The Irish comedian became a star of British television in the 1980s.
Understanding the mourning and health anxiety behind celebrity deaths
Celebrity deaths often trigger collective mourning, and for some, serious health anxiety. Here’s why that happens and how to take care of yourself.
Jimmy Cricket, the Irish comedian best known for his sketch comedy series “And There’s More,” has died. He was 80.
Cricket died Monday morning, Aug. 3, following a “short illness,” according to a statement shared by Cricket’s family on his Facebook page. Additional details on the comedian’s condition were not disclosed.
“He spent his last few days surrounded by his family, love, laughter and songs,” Cricket’s family said. “Jimmy brought so much laughter and happiness to countless audiences in his career over the years. Whether on stage, screen or radio, or if you met him in person as well.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Cricket’s representatives for additional comment.
Born James Mulgrew in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, Cricket left school at the age of 16 and spent two years working in a betting shop. At 21, Cricket got his professional start in entertainment when he landed a job working as a Redcoat at the Butlins holiday camp in Mosney. A Redcoat typically takes on various hosting and attendant duties, ranging from adult and children’s entertainer to stewarding.
Cricket went on to work at the Butlins in Clacton, England, followed by a stint at the Pontins holiday camps in Southport and Morecambe.
Cricket began making a name for himself on British television in the early ’80s thanks to various guest appearances, starting with the reality show “Search for a Star” in 1980. He followed up his TV debut with performances on the BBC children’s variety show “Crackerjack!” (1982), the Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock comedy “Knees-Up” (1982) and the period musical comedy “The Good Old Days” (1981-1983).
The comedian became known for his wholesome sense of humor, which often poked fun at his Irish roots. His signature outfit consisted of cut-off trousers, evening tailcoat and hat, and rain boots marked “L” and “R” for left and right (but strategically placed on the wrong feet).
Cricket graduated to leading man status in 1985 when he became the host of his own show, “And There’s More.” The ITV sketch comedy series, which ran for four seasons through 1988, gave rise to the comic’s iconic catchphrases “Ladies and gentlemen, come here” and the eponymous “And there’s more.”
He also hosted the radio series “Jimmy’s Cricket Team,” which was broadcast on BBC Radio 2. The show was written by Eddie Braben and starred Peter Goodwright, Bill Pertwee and Noreen Kershaw.
“He also just loved people, and he absolutely loved being a stand-up comedian. What a life he lived,” Cricket’s family said on Facebook. “Forever our clown, he was cracking jokes to the wonderful NHS [National Health Service] staff and to us all, right until the end. His courage, dignity and positivity through all he endured was inspirational. A force for joy, we are just all very sad that the world is a far less sillier place today.”
Cricket’s television career slowed in the early 2000s and 2010s. In 2020, he competed on the BBC game show “Pointless Celebrities.” His last TV appearance was the 2025 holiday special “New Year’s Eve with Mike, Noel and Friends,” according to Cricket’s official IMDb page.
“We were going to end by using his famous catchphrase and say, ‘There’s no More,’ but Jimmy was a man of great faith and a papal knight of the Catholic Church,” Cricket’s family said. “He believed that death is not the end and was looking forward to eternity, so really…And there’s more.”