Never really my favourite but I'd put him above the 'alternative' 'comedians' of the (urgh) 1980s.

Does anyone remember his act in the mid 60's. I seem to remember that he used a wall with graffiti on it. Whenever I mention it, people say i must be imagining it!

desperate to raise some cash during the worst of the Wilderness Years that followed his greatest triumph, Winner Takes All, was reduced to selling his mouth to Madonna and the rest of his face to Terry Venables?

(Yes, I do remember the wall.)

Appears on this clip - poor sound quality...and I'm not talking about his singing voice! He's had a few LPs out over the years and I have a couple. I will spare you that pleasure (unless you insist).

He'd have never been near the telly . Never funny and neeeded his showbiz pals to make him seem part of the gang. Don't remember the wall but knew it was time to go to bed when i heard him say "Here's me old mate,Lynchy". The most dreaded phrase in light entertaiment apart from "and this..is me ".
On winner takes all he always aked "Is this the fourth question,geoff ?" and it was always answered by my grandmother as "Can't he count or is he just forgetful ?

When I hear the name Jimmy Tarbuck, two things spring to mind:

1) Chatshow appearances which consisted solely of him telling weak anecdotes about what he and his showbiz pals (mainly Sean Connery) had got up to on the golf-course.

2) Being asked by a radio station for his views on an NHS study which had revealed that Merseyside had higher rates of mental illness such as anxiety and depression than other areas of the country. His response was something like "What a load of rubbish. Scousers aren't depressive people. Look at The Beatles! Cilla Black! These bloody scientists...etc"

Grade A Wazzock.

Not funny in the slightest and with no hint of warmth about him. A lot of people I know have bumped into him on the corporate golf circuit and say that he's an arse of the first and finest water, full of self-congratulatory stories about himself and all his celeb "mates", most of whom probably wouldn't cross the road to piss on him if he were burning.

You lot are ruthless - who's next on your hit list - Frank Carson?

He used to close his eyes and smile blissfully when classical music clips were played. I think he wanted to be Steve Race.

The only trouble is, if you were ever 'a winner of Lisa's affections' and you were introduced to her dad 'ho-ho-ing' and 'ha-ha-ing' with Lynchy in matching Pringle sweaters, you'd have to decide whether to laugh at his jokes to stay in with Lisa or stay true to yourself and call him a gap-toothed unfunnyman.

It's a dilemma that keeps me awake at night, it really does.

...when he had a chat show in 1985. But otherwise I agree with the poster who said if he wasn't a Liverpudlian he wouldn't have got on the telly.

I don't think Liza's up to much either.

He's never made me laugh, he's part of the Brucey/Lynchy golfing bores set and he used to be (and probably still is)a vocal Tory supporter. So I'm not his biggest fan.

But,I do wonder, why has he suddenly been catapulted onto the highly influential Word site for a good kicking? Is it fair?

And, Anyway, he's Lisa's dad. And she is wonderful.

....compared to Bruce Forsyth he's WC Fields.

I was thinking this when watching Barack Obama's speech for the annual White House Correspondents dinner. It's traditional for the President to go first, cracking a few self-deprecating gags before handing over to a comic who shows how it's *really* done. But things are different here. Whether Obama's gags are great or not, you can't argue with his calm and his timing. Jay Leno goes after him and he's not in the same class.
It's here.

And raise you a Jupitus.

Is he funny? Certainly within recent memory, and possibly ever, he has never made me laugh.

Don't get me wrong I don't dislike the man. I have no hate for the chap. I don't turn over the tv when he's on. He seems to be an amiable uncle character there to laugh with others and make vaguely humourous noise when on camera.

But funny? Nope.

Can Steven Seagal really act?
Is Alan Titchmarsh a good novelist?

Whoever said you need to be talented to be famous and/or succesful?

...is something of which this thread is completely devoid. This is a rare instance of Massive unanimity and one with which I wholly concur.

I used to hear his showbiz cronies talking about "dear old Tarby", and even dear old Tarby himself on the same topic, and assumed that I must have missed his heyday, or the series in which he earned this reputation. Judging by this thread, there was no such series and no such heyday either.

He's not specifically supposed to be a comic, is he? I have always thought of him as a variety host, a light entertainer, in the same manner as Bruce Forsyth and Des O'Connor. The reason we find him bewildering is that he is a relic from another time where variety hosts were big stars. If you want a modern equivalent, it's probably someone like Alan Carr or Justin Lee Collins. I daresay most people here don't like them much either.

As far as I'm aware he's not been seen in the limelight for many years. Why the kicking now? Brucie, on the other hand...