Remembering Jimmy Cricket, and the song he wrote for Big Issue

An email came in to Big Issue back in 2019.

“Hi, it’s Jimmy Cricket the comedian. Come closer [for anyone under 40, that was his famous catchphrase]. I had the great pleasure of being interviewed 18 months ago by one of your journalists, a lovely fellow called Steven MacKenzie. I’ve just written a song from the perspective of the vendor in the street and I’ve managed to get the magazine’s name and slogan – ‘Not a handout but a hand up’ – into the chorus.”

And there’s more [another catchphrase]. Cricket – real name James Mulgrew – attached a demo of his track, Have a Big Issue. Over a jaunty accordion melody, our business model is perfectly explained with lines like: “When you buy the magazine the money’s theirs to keep, now they’ve something to eat, now they’ve somewhere to sleep.”

The news that the welly-booted veteran of the golden age of ’70s and ’80s light entertainment died last week aged 80, brought the tune back into my head. And once it’s in your head, good luck trying to shake out the earworm!

I don’t know why Cricket felt inspired – like Oasis and Ed Sheeran have also been – to rather randomly use the magazine as a muse. He was definitely a reader. I know that because the eulogy he delivered at Ken Dodd’s funeral largely drew upon an interview I’d done with the late, great tickle-meister where he talked about the “rainbow of laughter” he could hear in the audience.

Anyway, Cricket was a lovely fellow, and I’m not just saying that because he was nice about me; Pope Francis agreed, awarding him a papal knighthood in 2015 for his charity work.

Have a Big Issue never became the hit it perhaps deserved to be, and so it’s worth explaining how Big issue works again through words without music this time.

Every magazine bought supports someone experiencing poverty to earn a living. Vendors buy magazines for £2.50, sell them for £5 and keep the profit. Each year, thousands of people use selling Big Issue to get a hand up.

Since 1991, this has been the model. But we have evolved with the times too. Subscriptions for people who don’t have a local vendor help support the mission. Many vendors are now set up to accept contactless payments. All customers have to do is scan a QR code which takes them to their own bank app where a payment can be authorised.

When signing up, all vendors agree to a code of conduct, designed to ensure that selling the Big Issue is a positive experience for both them and their customers. Vendors will have a photo ID on display, either sewn into our iconic red tabards or on a lanyard and include a picture so you know who you’re buying from is registered with us.

And taking the magazine is vital. There’s a new magazine every week – make sure to always buy the latest edition. Our vendors are working, not begging, giving them dignity and empowerment. Vendors are supported by dedicated outreach teams, who work alongside them as they build their income and move towards their goals. Besides the magazine itself, that’s what buying Big Issue pays for.

Don’t take my word for it, listen to Jimmy Cricket. As his chorus goes: “It’s not a small handout but it’s a big
hand up.”

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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