James Young (comedian)

In 2013, a biographical play about Young was shelved after the Sunday World, a sensationalist Belfast tabloid, published unsubstantiated allegations that he had been involved in child abuse.

In 1974, Young telephoned Hudson to inform him that there had been mysterious enquiries into his date of birth. Hudson's suspicion that Young was to be nominated in the New Year's honours list were apparently correct. Young was due to be awarded an MBE at the start of 1975.

However, Young was never to receive his award. While driving home on the afternoon of 5 July 1974, Young suffered a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead at the scene.

In 1972, Young was at the height of his career and BBC Northern Ireland offered him the chance to appear in his own television series. The first episode of the show, Saturday Night, aired on 14 October 1972.

Following the withdrawal of Sam Thompson's play Over The Bridge from Ulster Group Theatre, Young was invited to bring his unique comedy talents to the venue. Young asked one of his popular sketch writers Sam Cree to adapt Glenn Melvyn's The Love Match for an Ulster audience. The play premiered on 8 March 1960, and ran for ten weeks. The play was a success and Young and Hudson were invited to become joint managing directors of the Group Theatre in the autumn of 1960.

In 1951, Young was offered his own BBC Radio series. The Young Idea was another success and spawned several series in the following years. The series continued to raise Young's profile and, in 1954, he realised his dream of appearing in his own show at the Grand Opera House.

Due in part to the praise for his performance in A Story For Today, Young was offered a role in the Ulster Group Theatre's production of Joseph Tomelty's Right Again, Barnum. Young appeared in further Group Theatre productions and productions for other companies in Belfast but, in 1944, Young left Northern Ireland to seek greater success in England.

After two years, Young tired of collecting rent and volunteered for the Savoy Players, an English company based at the Grand Opera House during World War II. Young performed the odd jobs backstage for the company but soon wanted to appear on stage. He joined the Youth Hostel Association Drama Group in 1943 and, in the first year, he won the award for best actor for his performance in A Story For Today by Jack Loudan.

James Alexander Young (23 May 1918 – 5 July 1974), better known as Jimmy Young or simply Our Jimmy, was an Irish actor and comedian born in Ballymoney and brought up in Belfast.

James Alexander Young was born on 23 May 1918 at 33 Union Street Ballymoney, the fourth child of Alexander Young, a bread server, and Grace Woodrow. In the economic uncertainty following World War I, the Youngs moved to the industrial Belfast where Alexander found work as a stable hand for a local bakery. Until the age of 14, Young attended the Cooke Church School off the Ravenhill Road. Even at this early stage, Young's natural talent for humour was evident. His mother would often tell him, "Stop impersonating the visitors. Because after you do, I find it impossible to take them seriously."