Jimmy Tarbuck arrested over Harrogate child sex case

Tarbuck, 73, was questioned by North Yorkshire Police on April 26 in relation to an incident which allegedly occurred in the late 1970s when the victim was a young boy.

The TV personality’s name had not been revealed until the Daily Mail named him last night.

It is understood he was arrested at his home in Kingston Upon Thames, south-west London, and released on bail.

The arrest was made following information passed by Metropolitan Police officers working on Operation Yewtree to North Yorkshire Police.

A force spokesman said: “North Yorkshire Police can confirm that a 73-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a historic child sex abuse investigation in Harrogate.

“The man was arrested in Kingston Upon Thames on Friday 26 April 2013.

“Following questioning, he was released on police bail pending further inquiries.

“The complaint relates to an incident that occurred in the late 1970s when the victim was a young boy.

“It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Jimmy Tarbuck is known for being a comedian who has spent more than 50 years in television.

Born in 1940 in Liverpool, he was a schoolmate of John Lennon and his first television breakthrough came with It’s Tarbuck 65! in 1964.

He hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All and Full Swing.

In 1994 he was awarded an OBE by the Queen for his services to showbusiness and charity.

Last November he performed in The Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

His daughter is the actress, television and radio presenter Liza Tarbuck.

Tarbuck’s “boom boom” bonhomie made him one of the nation’s favourite TV comperes. Starting out as a hungry young comedian, the Liverpool FC fan went on to become the face of popular game shows such as Winner Takes All and variety programmes including Live from Her Majesty’s in the 1970s and 1980s.

Known affectionately as Tarby, the 73-year-old grew up in post-war Liverpool as a schoolmate of John Lennon at Dovedale Junior School.

Showbiz was in the genes - his mother had been a professional dancer until she married and his bookmaker father was friendly with Northern comedians such as Ted Ray and Dave Morris.

The youngest of three children - Kenneth, who died at a young age, and older sister Norma - Tarbuck was by his own admission a rebellious child.

Winning a scholarship to Jesuit school St Francis Xavier, he was expelled for kicking back at the “brutal” discipline imposed there.

Eventually moving to Rose Lane Secondary Modern, at 14 he landed a first stage role playing lady spy Alicia Pemberton in a school play called Wayside War.

Looking back at this first dabble in entertainment, he said: “My sister had done my makeup and my parents were in the audience. My performance went down a storm and I revelled in it.”

After leaving school he took jobs in a garage, a laundry, installing TV aerials and at a women’s hairdresser’s, but it was a trip to Butlins at the age of 18 which encouraged him to pursue a career in showbiz.

To impress friends he entered a talent contest at the holiday camp and with his genial manner and acerbic wit was able to get to the final in London. A week later he joined a touring rock’n’roll show.

By 1964 Tarbuck had landed his first big break on television with It’s Tarbuck 65! This showcased his ability for light entertainment and the following year he found fame presenting variety show Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

The job had already cemented the reputation of entertainers such as Bruce Forsyth and Norman Vaughan and it gave Tarbuck household name status.

With his “boom boom” catchphrase, he would go on to be a regular on 1970s and 1980s television, featuring in game shows such as Full Swing and Tarby’s Frame Game.

A supporter of the Conservative Party, Tarbuck has lived a life of leisure in recent years and is noted as a pro-am golfer.

In 2006 he made a comeback appearing in the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing but had to pull out after being diagnosed with high blood pressure.