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Bob ‘The Cat’ Bevan

Bob 'The Cat' Bevan is referred to in The Stage as “Britain’s leading after-dinner speaker." As well as an after-dinner speaker, Bob is also regarded as a fine corporate comedian, presenter and awards host. Unlike his goalkeeping, he is a “safe pair of hands” with clean material which is always guaranteed to go down a treat with audiences.

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About Bob 'The Cat' Bevan

Bob “the Cat” Bevan is a legend in the football world. Discovered at an Ipswich Town Dinner, he was selected to appear at the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year Dinner.  He would go on to appear a total of six times at the Football Writers’ and PFA Dinners – a record. He followed Danny Baker on BBC Radio 5’s 6-0-6 show, was on the first of Sky’s Monday Night Lives, BBC – 1’s “Aunties Sporting Bloomers”, Talksport, Countdown and much more.

Biography

Bob Bevan’s hilarious, original routines on his goalkeeping career entertains young and old alike.

He has spoken at 73 of the Premier and Football League clubs and at well over 100 non-league sides. He has appeared at the Scottish Football Hall of Fame Dinner, the Scottish Footballer of the Year and in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Hong Kong.

Bob is a Vice-President of Crystal Palace, Dulwich Hamlet, Middlesex Wanderers, Tonbridge Angels and, of course, Old Wilsonians FC.

Bob was a guest of Cricket Australia at the last two Ashes (pre Covid) and has toured Oz since 1986 including being flown out for the 2018 Aussie Rules Final.

is only the second entertainer in history to be named as President of a County Cricket Club. The other was Sir Richard Stilgoe at Surrey. He has spoken at all 18 County Clubs, countless League, club and Lord’s Taverners dinners including the Centenary of the Royal Household CC.
He is a Celebrity Ambassador for Variety. He is also the first person to be honoured by HM Majesty the Queen for after dinner speaking and to be selected to appear in “Who’s Who” which includes “only those who reached the pinnacle of success in their chosen field.”
He has appeared all over the world including, apart from Australia, playing and entertaining in California, Florida, France, Hong Kong, Kenya and Menorca. His playing highlight was 7 for 49 for Mark Benson’s Kent XI versus Hextable CC.

Bob has appeared with over 500 top names in show business, sport and public life including Eric Clapton, Billy Connolly, Stephen Fry, Barry Humphries, Sean Lock, Sir John Major, Jason Manford, Al Murray, Sir Michael Parkinson and Rod Stewart.

He has been a regular guest on Countdown, BBC 1’s Auntie’s Bloomers, followed Danny Baker on BBC Radio 5’s six-0-six as well as Sky Sports and TalkSport.

He has written material and poems for the Duke of Edinburgh – who even wrote a verse about him! – Lord Coe, David Gower, Gary Lineker, Lord Hague and the late Sir David Frost among others.

He has also produced corporate poems and material for British Airways, Chamber of Shipping, P&O, Rolls Royce and many more.

Speech Topics

Business of Comedy – It’s a serious business

Talks about it being a job like any other – health benefits of laughter – marketing yourself – memory – structuring an act –  art of timing  – observing others  – topicality – political correctness – hecklers – copyright of material – favourite comics and jokes – “dying a death” how to cope – working abroad

Broadcasting – How an appearance at the Penarth Motor Yacht Club’s “Men Only Tripe Supper” led to appearing with Diana Dors, Russell Grant and Donald Sinden on an astrological game show on HTV

Talks about following Danny Baker as presenter on 6-0-6 on Radio 5 – was on Sky’s early editions of “Monday Night Live” – “Trivia Test Match” with Brian Johnston, Tim Rice and Willie Rushton on Radio 4– on BBC-1 “Jim Davidson Presents,”“Wogan,”Aunties Sporting Bloomers” –  “A Whole New Ball Game” his own show on TVS – Recorded LP of football gags “One Flew Over the Bar

Countdown – Find out if it really is the Queen’s favourite programme

Tells stories and jokes from his 25 appearances – how Richard Whiteley and he were on the same Honours List – the largely unknown story of the shock the Queen had in store for Richard.

Comic Poems – When the Duke of Edinburgh wrote one about him

Talks about writing and performing poems for the famous and not so famous – two with and about the Duke of Edinburgh (who also wrote one verse about him) – Ronnie Corbett – Roy Hudd – Jimmy Tarbuck – William Hague – David Gower – Gary Lineker –  Seb Coe and others – writing and performing a parody of “Summer Holiday” accompanied  by Mike D’Abo on board a cruise ship.

Writing for Others – When the Archbishop of Canterbury called him for jokes

Talks about script and joke writing for William Hague – Archbishop of Canterbury, the late Robert Runcie – Sir David Frost – Kevin Keegan – speeches and poems for corporates –  British Airways  (one was published in the Sunday Times) – Rolls Royce – P & O etc – and for the not so famous including a few dogs such as former Home Secretary David Blunkett’s guide dog!

Interviewing – “Best interview I’ve ever heard with Fergie” – Bob Cass, Mail on Sunday

Tells of interviewing Sir John Major – Jimmy Tarbuck – Sir Alex Ferguson (with clips) – Harry Redknapp (with clips) – Sir Bobby Robson – legends of Middlesex County Cricket Club, including Mike Brearley, at their 150th anniversary (with clips), Sir Ian Botham – Australian Ashes team 2019 – plus an embarrassment with Sir David Frost.

Travel Industry and Media – How he stayed overnight with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the Holiday Inn, Dover

Tales of his journalism and PR career  – living on a ship with Arthur Lowe – attending the launch of the QE2 – organising 16  ship launchings – handling fall out of air crash – how the Zeebrugge disaster was totally avoidable – PR stunts that went wrong – partnership with a Marquess – Chairman embarrassing him with Princess Anne – Northern Ireland before, during and after “The Troubles” – Qatar and how Saddam Hussein cost him the PR account – plus an “off the wall” story about editing six editions of the Dairy Shorthorn Journal.

Football – How he upset Brian Clough and how he got the world’s most expensive ‘keeper on a “Beat the Goalie” stand at the Old Wilsonians’ Donkey Derby 

Talks about playing at Wembley – being hired to relax and amuse at various FA Cup Finals including one travelling with Brighton and being in the dressing room and on the pitch – launching the Great Goalkeeper Shows with Gordon Banks and Pat Jennings – Jimmy Hill – Footballer of the Year Dinners (six – a record) – how he became friends with the Boys of ’66 for 40 years and played at Wembley with them – Jimmy Greaves – Kevin Keegan – Billy Wright – Johnny Haynes – Sir Bobby Robson – George Best – Gazza.

Cricket – How he got Viv Richards to speak at his cricket club’s centenary lunch for a handful of Debenhams vouchers……and why he and Bob Willis went to the pictures in Canberra to watch ”Fatal Attraction”

Tells why he became only the second entertainer in history to be President of a County Cricket Club (Kent) –  why he has been a guest of Cricket Australia at the last two Ashes Series Down Under –  playing cricket around the world (including France, Hong Kong, Kenya and Los Angeles) with the Lord’s Taverners charity team which he occasionally captained  –  meeting his wife (Pan’s People dancer Laura Collins) playing in Florida – meeting legends of the game – Dennis Lillee – Fred Trueman – Jeff Thomson –  Terry Jenner (coach to Shane Warne) – Colin Cowdrey – Mark Ramprakash and Strictly – Rachel Heyhoe-Flint – Andrew Strauss – his highly-acclaimed two-man show with Sir Alistair Cook – Royal Household CC Centenary Dinner with the Duke of Edinburgh.

Name Dropping – A-M – How Billy Connolly died a death after following him and refused to speak to him ever again and how he appeared at a surprise dinner for Eric Clapton (who loves Bob’s football routines) with Barry Humphries, Billy Connolly, Bob Hoskins, George Harrison, Elton John and the Bee Gees

Stories of all the people he has worked with (A-M) including – John Alderton – Muhummad Ali – Jimmy Anderson – Eamonn Andrews – Jeffrey Archer – Max Boyce – Rory Bremner –  Alistair Campbell – Tommy Cannon – Jimmy Carr – Jasper Carrott – Frank Carson – Jim Carter – Tony Christie – Sir Henry Cooper –  Jim Davidson – Steve Davies – Sir Ken Dodd – Diana Dors – Anton du Beke – Duke of Edinburgh – Sir Bruce Forsyth  -Len Goodman – Rhod Gilbert – Russell Grant  – Harry Hill – Jethro – Roy Kinnear – Arthur Lowe – Vera Lynn –   Bernard Manning – Paul Merton – Ron Moody – Moody Blues – Eric Morecambe – Piers Morgan – John Motson  – Colin Moynihan – Pete Murray.

Name Dropping – N-Z – How he came to do Rod Stewart’s Dad’s 80th birthday party

 Stories of all the people he has worked with (N-Z) including – Ronnie O’Sullivan – Elaine Paige – Nicholas Parsons – Fred Perry – Robert Powell – Gordon Ramsey – Ted Ray – Sir Tim Rice – Bryan Robson – Willie Rushton – Harry Secombe – Alan Simpson – Gladstone Small – John Stapleton – Ed Stewart – Rod Stewart – Micky Stewart – Richard Stilgoe – Daley Thompson – Sandi Tosvig – Frankie Vaughn – Rick Wakeman – Catherine Zeta-Jones

Booking Information

Bob 'The Cat' Bevan News

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