Taking the mic: Kelly Rickard steps into Sunday for Sammy’s spotlight
After years as a backing vocalist, the singer-turned-stand-up prepares to take on the role of host as the Geordie Command Performance marks its 25th anniversary
For a while, it wasn’t clear whether Sunday for Sammy would ever return.
When the cast took their bows in February 2020 - following the customary, roof-raising rendition of Run For Home - nobody knew that within weeks the country would be in lockdown.
What had begun in 2000 as a tribute to actor Ronnie ‘Sammy’ Johnson had grown into the North East’s most joyous celebration of music and comedy. But post-Covid uncertainty and spiralling production costs left its future hanging in the balance.
This weekend, the ‘Geordie Command Performance’ is back - and celebrating 25 years since its debut - with two shows at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.
As ever, the line-up is under wraps. It’s part of the ritual: the excitement of not knowing who’s coming on stage next and what they’ll be doing when they get there.
We do know that lead singer of The 1975, Matty Healy - son of founder Tim Healy and the charity’s new patron - will perform, having let it slip during a Gateshead College masterclass before Christmas.
We also know the show has a new master of ceremonies. After many years of former Lindisfarne frontman Billy Mitchell steering the ship, this year the role passes to comedian and singer Kelly Rickard - a long-time member of the Sunday for Sammy family.
Kelly first auditioned as a backing vocalist in 2012 and has been part of the show ever since. Stand-up came later, in 2022, when she began performing professionally. It was that combination - singer and comic - that prompted producer Ray Laidlaw to invite her for coffee.
“We all knew Billy had decided the 2020 show was going to be his last as MC, so I was mentally making notes of who would be good at it,” she laughs. “And then Ray said, ‘we think you should do it’. I did not see that coming - but it was a real honour and of course I said yes.”
At the time of our chat, there was less than a week to go to showtime.
“I’m nervous of course but my overriding emotion is just pure excitement,” she says.
“It’s a dream gig for any singer but to get to sing and help keep the show moving along and have some fun with the other performers and the audience… I’m really over the moon.”
Kelly’s relationship with Sunday for Sammy runs deeper than her place on the stage.
Originally from Wales, Kelly moved to the North East after years working as an actor and singer in London. “I moved here after meeting my husband, but if I’m honest, I was worried about whether I’d find my place.
“To audition for something like Sunday for Sammy, and to get in and to work with people, not just of that calibre, but of that sort of lovely nature. It blew my mind in the beginning,” she says.
“I think I had some imposter syndrome with it, where I wondered do I actually deserve to be here? And then over the years, I kind of felt as though I did it… it felt almost like I did my professional apprenticeship with them.”
That sense of belonging is part of what makes Sunday for Sammy so distinctive. It is a fundraiser - the Trust offers grants to support emerging North East performers - but it is also a reunion, a celebration and a reminder of the region’s creative depth.
Kelly’s standout memories span Meatloaf anthems with Lorraine Crosby and Tim Healy, Joe McElderry’s goosebump-inducing classical turn, and the aforementioned Run For Home finale.
“It always blows my mind,” she says. “Everybody’s on stage… you’ve got actors, dancers, comics, singers, musicians, and everybody’s just belting out this North East anthem with the audience singing it back to you. It’s just such an amazing moment of connection.”
After six years away, that connection feels more significant than ever.
“I think it’ll be a standout one, because we’ve had a six year gap, because there are some changes, and because there’s some new additions,” she says - obviously not going as far as to name any names.
Arena shows are nothing new to the Sunday for Sammy cast list - which has previously featured the likes of Jimmy Nail, Kevin Whately, Chris and Rosie Ramsey, Johnny Vegas, Brenda Blethyn, Mark Knopfler, Timothy Spall, Brian Johnson and Denise Welch — and nor is the front of stage at the Utilita Arena new territory for Kelly.
She stepped onto its stage last Christmas for Jason Cook’s Laffs for Kids charity night.
“Of course hosting such a big show like Sunday for Sammy feels like a big responsibility, but I trust the people who asked me to do it. They always put on such an amazing show, so they know what they’re doing!
“Ray said ‘we want you to host because you’ll be warm and friendly and funny’ - that sounds like a nice day’s work!”
And what is she most looking forward to?
“I’m really excited for when the Blaydon Races starts at the beginning of the first show… that tends to be Sunday for Sammy’s theme tune… that’s where the goose pimples start.”
A quarter of a century after it began as a tribute night at Newcastle City Hall - an evening that famously sparked the televised revival of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet - Sunday for Sammy returns not just as a nostalgia trip, but as proof that the North East’s creative community is still very much singing and laughing - loudly - together.
There are still a few tickets left for Sunday’s shows (February 15) at 1pm and 7pm. Visit the Arena website to book.