Billy’s date for charity

Billy cut his comedy teeth as a Butlin’s redcoat, before honing his craft on the northern club circuit.

He got his big break on ITV’s New Faces in 1986, reaching the final and culminating in his own BBC series You Gotta Be Joking.

In 1993 he hosted the Children’s Royal Variety Performance for the BBC, and has appeared on a total of five children’s Royal Variety shows and three Royal Variety shows.

His TV credits include episodes of The Street, Heartbeat, plus guest appearances on shows like Des O’Connor Tonight, Through the Keyhole, National Lottery Live and Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook.

There are few stages upon which Billy has not appeared.

He’s also broken box office records at a number of theatres including his summer season at the Blackpool Grand Theatre.

He’s an annual fixture in Bradford Alahmbra’s pantomime, where last Christmas the box office took a bank-busting £1.3 million for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, playing to more than 100,000 people.

Musical theatre has also called with Billy appearing alongside Jimmy Osmond as Roddy O’Neill in the smash hit musical Boogie Nights and a stint as the narrator in The Rocky Horror Show.

This year Billy is looking forward to producing his own family variety show in Blackpool as well as continuing to tour his legendary adult shows at theatres and clubs around the country.

His appearance at Theatre Royal Wakefield on Friday June 10 will raise money for Wakefield Hospice.

Tickets cost £18.50, £16.50 and £14.50, available from www.theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk or the box office on 01924 211311, and the show starts at 8pm.