Jasper Carrott and Graeme Souness in conversation at the Trevor Francis Memorial Concert
Jasper Carrott and friends amused and entertained a crowd of Birmingham City fans at Symphony Hall on Thursday evening in honour of the late, great Trevor Francis.
Blues are determined to honour the legacy of their most iconic player in more ways than one.
A statue is due to be erected at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park in the near future and Blues are trying to make a friendly in Francis’s honour a yearly tribute.
Carrott wanted to pay a personal tribute to his friend and, as he put it, ‘say a proper goodbye having not had the chance to do so’ when Francis suddenly passed away in July 2023.
Birmingham’s favourite comedian kicked off the show with some of his own material and had a few swipes at Aston Villa. In a room full of Bluenoses, that is the low-hanging fruit.
Carrott admitted to performing in Villa Park’s ‘Holte Suite’ and took great pleasure in revealing that is an anagram for ‘S**** outlet’.
The 80-year-old then introduced a series of guests to the stage, one by one, across a three-hour period whose identities had been well hidden in the build-up.
First up was Ocean Colour Scene member and Blues fan Andy Bennett who sang a few songs including Toto’s 1982 hit Africa.
Evesham-born impressionist Alastair McGowan was next with a series of sketches that had the audience in hysterics.
Then a change of tone. Francis’s former teammate, Graeme Souness, joined Carrott on stage for a poignant conversation about Britain’s first £1million footballer.
Souness became close friends with Francis during their time at Sampdoria in the 80s. Souness regaled stories of Francis speeding along the Italian Riviera in his convertible Porsche and throwing water balloons at passers by from his hotel room. Francis ‘had a sense of mischief about him’ according to Souness.
A dramatic change in tone saw Toyah Wilcox rock the stage for 15 minutes before the interval.
Carrott returned after a short break to introduce Strictly Abba who have toured with him in the past.
Ian Irving, an Essex-based comedian, had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Irving gets a few Blues fans at his next gig.
Next was arguably the biggest name of the night: Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet. Francis was a big fan of Spandau Ballet and, unsurprisingly, a lot of the audience were as well.
Hadley performed a few numbers, including True, before giving in to the audience’s pleas for Gold. A few Blues fans could be heard changing the lyrics to Paik Seung-ho but Hadley was understandably oblivious to it.
Then for the final act of the evening and undoubtedly the most controversial. Bobby Davro’s gags weren’t for everyone and Carrott had to cut him short with things running over.
Carrott invited all of the acts back onto the stage for one last round of applause to conclude a night that left no one disappointed. Francis would undoubtedly have enjoyed it too.
It was fitting that Carrott signed off with a rendition of the club's anthem, Keep Right On.
What are your fondest memories of Trevor Francis? Let us know HERE
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