Broken back can’t stop me from helping young comics
GODFATHER of North East comedy Bobby Pattinson says the show must go on – despite him fracturing his back.
The 83-year-old came out of retirement last year when he said sitting with his feet up wasn’t for him.
But he is determined to make ’em laugh again by putting on a show just days after undergoing an operation to fix his vertebrae.
“If I have to, I’ll stand on stage with an arm crutch,” said Bobby. “But this show will go on.”
Bobby jokingly calls himself the ‘last man standing’ after his comic pals from his era have all died.
But he is still going strong and is passing on his decades of experience to the younger comedians in the region. And this show is giving them a helping hand by providing a platform for them to show off their acts.
Bobby fell twice in the space of three weeks when he slipped on the ice at home two months ago and then tumbled on holiday. And the combined accidents meant he fractured his back, broke a rib and fractured two others.
“Coughing and sneezing was a problem, but an operation on my back will mean I’ll be fine,” he added.
“I had four MRI scans and a CT scan within 10 days. I’ve cracked a couple of vertebrae in my back which means I have to have an operation. “But nothing is going to stop me putting on this show. I’ll be doing the links and a few classics but this is to showcase the talented younger comics coming through the ranks today.”
Bobby’s show, called “Bobby Pattinson introducing the new stars of North East Comedy Talent”, will be held at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead on Sunday, May 20, between Bobby with Tom Jones 1pm to 6pm, and will raise money for children’s charity Variety to help disabled children in the region.
The king of comedy hung up his mic back in 2015 but came out of retirement last year. Bobby acting on with Tim Healy stage
Big-hearted Bobby dedicates his time to Variety and has raised huge sums of money by putting on charity shows to buy five buses for disabled children on Tyneside.
And the dad-of-two was honoured by Variety in 2014 with the presentation of its highest accolade ‘The Silver Heart’ in recognition of being the only private individual in the UK