Comedy Pilots: Johnny Tombola: Out Now!

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BBC Radio Ulster

Comedy Pilots

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Three original new comedy pilots from Radio Ulster.

An old crooner attempts a comeback after prison. Michael Fry serves up surreal sketches and characters. And we follow Belfast couple The McMelters in a reality-style sitcom.

Three original new comedy pilots. An old crooner attempts a comeback after prison. Michael Fry serves up surreal sketches and characters. And we follow Belfast couple The McMelters in a reality-style sitcom.

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Comedy Pilots: Comedy Pilots: Johnny Tombola: Out Now!

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A showband crooner attempts a musical comeback after 30 years in prison. 

Mockumentary following an ageing showband crooner from east Belfast, who attempts a comeback after thirty years in prison despite a throat injury that damaged his vocal cords. 

Mockumentary about Johnny Tombola, Northern Ireland’s premier club entertainer, who is returning to the stage after 30 years.
Tombola rose to local stardom in the late 70s during the height of the Showband era.
He was originally hired to warm up tough audiences with mother-in-law jokes, but he slowly became the headliner, combining powerful ballads with jokes and stories. 
Johnny got caught up in a wee conspiracy in the 90s that resulted in him getting a couple of years in prison, but due to an administrative error, he was kept in for thirty years. We’re following Johnny on his come-back trail. Apart from a violent prison injury that damaged his vocal cords, Johnny hasn’t changed at all since his conviction, but Belfast has.
Johnny never forgot the fans. Did they forget him?
Can Johnny rise to the top in a modern Belfast and once again be the talk of the town? Did Johnny’s wife Mavis wait for him? Spoiler alert: She didn’t. 
Johnny Tombola: Out Now! Was written by Alan Irwin. It starts Alan Irwin, Teresa Livingstone, William Thompson and Caroline Curran. It was produced by Marc McElroy. 


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