My First Car: Tommy Cannon on his first car - and how he spent £12,000 on a Rolls-Royce

Tommy Cannon has had some nice cars over the years but he is particularly fond of Volvos. He now drives a Nissan Qashqai which he adores

“I had an Austin A40,” he said. “I can’t remember how much I paid for it but it won’t have been much. It was a great little car. It took us all over the place, especially Yorkshire.

“Every town had a working men’s club and we played most of them. I used to pick Bobby up and off we’d go.”Tommy, now 84 and living near York, went on to drive a Vauxhall Cresta and an American-looking car which he can’t recall the name of. “It had huge wheels and looked like a gangster’s car,” he said.

He remembers a Rolls-Royce after Cannon and Ball hit the big time. “Someone said to me, you’ve splashed out a bit there Tommy, it must have cost you £50,000,” he said.

Tommy Cannon's first car was an Austin A40 but he can't remember how much he paid for it. He did spend £12,000 later on a Rolls-Royce

“In fact it was second-hand and I paid £12,000 tops. It was nice to have but I didn’t keep it long. I had Volvos later – they were nice cars.”

Tommy, who ran a farm and kennels after largely retiring from showbusiness, now lives in Riccall and loves it. “I’m an Oldham lad originally but all round where I was brought up has been knocked down,” he said.

He still loves driving but does rather fewer miles than in his hey-day. “I have a Nissan Qashqai and it’s fabulous,” he said. “It’s very well equipped and you can hardly hear the engine.”

He does “an evening with” shows in which he recounts tales from his live. “I do the odd cruise,” he said. “It’s a hard life.”