When James Young died on 5 July 1974, Northern Ireland lost it's best loved entertainer.
Born in Ballymoney but raised in Belfast, Young made his reputation as a serious actor on the stages of various repertory theatres in Britain and Ireland. However, it was his small role as Derek the window cleaner in the popular BBC radio soap opera, The McCooeys, which set him on the path to becoming an outstanding comic performer. The fire which forged such memorable characters as Mrs O'Condriac, Big Derek, the Cherry Valley lady, Wee Ernie, and Orange Lily had been lit.
From his childhood to the early days as a bit actor; through his overseas experiences in Palestine where he met his longtime partner Jack Hudson and the controversy of Over The Bridge which saw Young assume the mantle of saviour of The Group Theatre; to the recording of his hugely successful albums for Emerald in the 1960s and the height of his career with his fondly remembered BBC television shows, Andrew McKinney's book charts the course of Ulster's own Clown Prince.
Drawing on exclusive interviews with those who knew him ,this is a celebration that will appeal to all James Young fans, old and new.
Now includes some of his most loved monologues .....
Born in Ballymoney but raised in Belfast, Young made his reputation as a serious actor on the stages of various repertory theatres in Britain and Ireland. However, it was his small role as Derek the window cleaner in the popular BBC radio soap opera, The McCooeys, which set him on the path to becoming an outstanding comic performer. The fire which forged such memorable characters as Mrs O'Condriac, Big Derek, the Cherry Valley lady, Wee Ernie, and Orange Lily had been lit.
From his childhood to the early days as a bit actor; through his overseas experiences in Palestine where he met his longtime partner Jack Hudson and the controversy of Over The Bridge which saw Young assume the mantle of saviour of The Group Theatre; to the recording of his hugely successful albums for Emerald in the 1960s and the height of his career with his fondly remembered BBC television shows, Andrew McKinney's book charts the course of Ulster's own Clown Prince.
Drawing on exclusive interviews with those who knew him ,this is a celebration that will appeal to all James Young fans, old and new.
Now includes some of his most loved monologues .....
