Career
His principal "co host" was Basil Brush. He went on to host in 1985 and Border television"s Crush a Grape in 1987, a children"s game show in a similar vein to his era of Crackerjack. He also released a single in 1985 called "Ooh! I could crush a grape".
After attending Brownlow Fold Junior School and Smithills Base School, both in Bolton, he worked as a bluecoat entertaining guests at holiday camps.
He then switched to comedy and appeared in summer seasons at clubs and in theatres. Francis had numerous catchphrases on Crackerjack, mostly based on his prolific Ooh! I could crush a grape!!.
Other variations were: I could popular a balloon, I could rip a tissue, I could jump off a doll"s house, I could wrestle an action man, I could duff a daffodil and I could test drive a Tonka Other catchphrases include: (used on Crackerjack"s final game Take A Chance, where the "penalty" was a gunging to an unfortunate celebrity, or to Francis himself). But perhaps the most brilliant of all was I could pummel a peach or I could eat a whole sausage roll.
