What Is Sunday For Sammy?
Sunday for Sammy is a series of biennial charity concerts held in aid of the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund, which benefits young performers. The concerts have been held at Newcastle City Hall, with the exception of 2006, when the show was hosted at The Sage Gateshead. The show is performed twice on one day, with each being recorded for a DVD release, from which 75% of profits go to the fund.
As of 2012, there have been seven events, with five filmed for DVD release. The concerts are hosted by Tim Healy and (until 2008) Jimmy Nail, featuring a range of personalities hailing from North East England, including Denise Welch, Billy Mitchell and Brendan Healy. It has featured guest appearances from people such as Ant and Dec and Mark Knopfler. Writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais contribute sketches based on their television series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, which have featured guest appearances from the surviving original 'magnificent seven'.
The concerts usually conclude with all of the performers returning to the stage to sing Lindisfarne's "Run for Home". The fund was established in memorial to Sammy Johnson, an actor from North East England and close friend of Healy and Nail, who died suddenly in 1998.
The Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Fansite works closely with Sunday For Sammy and donates a minimum of 10% from sales, events and auctions to the trust. One such event was the 2013 Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Convention held at the NewcastleGateshead Hilton on the weekend of September 21st. Cast, crew & writers were in attendance on this historic evening to celebrate 30 years of the show and its creation.
A DVD of the event is available from Mawson and Wareham: Back With The Boys Again 30th Anniversary Reunion