John Joseph Linehan, Administration Member of the Order of the British Empire is better known as the character.
Background
Linehan invented the name and the character by ad libbing — the first name being that of his mother-in-law and the surname being that of an Antrim hurler by the name of Olcan McFettridge, whose exploits in a National Hurling League game had made headlines in the local newspaper, The Irish News, which happened to be beside Linehan when put on the spot.
Career
John Linehan was a car mechanic before he rose to fame in the guise of his plain-speaking, gap-toothed housewife character, Eamonn Holmes, a relative, had asked Linehan to phone his then radio show, to liven the programme up. Linehan pretended to be a Belfast housewife, and the banter between the two attracted an unprecedented number of positive phone calls to the radio studio, many asking for a return of the women as a regular on the show. The character became a regular on Downtown Radio.
Since that time, Linehan has topped the bill as his character in the Christmas in the Grand Opera House in Belfast for twenty-five consecutive years (2014).
On the 2nd of December 2014, John was presented on stage with a bust of to mark his 25th consecutive year of performing at the Grand Opera House"s pantomime. The bust will be kept permanently on view in the Grand Circle of the theatre opposite the bust of Frank Matcham, the architect of the building.
He/she was recently described by John Daly as "the face that sank a thousand ships" during a charity event at the Odyssey in Belfast. Linehan is also involved in charity work, appearing regularly in Northern Ireland"s Children in Need broadcasts, and organising events such as golfing tournaments to help raise money for Children of the Crossfire.
He was awarded the Administration Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 for charitable services in Northern Ireland.
Linehan starred as McFettridge every year in the Grand Opera House, which are huge successes. He usually plays a very comical role in the show and leaves every audience in stitches of laughter. Here are some of his panto roles:
2015-2016 May the Cook in "Snow White
2014-2015 Widow May Twanky in "Aladdin"
2013-2014 Queen May in "Sleeping Beauty"
2012-2013 The Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella"
2011-2012 Dame May Trot in "Jack and the Beanstalk"
2010-2011 Nurse May in Snow White
2009-2010 Widow May Twankey in " Aladdin "
2008-2009 Mother Goose in Mother Goose
2007-2008 The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella
2006-2007 Mrs Smee in Peter Pan
2005-2006 Nurse May in Snow White
2004-2005 Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk
2003-2004 Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittington
2002-2003 The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella
Linehan appeared in the film Divorcing Jack as the "Announcer".
Later European versions of the "Divorcing Jack" Digital Video Disc had May McFetridge segments edited out due to social sensitivities in Eastern European countries such as the Czechoslovakian Republic or Slovakia.