Johnnie Hamp

Johnnie Hamp (sometimes referred to as John Hamp or Johnny Hamp) is a British television producer, now retired. He is responsible for the early British television appearances of such acts as the Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Cannon and Ball, Paul Daniels, comedian Woody Allen and singer Lisa Stansfield as Head of Light Entertainment with Granada Television.

Hamp made three notable television specials during 1965: Woody Allen, The Bacharach Sound, and The Music of Lennon & McCartney.

In 1969, he took over as producer of the film programme Cinema, fronted by the young Michael Parkinson.

The Comedians 1971 saw Hamp's peak of success with the series The Comedians (intermittently 1971–1985), which introduced innumerable new faces to the British public and kickstarted a number of solo comedy careers. These included Mike Reid, Charlie Williams, Colin Crompton, Mick Miller, George Roper, Stan Boardman and Bernard Manning. The series featured mainly Northern stand-up comedians drawn from the club circuit. It was a ratings success for Granada. In 1972-73, he produced spectacular stage versions of 'The Comedians' which played weekly at major theatres and for long summer seasons at The London Palladium, Blackpool, Great Yarmouth, and Clacton.

Continuing in the Northern club tradition, The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club (1974–1976), a variety series set in a makeshift working men's club, was another success, often featuring many cast members from The Comedians. Other notable programmes and series include The International PopProms (1975), Paul Daniels Blackpool Bonanza (1978), Bernard Manning in Las Vegas (1978) and The Video Entertainers (1981). In 2008, Hamp published his anecdotal autobiography It Beats Working for a Living. In December 2012, Hamp received 'The City of Manchester and Lord Mayor's Lifetime Achievement Award'. Now retired and still living in Manchester, Hamp concentrates on his love of oil painting, charity work and after-dinner speaking.