Robert Harper (known professionally as Bobby Ball, 28 January 1944 - 28 October 2020) was an English actor and comedian, who was one half of the comedic duo Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon.
Career[]
Since 2009, Ball had played Frank in the long-running BBC sitcom Not Going Out, he first made a guest appearance in the 2009 and two further guest appearances in series' 4 and 5, but since became a recurring fixture from series 6 onwards appearing in roughly three episodes per series, he also was a main character in the 2015 Christmas special. He returned alongside the cast for the eighth series in 2017, the ninth series in 2018 and the tenth series in 2019. His final epsidoe as Frank was on the 5th February 2021 in the Series 11 episode 'War.
In the episode Neighbour, Lucy (Sally Bretton) recalls the time when she and Tim (Tim Vine) went to see a show starring Cannon and Ball.
Other roles[]
Ball is most famous for his partnership with Tommy Cannon, and their variety show The Cannon and Ball Show between 1979 and 1988 on ITV. Ball has also appeared on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and also had roles in Heartbeat and Last of the Summer Wine.
Ball passed away on 28 October 2020, after testing positive for COVID-19, at the age of 76 years old.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Boys in Blue | PC Bobby Ball |
| 1988 | Mr H Is Late | Driver's mate |
Television[]
| Year | Show | Role | Number of Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 - 1977 | The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club | Himself | 3 |
| 1976 | Sea sided special | Himself | 1 |
| 1979 | Star Treatment | Himself | 1 |
| 1979 - 1988 | The Cannon and Ball Show | Himself | 61 |
| 1979 | London Night Out | Himself | 1 |
| 1980 | It’s a Knock out | Himself | 1 |
| Summer Royal | Unknown | 1 | |
| 1981 | Parkinson | Himself | 1 |
| 1981 - 1995 | This Is Your Life | Himself | 3 |
| 1982 | The Kenny Everett Television Show | Himself | 1 |
| 1982 - 1991 | Children's Royal Variety Peformance | Himself | 2 |
| 1983 | The Russell Harty Show | Himself | 1 |
| 1984 | Moregambe & Wise | Artiste | 1 |
| 1984 - 1987 | Live from her Majesty’s | Himself | 2 |
| 1985 | Ultra Quiz | Himself | 1 |
| 1987 -1995 | Royal Variety Peformance | Himself | 2 |
| Des O'Connor Tight | Himself | 3 | |
| 1989 | Going Live | Himself | 1 |
| 1990 | Casino | Himself | 9 |
| 1991 | Plaza Patrol | Trevor Purvis | 6 |
| 1992 | Children in Need | Himself | 1 |
| 1993 - 2000 | Surprise Surprise | Himself | 3 |
| 1994 | Win, Lose or Draw | Himself | 5 |
| 1995 | Talking Telephone Numbers | Himself | 1 |
| Fully Booked | Himself | 1 | |
| 1996 | Noel’s House Party | Himself | 1 |
| The Very Famous Paul Ross Show | Himself | 1 | |
| Shooting Stars | Himself | 1 | |
| 1997 | The Generation Game | Himself | 1 |
| 1999 | The Big Stage | Himself | 1 |
| The Car's the Star | Himself | 1 | |
| 2001 | Rex the Runt | Wayne the Zebra | 1 |
| 2002 | It's Only TV... But I Like It | Himself | 1 |
| 2004 - 2006 | Today With Des And Mel | Himself | 2 |
| 2004 | The Royal | John Wilson | 1 |
| Revolver | Soldier | 1 | |
| 2005 | Songs of Praise | Himself | 1 |
| I’m Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here | Himself | 15 | |
| 2005 - 2006 | Heartbeat | Mr Turner and Topsy Turner | 2 |
| 2005 - 2008 | Last of the Summer Wine | Lenny | 3 |
| 2006 | Richard & Judy | Himself | 1 |
| The Story of Light Enterainment | Himself | 1 | |
| 2007 | The Comedy Map of Britain | Himself | 1 |
| Chute! | Santa | 1 | |
| The Afternoon Play | Bingo Manager | 1 | |
| The Culture Show | Himself | 1 | |
| 2007 - 2011 | Loose Women | Himself | 5 |
| 2009 | Legends | Himself | 1 |
| 2009 - 2021 | Not Going Out | Frank | 21 |
| 2009 - 2013 | This Morning | Himself | 3 |
| 2010 | The One Show | Himself | 1 |
| All Stars Mr & Mrs | Himself | 1 | |
| Sport Relief | Himself | 1 | |
| Britain's Got More Talent | Himself | 1 | |
| 2011 | Show Me the Funny | Guest Judge | 1 |
| 2011 - 2017 | Mount Pleasant | Barry | 46 |
| 2012 | Casualty | Gray Davies | 1 |
| Celebrity Coach Trip | Himself | 10 | |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Audience Member and Contestant | 2 | |
| 2012 - 2019 | Pointless Celebrities | Himself | 1 |
| 2013 | Morecambe & Wise | Himself | 1 |
| An Audience with That Never Was | Himself | 1 | |
| The British Soap Awards | Presenter | 1 | |
| 2013 - 2014 | The Alan Titchmarsh Show | Himself | 2 |
| 2015 | Celebrity Antiques Roadshow | Himself | 1 |
| 2018 | Larraine | Himself | 1 |
| Last Laugh in Vegas | Himself | 5 | |
| Harry Hill’s Alien Fun Capsule | Himself | 1 | |
| Benidorm | Ron Pickford | 1 | |
| 2019 | The Cockfields | Ray | 3 |
| The Comedy Years | Himself | 2 | |
| 2019 - 2020 | Granda Reports | Himself | 6 |
See also[]
Bobby Ball on IMDb
Bobby Ball on Twitter
Bobby Ball on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
