Merseyside Mirth Makers - Jim Bowen

Married to Phyllis in 1959

Jim Bowen was born Peter Williams on the 20th of August 1937 in Heswall, Cheshire to an unmarried mother. He was adopted at nine months from an orphanage in Wirral by a working-class couple Joe Whitaker, a World War 1 veteran and his wife Annie Whittaker; who were both from Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire just outside Accrington where he grew up. His adoptive parents, Joe and Annie, changed his name to James.

In his early adult life he became a teacher, and took part in local dramatic groups. It was seeing Ken Dodd making the audience laugh in a packed Blackpool theatre in the late 1950's that changed everything. “I’d had enough of teaching and could see no future. I thought ‘Crikey, I’ve got another 30 years of this. I’d always been a fan of comedy but it was watching Ken Dodd have two houses of 3,500 people eating out of his hand on a single night in Blackpool that made my mind up. I wanted some of that.”

Jim began moonlighting as a comedian on the working men’s club circuit, teaching by day and then facing the notoriously difficult audiences in clubs across the North by night. He had realised the power of standup and performed under the new name of Bowen, adding the 'B' from his mother’s maiden name, Brown, to the maiden name, Owen, of his wife, Phyllis, whom he had married in 1959. He thought that a shorter name than Whittaker would save time when signing autographs.Still establishing himself as a standup and continuing to teach he became deputy head of Caton primary school near Lancaster.

One of ' The Comedians '

In 1970, Bowen was booked to appear at the Dolphin Bar in Cleveleys, near Blackpool. His residency had not been going well, but he hit his stride on the night that Comedian Frank Carson was watching his act. Carson recommended him for the new Johnny Hamp TV series, 'The Comedians', in which Bowen appeared alongside Mike Reid and Duggie Brown. The quickfire gag show enabled Bowen to concentrate on stage work full-time. Later that decade, he appeared on the variety series 'The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club'. This led to other television work during the 1970's with slots in shows such as 'Last Of The Summer Wine' and the children’s sketch show 'You Must Be Joking' before, in 1981, he was offered the gig that was to define him.

“You can't beat a bit of Bully!"

He achieved national attention after becoming host on 'Bullseye', which was a ratings success throughout the 1980's. A curious mix of a pub quiz show and a darts contest, Bullseye became one of ITV’s biggest hits, running on Sunday evenings for 14 years and at its height drawing audiences of 19 million.

When Bullseye was axed in 1995, he continued to appear on TV including Peter Kay’s 'Phoenix Nights' and in 'Jonathan Creek', as well as hosting radio shows on BBC Radio Lancashire.He was a popular regular performer on cruise liners and as a corporate after‐dinner speaker and in 2005 performed a solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Bowen died aged 80, on the 14th of March 2018 at Royal Lancaster Infirmary after suffering recent poor health and two serious strokes.

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