Nearly a year ago, my uncle called me. “Want to see Jimmy Tarbuck next month?” I’d heard the name, of course. There were still old clips on growing up on the telly. The big variety shows that used to come on Sundays. That kind of thing.
“Isn’t he 90?” I answered. “Eighty-Five,” my uncle corrected. “And he’s touring still.” So we went. And what a night it had been.
Liverpool Kid Who Sat Next to a Beatle
Jimmy Tarbuck was born in Wavertree in February 1940. His dad was a bookie. The normal working-class Liverpool family. No big deals, no dreams of the bright lights. No, except for one tiny thing. Dovedale Primary School. He sat next to a boy called John Lennon.
John went off and became a Beatle. And Cilla Black, another Liverpool mate, became a giant singer. Jimmy made folks laugh. He started young. To survive in a Liverpool playground, you had to be funny and quick. Being funny on stage meant you might make a living.
Originally, he wanted to play for Liverpool FC. Every lad in the city desired that. But comedy somehow replaced football along the road.
The Sunday Night That Changed Everything
October 1963. Jimmy Tarbuck walks on stage at the Palladium for Sunday Night at the London Palladium. TV debut. He’s 23. The audience obviously loves him straight away.
Two years later, and this bit still sounds mad; he’s hosting the whole show. At 25. Taking over from Bruce Forsyth. Can you even imagine? Twenty-Five, and you’re introducing Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, and Rudolf Nureyev to 25 million people every Sunday night. Nearly 10 million households watched it at its peak.
My nan was one of them. She once told me she’d iron on Sunday evenings just so she could have an excuse to watch. The whole country stopped for that show.
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Las Vegas, Elvis, And A Lad From Liverpool
Then America happened.
Jimmy Tarbuck was performing on stage with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. He had drinks with Frank Sinatra in Miami. Talked to Elvis in Las Vegas. The son of a bookmaker from Wavertree, born in East Liverpool, found himself in the company of the world’s biggest stars.
His latest book, “Laughter Is The Best Medicine”, out this November, addresses all of that. The crazed events of the golden age of British telly. Hanging around with Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise, Tommy Cooper, and Kenny Lynch. That crop of comics who all knew each other, all worked together, and all watched out for one another.
It costs £22 or £17.99 on Amazon if you care about saving a couple of quid. I’ve already pre-ordered it. My uncle needs it for Christmas.
Quiz Shows Forever
Jimmy Tarbuck’s quiz show days were the 70s and 80s. Winner Takes All was on forever, as it ran from 1975 to 1988. Jimmy hosted the same show for 13 years. That’s insane when you put it that way.
He hosted loads of others as well. Full Swing. Tarby’s Frame Game. Live from Her Majesty’s. If there was a quiz show on air in the 80s, Jimmy Tarbuck was probably somehow involved.
My mum watched Winner Takes All after school every week. She said he never made people feel thick if they got answers wrong. Always had a joke ready. Made it fun even when contestants were bricking it.
Pauline Tarbuck And Jimmy Tarbuck – Sixty-Six Years Together
Jimmy Tarbuck married Pauline Tarbuck in 1959. They’re still together now. Sixty-six years. In show business, where marriages usually last about five minutes, that’s properly impressive.
They’ve got three kids. Cheryl, Liza Tarbuck, and James. You’ve probably seen Liza on the telly. She’s done loads. Was on Taskmaster. Does radio. Properly talented in her own right.
Liza’s talked about what it was like growing up with a famous dad. Said it made her angry sometimes as a teenager because people would only invite her places so they could meet Jimmy, not because they actually wanted to be her mate. Can’t blame her for being annoyed about that.
But the Tarbucks are tight as a family. Get together every couple of weeks at Mum and Dad’s. Go on holiday together once a year. Liza’s said she’d happily still live at home because her dad loves having everyone there. Called it “like a big pride of lions.”
The Cancer Nobody Wants To Talk About
Five years back, Jimmy Tarbuck got diagnosed with prostate cancer. He’s been proper open about it. Talks about it publicly because he reckons if even one bloke goes and gets checked because of it, it’s worth mentioning.
Last September, he had to postpone a gig in Harrogate because he wasn’t well. The Jimmy Tarbuck illness stuff worries people. He’s 85 now. That’s a good age by anyone’s standards.
But he keeps going. Still touring. Still performing. Says laughter’s the only drug he’s ever needed.
The 2025 Tour (Yeah, Really)
This year’s Jimmy Tarbuck tour ran from April through June. An Evening with Jimmy Tarbuck. Two sets. Audience questions. Stories from 67 years in showbusiness.
That’s where I went with my uncle. Theatre in Birmingham. Maybe 400 people there. Mix of ages, actually. Not just pensioners reliving the old days. Younger people too. People like me who’d heard stories from parents and grandparents and wanted to see what the fuss was about.
And we got it. Straightaway. This 85-year-old man walked on stage and within seconds had the whole room laughing. Not polite laughter either. Proper belly laughs.
He talked about growing up with John Lennon. About meeting Elvis. About his dodgy knees and how getting old is basically your body betraying you bit by bit. About golf (he’s obsessed with golf and runs an annual celebrity tournament he’s been doing for 44 years).
Last year, he did 14 sold-out nights at the Palladium opening for Barry Manilow. Fourteen. At 84 years old. That’s not just impressive; that’s borderline ridiculous.
He talks about the Palladium like it’s a person. He says it’s his favourite place in the world. Makes sense, really. That’s where it all started for him. Where he became “Tarby” instead of just Jimmy from Liverpool.
Golf, Champagne, And Tom Jones
Can’t talk about Jimmy Tarbuck without mentioning golf. He’s played with everyone. Bing Crosby. Tom Jones. Parky. The whole lot.
His annual celebrity golf championship has been running for 44 years. Forty-Four. That’s commitment. And he jokes that he never drank lager at those events—always champagne. Living the good life, basically.
The OBE He Deserved
Jimmy Tarbuck got an OBE for services to comedy and charity in 1994. About time, really. He’s raised millions for charity over the years. Those golf tournaments alone have brought in stacks of cash for good causes.
He’s also been a longtime Tory supporter, which raised eyebrows back in the day. Mates with Margaret Thatcher and all that. Politics and comedy don’t always mix well, but Jimmy’s never hidden his opinions.
Money Talk (Sort Of)
People ask about Jimmy Tarbuck net worth. How much is he worth after nearly 70 years in the business? Truth is, nobody knows except Jimmy and his accountant.
He’s done well for himself, clearly. Owns property. Lives comfortably in Kingston upon Thames with Pauline Tarbuck. But he’s not flashy about it. Never has been.
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Why The Show Mattered
After the show, my uncle was buzzing. He kept quoting bits Jimmy Tarbuck had said. Laughing about the stories. Couldn’t stop talking about it.
“They don’t make them like that anymore,” he said on the drive home.
And he’s right. They don’t. Jimmy’s from a time when entertainers did everything. They didn’t specialise. They just entertained. For decades. Building proper connections with audiences. Honing their craft.
At one point during the show, Jimmy Tarbuck talked about wanting to perform at the Palladium again. He was last there in 2014 solely for a gig. “It’s the most wonderful place,” he said. “My favourite place in the world. I just hope it’s not the last time.”
And that got me. This man has done everything, met every major star you can think of, and been awarded an OBE, and he still dreams about doing one more show at the Palladium.
That’s not ego. That’s love.
Still Going At 85
Jimmy Tarbuck is still going strong at 85, after 67 years in the business. After prostate cancer, after health scares, he’s still out there. still touring. still getting laughs. My grandad would’ve loved that show. He watched Jimmy every Sunday night back in the 60s and would’ve been chuffed to see him still at it now.
If you get a chance to see Jimmy Tarbuck live, do it. Don’t mull it over. Just get the tickets. Because these opportunities don’t last. And we all know that when he’s gone, we’ll lose one of the last links to that golden age of British entertainment. The age when Sunday nights meant gathering round the telly to watch a cheeky Scouser introduce the biggest stars in the world.
My uncle’s already looking at dates for next year. Reckons we should make it an annual thing. I reckon he’s right.
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I don’t think the title of your article matches the content, LOL. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.