Paddy Shennan is a name known to generations of ECHO readers - today, in the second of our three-part serialisation of his book The Talk of Liverpool, he recalls some of the famous people he interviewed.
Here's a taster of Paddy writing about his incredible experiences working at the Liverpool ECHO. To read yesterday's article, click here.
Ricky Tomlinson was a great friend to me and the ECHO during my time on the paper. I was delighted to be invited to the party he threw in Ma Boyle’s pub, in the shadow of Liverpool Parish Church, to celebrate the publication of his autobiography, and to his 70th and (surprise) 80th birthday parties (sorry I couldn’t make the 70th, Rick).
He also invited me to a memorable afternoon in his company – and at his expense – at a Good Turns Society bash at the police club in Fairfield (the society was founded by Ken Dodd, and holds lively dinner shows for entertainers and celebrities). Ricky was such a generous host that day, I genuinely did fear for my health.
After sinking several Guinnesses, I knew I couldn’t face another pint – but Ricky was insistent that more alcohol be ordered for everyone on his table: “Err, just the smallest glass of dry white wine then, please, Rick.” He turned to the waitress: “A bottle of white wine for Paddy!”
But at least I fared better than a colleague (my “plus one”) – he ended up falling asleep after the onslaught of generosity and ale. Ricky also got me involved when he appeared on BBC1’s Who Do You Think You Are? I ended up being filmed giving him some information about his family tree – information that came from someone else.
It was my friend, genealogist Karen Murphy, who had unearthed it, but she wasn’t available for the filming, so the programme-makers asked me to pretend I’d done the research. I did countless stories and features with Ricky over so many years, but there is one that always stands out for me.
I thought it would be interesting for ECHO readers to see the world through the eyes of the incredibly popular star of The Royle Family – by going on a Royle walkabout between Church Street and the ECHO offices in Old Hall Street, about a 10 to 15-minute walk. But things didn’t quite work out as I had planned. I really should have known better.
A walk on the wild side with our Ricky, November 12, 2008
Rickymania struck somewhere between Schuh and Primark. It was an incredible sight. Think bees around a honey pot. Or crowds of men, women and children of all ages swarming around that big, bearded bloke off the telly who says “My arse” a lot.
We’re 15 minutes in and the planned walk hasn’t started. We try a couple of times, but it’s just not going to happen. It was never going to happen.
Taking a brief break from his adoring public, Ricky tells me: “I love the people of Liverpool. Southerners are amazed I still live here, but there is nothing in London I want – everything I want is up here. This is the best city in the world, and I’m proud of the fuss people make of me here.”
It was, indeed, a right Royle occasion – and there was probably more intense interest and affection in the air than there would be for any member of our official Royal family.
Laughing matters
I was lucky enough to interview many comedians - here are snippets of what a few of them told me...
"The secret of happiness is to keep doing what you love, keep active and to feel that you are necessary – to feel that people still want to hear and see you. I’ve never contemplated retirement. The thing is I’m not working – I don’t go to work. I used to, but that was when I was learning my trade." - Ken Dodd, September 15, 2014
“When I was making the Tate Liverpool programme (Tate Liverpool at 30, for BBC1 in 2018), I was staying at the Hope Street Hotel. One day I came out and this bloke who was cycling past just shouted ‘Victory for Palestine!’ I thought, ‘I’m in Liverpool now!’” - Alexei Sayle, February 28, 2020
“My feet are on the ground. Leaving my job has crossed my mind, but I’ve got a different life to a lot of other people starting off. I’m not a 23-year-old ex-student with no commitments. I’ve got to balance things.” - Aspiring comic John Bishop, August 22, 2001 - 10 months after he began doing stand-up. He finally packed in the day job in 2006, though his “breakthrough” year didn’t arrive until 2009.
“There’s no reason why the ordinary viewer should think ‘Eddie Braben worked 18 hours a day, seven days a week to bring us this programme. He almost had a nervous breakdown – he was sent to bed with nervous exhaustion and an ulcer.’ But that is what it was like. I never enjoyed writing. It was a nightmare." - Eddie Braben, Morecambe and Wise scriptwriter, January 18, 1997
"I took it as a huge compliment whenever people couldn’t separate fact from fiction – then, later on, I lost myself in this character.”- Michael Pennington, aka Johnny Vegas, November 30, 2009
“I don’t know about being the hardest-working man in show business, but my career has always been about chasing jobs – nothing has ever fallen into my lap and I’ve never been hired for a long run in a soap or anything like that. It’s always been about finding the next job."- Neil Fitzmaurice, November 25, 2009
“My father used to say ‘Anything is possible in a hi-vis jacket. No-one asks you any questions.’ It’s just like tonight. I’m not supposed to be here, but I got in.”- Hi-vis jacket wearing Top Joe, aka Chris Jenkins, winner of the ECHO’s Stand-up of The Year competition in 2016, on stage at the Philharmonic Hall, December 11, 2016
“You always get good heckles in Liverpool. The other thing I love about Liverpool is that people really dress up when they go for a night out. Girls wear beautiful dresses and guys wear suits and shine their shoes. It feels more like Vegas – there’s a real sense of occasion.” - Jimmy Carr, July 7, 2006
God bless Leon and June
Retired teachers Leon and June Bernicoff proved that you never do know what’s around the corner. For he was 78 and she was 75 when they achieved national fame – as millions of viewers fell in love with watching them watching television on Channel 4’s Gogglebox.
After getting to know the friendly, welcoming, delightful and down-to-earth couple over the course of a few entertaining interviews, I was honoured to be invited to True Blue Leon’s 80th birthday bash at Everton Football Club – and it was a great night!
“We’re going to be stars!” Leon had told June, after returning home from Liverpool Bridge Club one day in 2012. Two young researchers, looking for people of a certain age to appear in a new programme, had paid a visit to the club… and Leon’s hand went up immediately!
He was soon calling Nigel Farage a “dickhead” on national television, and famously showed his sweet and loving nature while the couple were watching the film Gladiator, and the scene where Meridius (Russell Crowe) is reunited in the after-life with his wife and child. Leon told June: “I’ll join you. You’ll see. Always, June.”
Leon died in 2017 and June died in 2020. I loved them and I miss them.
The Talk of Liverpool by Paddy Shennan (RRP £14.99, Mirror Books) is on sale this Thursday, June 30. Save £3 with code RB5 on mirrorbooks.co.uk
You can pre-order Paddy's book here.
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