Andy Cameron MBE is a Scottish Comedian and Broadcaster.
Amazingly, he had 24 jobs before he entered show-business at 32 years of age!
The jobs were as diverse as bridge-building and bus driving, but the job he enjoyed most was selling. The nicest accolade he received as a salesman was when an area manager told him “he could sell the Pope a double bed!”
Stand-Up Comedian:
In 1972, Andy Cameron started working in clubs just as a means of getting some “PIN” money. This developed into a full-time occupation when he devised an act as a football hooligan which led to becoming a top club comedy act in Scottish clubs and gave him a huge break when he wrote the football anthem “Ally’s Tartan Army”.
This went to No.6 in the national charts and was responsible for Andy’s 2 appearances on Top of the Pops in 1978 which is a great source of embarrassment to his children when it is shown on flashback TV shows
Radio:
1979 saw the BBC in Scotland modernising its image and moving from the old Home Service on radio to a brand new Radio Scotland.
Andy was given a 13-week contract to present a programme of music and gags. After 2 weeks it was suggested that Andy encouraged children to phone in with their jokes. This was such a great success that the 13 weeks stretched to 15 years and resulted in Andy being voted Radio Personality of the Year in 1984.
He still has people telling him of the times when they nearly drove off the road or had household accidents because they were laughing so much at these kids!
Television:
Andy’s first breakthrough on television was in 1975 when he was second in the studio voting of New Faces and this led to several appearances on variety shows such as Live at Her Majesty’s with Jimmy Tarbuck and Tarby and Friends for London Weekend Television.
Cameron had his own series on BBC Scotland in 1979 and again in 1982 which were both well received. However, it was a 1983 series on Scottish television called It’s Andy Cameron, which ran for 10 weeks and awarded Andy Scottish Television Personality of the Year.
Andy has made numerous guest appearances on game shows and retired undefeated as the winner of BBC Scotland’s Celebrity Superscot programme.
Andy Cameron – After-Dinner Speaker:
Throughout Andy’s career he has developed an excellent After Dinner talent which has taken him all over the world to places such as Toronto, Hong Kong, Dubai and even England.
He has even spoken at debates on three consecutive years at Cambridge and Oxford Universities.
Andy Cameron likes to tailor his speeches to suit the occasion and this has been welcomed by organisers of Sporting Dinners, Burns Suppers and Tribute Dinners.
Andy is one of Scotland’s most in demand guest speakers.
