Mike Kelly was formerly an insurance broker who decided to become a stand-up comic, working in the clubs of northern England and then on The Comedians.

He also appeared in All Creatures Great and Small, The Cuckoo Waltz, Open All Hours, Edge of Darkness, Last of the Summer Wine, Common as Muck, Heartbeat and Emmerdale as Caleb Dingle.

He has appeared in four different roles in the British soap Coronation Street (1960). He is also an after-dinner speaker.