JASPER CARROTT As Co-Owners, They Were God’S Gift to Comedy and to Be Fair, They Laughed at My Jokes

My 58-year life sentence!

my act. Comedy is my living and MARTIN McCONACHIE thankfully, no-one else talked about SPEAKS TO COMEDIAN Birmingham City. When David AND BIRMINGHAM CITY Sullivan and David Gold took over FAN JASPER CARROTT as co-owners, they were God’s gift to comedy and to be fair, they laughed at my jokes. Everyone hen you see says City are a sleeping giant but some well known really they’ve been comatose for supporters of football centuries.” clubs, you can’t help In a city with more than one Wwondering just how committed team, the youngster had a choice they are and whether it’s some sort to make as to who he followed at of publicity stunt. But millions of an early age. “In those days there comedy fans all over the country was no bitter rivalry like there is will tell you that Jasper Carrott is a nowadays. I went to Aston Villa one true Blue, serving, as he calls, it a week and Birmingham the next but “58-year life sentence”. Birmingham being closer on the The folk singer/entrepreneur/ train won in the end. It was a great agent/author/actor/comedian has choice to make, after all Villa will made his name over more than never win the Leyland DAF Cup four decades through using his or the Auto Windscreens Shield considerable talent. Being funny is Trophy, will they?” what he is most famous for and fans Good point well made. have grown up laughing with one As Jasper reached his mid-20s, he of the funniest British stars of his opened a folk club in Solihull with generation. good pal Les Ward. Starting as a The young Carrott was spoilt singer who did a bit of comedy, he in his early years at St Andrews. soon became known as a comedian Growing up in Shaftmoor Lane, who could turn out a tune and it Acocks Green (stop sniggering at was here that he encountered true The show was a roaring success the back!), his backing of the Blues West Country culture for the first and it was to launch the Brummie came at one of the high points of time. “Yes, we had The Yetties play funnyman into the stratosphere. their history as he explained. “In at the Boggery (the folk club) and A move across the divide to the my first 18 months supporting also The Wurzels played there too, BBC followed, as did a string of them, Blues beat Liverpool 9-1 in though that was with the late Adge comedy shows such as ‘Carrott a league game; they won what is Cutler leading them of course.” Confidential’,’Carrott’s Lib’ and now the Championship; finished After the single ‘Funky Moped’ ‘Canned Carrott’. The last of these sixth in the top flight and reached was released in 1975 and reached featured a police drama spoof the 1956 FA Cup Final, losing 3-1 to number 5 in the charts, his TV called ‘The Detectives’ which then Manchester City. It’s just a shame career took off. London Weekend developed into a long-running they’ve won sod all since!” Television supremo Michael Grade series of its own starring Jasper He’s quick to admit that there invited him to make a pilot for a alongside Robert Powell. have been good times since new show ‘An Audience With..’, Throughout his career though, though. “We did very well in the based on six half-hour shows. Blues were always close to his Steve Bruce years but the trouble heart. A director of the club many was, it knocked 20 minutes off moons ago, he has felt the pressure over recent years from fans who’d

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ALL SMILES: Jasper Carrott with the Carling Cup that Birmingham won in 2011 after betaing Arsenal 2-1 PICTURE: Roy Smiljanic

like to see him make a return to impressive. “I’m aware of the area Hull, distributing the ball well as we the club in some capacity. He from doing the folk clubs in and played them off the park.” won’t rule it out, just adding “I’m around Bristol and Salisbury. Yeovil, The future looks no less busy for like everyone else, just waiting the sloping pitch and the cup the folk and football funnyman. to see what happens with Carson giant-killing was part of my football Married for more than 40 years Yeung (the Blues owner who faces life growing up and of course you to Hazel; father of four (including a money laundering trial). Lee had the fantastic day at Wembley ‘The Office’ star Lucy Davis) and Clark has a very difficult job, almost in May winning promotion. From grandfather to six, his plans for impossible, to get blood out of a that team, we’ve got Dan Burn at 2014 might even bring him to the stone. I saw them beat Hull 2-1 in Blues now; he looked good against Yeovil area. “I’m great friends with pre-season but like Yeovil, a lot Bev Bevan (the drummer from will depend on the first six to ten ELO) and we took a musical show games. Enthusiasm and confidence “A LOT WILL DEPEND out last year called ‘Made In Brum’. can carry you a long way in ON THE FIRST SIX TO TEN It was aimed at a nostalgic older football.” GAMES. ENTHUSIASM audience; it was hugely successful His knowledge of the Glovers is AND CONFIDENCE CAN and we might try something similar CARRY YOU A LONG WAY on a national stage this time visiting IN FOOTBALL” the towns around the country.” ■

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