Jimmy Clitheroe Collection : Miscellaneous Recordings

From the Jimmy Clitheroe collection, this promotional tape about textile weaving was made for The John Lewis Partnership. Jimmy Clitheroe acquired it for personal reasons, as both of his parents were weavers in the Lancashire textile industry during the 1920s and 1930s. Growing up in a small weaving community, he was drawn to showbusiness, although he was too small to reach the looms!

This collection features recordings from open reel tapes in the personal collection of professional English comedian Jimmy Clitheroe. In the 1950s, he purchased one of the newly invented tape recorders, which were available to the public from 1955 onwards. He primarily used it to record his stage act, but also as a hobby to capture items of interest from radio, television, and records.

Jimmy Clitheroe, known for his cheeky schoolboy act, lived in Blackpool, Lancashire, the heart of British showbusiness. He appeared in Variety theatres, cinemas, on BBC Radio, and ITV Television. He is most famous as the star of the radio comedy series The Clitheroe Kid, which ran from 1956 until 1972.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.