Crompton, born in
Manchester,
Lancashire, found fame on the
Granada Television programme
The Comedians in the early 1970s. His brother Neil, a manager for Barclays Bank, also possessed a comedic streak. Before his big break into television, Crompton was half of a duo musical comedy act with musician and singer Edward (Eddie) Forrest (piano, ukulele and banjo), doing the rounds of the
working men's clubs of Manchester. In
The Stage, dated Thursday 26 June 1958, James Hartley wrote 'Colin Crompton, who for a while has been working for the C.W.S. as a traveller and engaging in lucrative concert work in Lancashire Clubland, is not accepting a Butlin offer of a resident job commencing July 6 at Ayr Camp. "Much as I love the profession, I am not resigning from a well-paid all-the-year-round job for a 10-week season" he told me. Just the same, Colin plans to motor up to Ayr every Saturday to contribute regularly in the Camp's week-end programmes: 400 miles, there and back.' From 1974 to 1977 he was also the "club chairman" in another Granada programme,
The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club. An attempt by producer
Johnnie Hamp to reproduce the atmosphere of the working men's clubs in a television studio, Crompton was famous for ringing a hand-operated fire alarm bell and telling the audience to "give order" when making announcements from "the committee" in between acts. He wrote his own scripts, with occasional additions by
Neil Shand. The
MC for the show,
Bernard Manning, claimed he was cast in the role because he "had been on
The Comedians and he had that gormless look about him so he was ideal". In 1972 he appeared as himself in the short film
A Couple of Beauties. According to
Johnnie Hamp: "Colin was criticised by real club chairmen for the way he acted. One actual club chairman wanted to appear and have it out with him on the show. He came along and met Colin, who was dressed in a very good suit, very smart, and here was this man looking more of a caricature than Colin ever did." A favourite moment during
The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club was when he rang his bell to interrupt
ventriloquist Ray Alan halfway through his act: "...excuse me Mr. Allen we've had some complaints that they can't quite hear you at the back. Could you hold your dummy a little closer to the microphone please?" This particular joke, like the character of the club chairman itself, owed a heavy debt to the comedian
Norman Collier. Crompton bought and ran a pub called the Birch and Bottle in
Whitley, Cheshire. ==Death==