Bernie Clifton wants to go back on tour at 87.
The comedy legend is planning an Audience With-style show because he misses performing. He told the Daily Star Sunday: “I’d like to go on the road and tell my story as an example of what is possible.
“I want to talk about how I got this far. I can’t believe I’ve got to 87. It’s a miracle. And I like the spotlight, I can’t lie.”
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Bernie shot to fame alongside his sidekick Oswald The Ostrich when he did his routine at the Royal Variety Performance in 1979. But these days the former Crackerjack star has ditched the bird and does a solo act.
(Image: Getty Images)
He said: “The ostrich has gone into permanent retirement. It was inevitable because the act was so physical. The whole ethos of the ostrich was the pace and the manic movement.
“As I got older and older, the ostrich got slower and slower. It got to the point where if I didn’t stop, people would ring the RSPCA! I could not do it justice anymore.”
(Image: BBC / Wall to Wall)
Talking to comedy.co.uk, Bernie recently revealed what made him first want to go into comedy. £I don’t know if it was desperation or fear.
“I started off singing with a dance band but it was never enough for me. A month after I got the job I was banned for riding the doorman’s bike round the dance hall. The manger called me an imbecile. I didn’t know what it meant. I just said thank you very much and left. I had this gift of a voice but it was never enough. Being a singer lacked mischief.
(Image: PA)
“I grew up in St Helens just outside Liverpool and we inherited this ‘anything for the craic’ mentality because there was a huge Irish population plus the Scouse humour. There was Sunday morning cinema but I’d go down the front and start messing about. People would ask where I was going to be so they could come and watch.”
The star has also penned an autobiography charting his life story.
Bernie Clifton: Crackerjack to Vegas is available at Book Publishing | Bannister Publications | England
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
