Jackie Hamilton (born John Kearns, 12 July 1937 – 12 August 2003) was a British stand-up comedian,[1] nicknamed the "Pele of Comedy".
[2] His problems with alcohol, idiosyncratic delivery and strong Liverpudlian accent were factors in his missing out on national success, but his slick anticlimactic style of observational comedy was well regarded in his home town of Liverpool, and he gave a graphic commentary on the social history of Merseyside.
[3][4] Hamilton was born off Scotland Road, a dockland area in north Liverpool, where he lived with two sisters, Margaret and Susie and a Brother Joey.
He worked casually as a docker and on building sites before becoming an "ale-house comic" who landlords paid in drinks in exchange for a short comedy set.
Presented by Les Dennis and produced by Tony Staveacre, it explored the life and career of the much-loved joker, using rare tapes of the man himself in interview and performance and the reminiscences of Ricky Tomlinson, Lennie Chesworth and Mickey Finn.