Tommy Cannon goes bankrupt over £800k tax
THERE was a time he could afford a golden Rolls-Royce, a 33ft cabin cruiser and even a football club.
Now four decades on, comedian Tommy Cannon has been declared bankrupt.
The 78-year-old has been hit with a £800,000 tax bill and is reportedly struggling to pay it off.
The father-of-five is one half of Cannon and Ball whose prime-time ITV show ran for nine years in the 1980s and pulled in audiences of 20million.
He and Bobby Ball – whose catchphrase was ‘Rock on, Tommy’ – were earning around £50,000 a week and claimed to have had ‘droves’ of women throwing themselves at them. But Cannon, whose bankruptcy case in Birmingham was reportedly listed under his real name Tommy Derbyshire, claims to have lived ‘hand to mouth’ for a decade and is now only given panto roles.
Despite the pair’s website claiming they ‘are just as popular now as they ever’, Cannon told The Sun: ‘I haven’t worked since Christmas. It’s all gone off a cliff.
‘It’s embarrassing but just one of those things.’ In 2005 the comedy duo made a brief TV comeback on I’m a Celebrity but twice-married Cannon said previous business disasters and divorce had cost him a fortune. The pair will be taking to the stage this Christmas in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Lyceum Theatre in Crewe.
Ball met Oldham-born Cannon when they were factory welders and soon formed a singing act which they transformed into a hugely successful comedy duo.
In his heyday, Cannon splashed out on luxury cars, a boat and even Rochdale FC.
Speaking about how the industry has transformed, Cannon added: ‘Showbusiness changed. You’re on the back pedal all the time.’
He added: ‘We’ve still got a partnership. Me and Bobby, we’re still going – but not like
‘It’s all gone off a cliff’
we used to be. We’ll plug on. Hopefully something will come along and we’ll be able to pick up the pieces. But as for now, there is nothing work-wise.’
However, things could soon be on the up. Cannon, who lives in York, is rumoured to be a favourite for the next series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Ball, on the other hand, is still a familiar face on TV and stars in the hit BBC sitcom Not Going Out with Lee Mack. He was also a regular on Last of the Summer Wine for several years. Reflecting on their careers, Ball, 73, said in 1999: ‘We were arrogant, full of ourselves.’
A representative for Cannon yesterday declined to comment.