Tommy Cannon blasts his and Bobby Ball's omission from ITV's 70-year celebrations

Comedy great Tommy Cannon took aim at ITV last night after he and sidekick Bobby Ball were omitted from the broadcaster's 70-year celebrations.

The duo, known as Cannon and Ball, had several programmes on the network, including The Cannon and Ball Show, which ran for nine years between 1979 and 1988. Cannon and Ball's Casino was a Saturday-night game show, again on ITV, in 1990, which featured popular guests including Roxette and Gilbert O'Sullivan.

ITV is celebrating 70 years with a selection of its programmes from the decades available on its catch-up service itvX. However, none of Cannon and Ball's offerings are - as yet - to make the cut, despite the inclusion of comedy and entertainment from all eras, such as Sunday Night at the Palladium, acts from Tommy Cooper and all episodes of Mr Bean, Benidorm and George & Mildred.

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Cannon last night tweeted: "70 years of ITV. Cannon & Ball gave it everything. We were the wallpaper, not just the furniture. To be left out of the celebration? That hurts. Not for me — but for Bobby. For the fans. For the legacy. We made millions laugh. That should’ve counted."

Ball, who had since gone on to appear in Not Going Out and other sitcoms, died aged 76 in October 2020 after testing positive for coronavirus. Fans of father-of-three Ball and his comedy partner took to Twitter, now known as X, to share Cannon's anger.

One posted: "It’s talent like you who made ITV what it was." Another shared: "The British public (and beyond) of all ages love you guys! I have fond memories of watching you alongside my mother and grandmother, laughing our heads off. You are comedy royalty and always will be, ITV are out of touch with the public."

Another tweet reads: "Your show was the only thing that me and my father both laughed at. It was the only thing EVER that we saw eye to eye with. That alone, is worthy of a thankyou Tommy."

In 2005, both Cannon and Ball competed in the fifth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, another ITV favourite celebrated in the broadcaster's list of programmes on the app. They were sent in on day six to join the likes of Sheree Murphy, Jimmy Osmond and Antny Costa in the jungle.

In a statement about its anniversary, the broadcaster said: "As ITV looks ahead to the future and a must-watch season of new programming this autumn, on September 22nd, we will take time to reflect and celebrate, marking 70 years since our 1955 launch.

"To celebrate seven decades at the forefront of high quality, unashamedly entertaining, popular television, viewers will be treated to a treasure trove of content from the archives, all available free to stream on ITVX, including rarely seen remastered classic material."