There was a time when they were never off the telly. These days you're more likely to find them in pantomime or seaside shows.

Now, a line-up of old-school performers such as Cannon and Ball, the Krankies and Jimmy Cricket are bringing some end-of-the-pier entertainment to a Bradford stage.

Also appearing in the Best of British Variety Show this summer are magician Paul Daniels, comic Frank Carson and 1976 Eurovision Song Contest winners Brotherhood of Man.

"It gives audiences the chance to see variety acts live on stage. It's a bit like the old Seaside Special shows, we'll each do our own routines," said Janette Tough, aka Wee Jimmy Krankie.

The Krankies shot to fame in the early Eighties on children's television favourite Crackerjack. Their own TV shows included Krankies Club and KTV and more recently they appeared in sketches with French and Saunders.

The duo behind the double act are Glaswegian husband and wife Ian and Janette Tough, whose career spans 40 years. "We got our break in the clubs. We were offered a slot at the London Palladium, it all took off from there," Janette told the T&A. "There aren't those opportunities for variety acts any more. It's all reality TV and shows like X Factor which only focus on singing, although there's a new series of Britain's Got Talent on now and that offers more variety."

Janette is looking forward to touring with the other acts, most of whom she's worked with before. "We knew Cannon and Ball in the Sixties when they were the Harper Brothers. I was Pinocchio in panto with Jimmy Cricket as Jiminy Cricket," she said.

Cannon and Ball, aka Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball, were hugely popular in the 1980s and became one of Britain's biggest double acts. They made a television comeback in the 2006 series of ITV's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Paul Daniels is Britain's best-known celebrity magician and hosted game shows such as Odd One Out and Every Second Counts.

Irish comic Frank Carson has been belting out catchphrases It's the way I tell em' and What a cracker' for three decades, since his days on long-running music hall show The Good Old Days.

After reaching the final of ITV's Search for a Star in 1981 Jimmy Cricket became a popular stand-up, wearing his distinctive outfit of cut-off trousers, tuxedo, hat and wellies marked L and R - on the wrong feet - and muttering catchphrases C'mere' and There's more.' Today he's a stalwart of the panto circuit.

Brotherhood of Man are best known for winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with Save Your Kisses For Me which was Number 1 in more than 30 countries. Follow-up hits included Angelo and Figaro. The group's original line-up remains today.