and his first introduction to Sir Ken Dodd in those early years and he spent decades working for the King of Diddy Men. Nigel tells me of his RVP with Doddy and many nights backing him which are funny anecdotes only he can share.

We talk about Gary Barlow, Tucker, Summer seasons, pantomimes and Beyonce. Yes you heard that right.

Welcome to Eyes and teeth The big big talent of Nigel Hogg

In this episode of Eyes & Teeth the big big talent of you can clearly hear my genuine reminiscent joy catching up with Rachel who stood side by side with me doing the YMCA at 10am on the roadside entrance to Barry Island resort one of the last realistic replica’s of Hi-De-Hi. I don’t think there is a park open today that possessed and provided that true link to the heyday of holiday parks back then. When they knocked it down they took away a gem and historic part of entertainment history and memories. But today Rachel and I share that excitement and moments that we will never forget.

The venue secured our love for the business and laid down the skills we needed to go out there and entertain in our own way and we have done just that and both still do to this day.

That was 30 years ago, we were both 17 years old, now at 47, Rachel & I catch up on zoom to talk Barry Island, Mike Doyle, The Golden Girls, Karen Carpenter, Forever in Blue Jeans, Jon Clegg, Status Quo, Southsea's Kings theatre, Jamie Steen, Tammy Wynette, Sir Ken Dodd and much more.

Welcome to Eyes & teeth Rachel Cantrill Dean

Welcome to another Eyes and Teeth

Pat Nearney is a wonderful Norfolk comedian who I met in Norfolk funny enough. Almost every time I worked up there, he would be on the bill or in the audience and he is full of brilliant stories and anecdotes, so todays chat is a delight as we talk about Cromer Pier, Norfolk comedians and accents, Billy Connolly, Ventriloquist Brian Chamberlain, Max Miller, The Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang and so much more on The Big Big Talent of Pat Nearney

Catherine Marks: 

Lady Ratling Magic Catherine and I have been pals since our summer season at Whitecliff Bay holiday park in 1994 on the IOW. We laughed, boy did we laugh, we clicked right away with a similar sense of humour.

After that season I went off to The London Palladium and Cath went to Lapland but we have stayed in touch every year since then. 

Cath was always constantly looking for new ideas and ways of working. We shared so much over the years and updated each other on our progress and she was a member of my Eggheads Team for the BBC and even there for me on the final of Britain's Got Talent in 2013 with my family.

We are godparents for each others kids too, it’s a bond that will continue until the end.

We talk of Santa, Summer seasons, Sir Norman Wisdom, Magic, laughter and cruise ships and much more on the Big Big Talent of Magic Catherine Marks

Paul Holman is one of the UK’s Top Successful Pantomime Producers. Today we talk about his early days and his favourite performers such as Sandy Powell, Jack Tripp, Barbara Windsor and Roy Hudd.

There are people we both knew such as the talented Steve & Lisa Bruus of Renleah Experience, Robert Marlowe, Phil Butler AND Paul Eastwood and inspirational people such as Dick Condon from Norfolk. We talk about Eastbourne’s Variety Festival day held annually at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre called Day by the sea and we have a moment reminiscing about the stars of Neighbours in panto land.

Sit back and enjoy my conversation with Paul Holman

Welcome to Eyes & Teeth and The Big Big Talent of Paul Zenon.

Award winning Comedy Magician, Writer, presenter, Ted Talk master, actor, director, producer, author, founder of a charity the list goes on and I try and talk about a lot of these things that Paul has turned into magic over the years he has been in the business.

From Tricky Business to Edinburgh Festival, receiving a Ken Dodd award from the man himself to sitting next to Susie Dent on countdown on over 120 occasions Paul is a face you will know and a personality you will enjoy. He is as relaxed, laidback and generous as they come, I mean he has the word Zen in his name so that’s inevitable.

Since this podcast was recorded the news came in just this week that the brilliant entertainer Magician and master pickpocket Mark Raffles passed away so today I dedicate this episode to the wonderful Mr Raffles

I hope you enjoy my conversation with the brilliant big big talent of Paul Zenon 

Welcome to eyes and teeth, The big big talent of talking to performers who have worked hard to get where they are. In this episode I talk to a Covent Garden legend, pantomime star, tv face, writer director, poet, juggler, visual comedy performer Ben Langley. 

Today we talk about his Lockdown projects which include Poems on the run and his Front Door Showstopper, Bill Oddie, Geoffrey Eggins, Robin Hood, HTV Bristol, BGT, Paul Eastwood and PIE ents, Kid TV and The epic British Hippodrome Circus in Great Yarmouth created by the Jay Circus bringing the East coast one of the gems of Great Britain.

He has performed at Windsor Castle for the late Queen Eliz 2 and has been complimented by Simon Cowell calling him a very funny man, Joe Pasquale says: Whatever you stick him in he comes out a winner and Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin says Funny, different and quite mad.

Welcome to the show Ben Langley

Welcome to Eyes & Teeth and another conversation about showbusiness, its people and behind the scenes in theatre and the arts. Another lockdown chat back in 2021 with a professional this time in the world of dance

Jan Lynton popped up in my life upon my move into Eastbourne Sussex back in the early Millennium. In this episode we talk about Eastbourne, Choreography, Arthur Worsley, Charlie Chester, The Water Rats and Lady Ratlings and the destiny of the Rattonians 

Welcome to the show Jan Lynton

Welcome to E&T Season William Robert Allenby Bass-baritone celebrated 40 years on stage in 2020, since his debut as Kurt in 'the Sound of Music' with the Northern Theatre Company, at the Hull New Theatre, in 1980.
His career has taken him around the world in a variety of musical styles from Puccini through to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rogers and Hammerstein. William was recently awarded Associateship (ARAM) in the Royal Academy of Music 2020 honours list for a significant contribution to the music profession.

William's considerable vocal and comedic talents have taken him to major opera houses in many leading comic and dramatic roles, garnering universal critical acclaim. He has appeared at the Royal Opera Covent Garden, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, and Opera Holland Park, to name but a few.

Following his days as a juvenile lead with the Northern Theatre Company in musicals and variety shows, William's major break-through came when he was engaged as a soloist for BBC Radio 2 in 1989. He has since appeared many times as a star singer on 'Friday Night is Music Night' in a variety of broadcasts of musicals and operetta and in international tours of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' with Westend International.

William has also achieved considerable success in over 400 performances of his extremely popular one-man shows, 'An Enchanted Evening of Song' and 'The Music of the Night' in theatres around the UK and as a headline act aboard many of the luxury cruise lines in the US and Europe.

I worked with Will on Luxury Cruise Liners and we have enjoyed a spot together in my first produced show in a theatre in 2005 when a character of mine named Jilly Pepper bravely duetted with this master of vocals, you can hear this later in this show.
Although Eyes & Teeth is not purely music based, each guest is always linked to Variety in some way and Wills love for the art of Comedy and Variety goes deep and you hear this in his work as well as what he is bringing at Chichester University passing it on to students of Cabaret and Variety. He’s paying it forward, so sit back and enjoy the work of the one and only Will Allenby