Colin Crompton
George Colin Crompton (22 June 1931 – 24 August 1985) was an English stand-up comedian. Crompton, born in Manchester, Lancashire, found fame on the Granada Television programme "The Comedians" in the early 1970s. Before his big break into television, Crompton was half of a duo musical comedy act with musician and singer Edward (Eddie) Forrest (piano, ukulele and banjo), doing the rounds of the Working Men's Clubs of Manchester. In The Stage, dated Thursday 26 June 1958, James Hartley wrote "Colin Crompton, who for a while has been working for the C.W.S. as a traveller and engaging  in lucrative concert work in Lancashire Clubland, is not accepting a Butlin offer of a resident job commencing July 6 at Ayr Camp. Much as I love the profession, I am not resigning from a well-paid all-the-year-round job for a 10-week season" he told me. Just the same, Colin plans to motor up to Ayr every Saturday to contribute regularly in the Camp's week-end programmes: 400 miles, there and back. From 1974 to 1977 he was also the "club chairman" in another Granada programme, "The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club". An attempt by  producer Johnnie Hamp to reproduce the atmosphere of the working men's clubs in a television studio, Crompton was famous for ringing a hand-operated fire alarm bell and telling the audience to "give order" when making announcements from "the committee" in between acts. He wrote his own scripts, with occasional additions by Neil Shand. The MC for the show, Bernard Manning, claimed he was cast in the role because he "had been on The Comedians and he had that gormless look about him so he was ideal". According to Johnnie Hamp: "Colin was criticised by real club chairmen for  the way he acted. One actual club chairman wanted to appear and have it out with him on the show. He came along and met Colin, who was dressed in a very good suit, very smart, and here was this man looking more of a caricature than Colin ever did." Crompton also had a small role as Roughage in the film "Confessions from a Holiday Camp" in 1977. A favourite moment during "The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club" was when he rang his bell to interrupt ventriloquist Ray Alan halfway through his act: "...excuse me Mr. Allen we've had  some complaints that they can't quite hear you at the back. Could you hold your dummy a little closer to the microphone please?" This particular joke, like the character of the club chairman itself, owed a heavy debt to the comedian Norman Collier. Crompton bought and ran a pub called the Birch and Bottle in Whitley, Cheshire. He died of lung cancer at the age of 54. He was survived by his three children, Cheryl, Erica and John.