FROM the bright lights of the London Palladium and a 12-year TV show, one of Britain's best loved comedy double acts is today on their way to a Salvation Army Hall near you!For more than 40 years, Cannon and Ball have entertained on stage and the small screen with their brand of family friendly humour.

FROM the bright lights of the London Palladium and a 12-year TV show, one of Britain's best loved comedy double acts is today on their way to a Salvation Army Hall near you!

For more than 40 years, Cannon and Ball have entertained on stage and the small screen with their brand of family friendly humour.

Now, the pair - Tommy and Bobby - are preparing to come to Suffolk to perform at The Salvation Army Hall in Woodbridge Road to an intimate audience of only 350.

The show, which will take place on November 25, is part of the Salvation Army's outreach programme which aims to encourage more people to go to church.

Both Cannon and Ball are Christians and have given performances at other churches around the UK.

David Snowling, from The Salvation Army, said the gig represented a real coup for the church.

He said: “One of our retired majors used to be in charge of the Hadleigh corps in Essex and he had them both there. When he returned to Ipswich he suggested we get them here too.

“The first half of the show will be for the two to perform their comedy and the second half will see them talking about their lives and how they became Christians again.”

Cannon and Ball shot to fame in the 1980s after appearing on Bruce Forsyth's Big Night. The former welders from Oldham became major stars soon after.

The pair, whose real names are Thomas Derbyshire and Robert Harper, even starred in their own movie in 1983 entitled The Boys In Blue.

Since their television careers ended in the early 90s, they have regularly appeared on stage.

Bobby Ball, 62, became a Christian in 1986 after battling with alcohol addiction, while Tommy Cannon, 68, followed suit in 1992.

Mr Snowling said: “We are really looking forward to it.

“We have 350 tickets and they have been selling very, very well.”

The show will start at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 and can be bought by calling 01473 222288.

Cannon and Ball have been appearing as a comedy duo together for more than 42 years,

The pair had their own television series called The Cannon and Ball Show that ran from 1980 to 1992.

They also did their own television sit-com and have been guests on many major shows including Wogan, Parkinson, Des O'Connor and Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

Cannon and Ball's feature film Boys In Blue became a video best-seller.

In 1982, when they played the Dominion Theatre in London's West End for a six-week season, it became the first time that every seat was sold out before the show opened.

They are one of just a few British comedy acts to have played at the famous country music venue The Grand Ole Oprey in Nashville.

The pair have recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after they appeared in the 2005 series of I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!