The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Lifestyle: The Little Waster Makes Good
The north east’s finest flat-capped stand-up, Bobby Thompson, talks about his life in comedy.
Documentary 1976 26 mins
From the collection of:
Overview
The Little Waster's monologues are spiced with reference to a past that only the north east fully experienced.' With his trademark tatty woollen gansey, flat cap and Woodbine tab, Bobby Thompson pedalled a comedy of debt, dole and marital war in perfect pitmatic dialect. This insightful TV portrait reveals the roots of his sparkling northern wit, from early life in a Durham pit village to show biz stardom. But the comic genius of this stand-up legend failed to travel south.
This superb Tyne Tees TV documentary was broadcast on the 2nd May 1973 as ‘Wor Bobby’, part of the About Britain series, and in the regional Lifestyle series as ‘The Little Waster Makes Good’ in 1976.
Director
Roger Cheveley
Genres
Documentary
Released
1976
Location
PenshawBiddickHigh Gosforth Park
Language
English
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