James Mullinger

James Mullinger is an English alternative comedian based in New Brunswick, Canada. Though primarily a stand-up comic, Mullinger has held a number of roles in other media including a presenter of ''Blimey! An Englishman in Atlantic Canada'', co-writer and co-producer of ''The Comedian's Guide to Survival'', and actor in the upcoming ''NBrexit''. In 2022, he published his memoir, ''Brit Happens: Or Living the Canadian Dream'', with Goose Lane Editions. In 2016, Mullinger broke Jerry Seinfeld's record ticket sales at Harbour Station and outsold performances including Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, and Snoop Dogg.

Early life

Mullinger grew up in Maidenhead, Berkshire. He was educated at East Berkshire College then studied English Literature and Women's Studies at Kingston University. Mullinger grew up seeing shows at Norden Farm and has since performed there. As a teenager, his favorite comedians included Ben Elton, Frank Skinner, Steve Martin, and Monty Python.

Career

Mullinger began performing stand-up comedy in 2005. The same year, he reached the finals of Jimmy Carr's ''Comedy Idol'', '' You Must Be Joking'' at the Newbury Comedy Festival, and ''Your Comedy Stars'' at the Edinburgh Fringe. He also started the Upstairs at the Masons comedy club in the function room of Mayfair's Masons Arms pub which, in addition to bringing in local comedians, attracted comedians such as Russell Brand, Richard Herring, Greg Davies, and Michael McIntyre. His debut show in 2009, ''The Bad Boy of Feminism'', sold out at the Camden Fringe. Since then, he has performed a number of shows—''James Mullinger's Schooldays'', ''The Man With No Shame'' (2012/2013), ''Living the Canadian Dream'' (2014/2015), and ''Anything is Possible''—across both Canada and the UK. ''The Man With No Shame'' was centered around readings from his teenage diaries.

Between November 2011 and January 2012, Mullinger hosted ''Movie Kingdom'', a web series co-created with friend and collaborator Mark Murphy. The pair reviewed movies and interviewed celebrities. It was later developed as a Comedy Central web series titled ''A Moment With'', which featured actors including Anne Hathaway, Andrew Garfield, and Javier Bardem and comedians Jackie Mason, Ross Noble, and Stewart Lee. In 2016, he and Murphy collaborated on ''The Comedian's Guide to Survival'', a film based on and dramatizing Mullinger's experiences as a comedian. ''The Inbetweeners'' star James Buckley portrayed the fictionalized version of Mullinger.

The same year, he worked with Hemmings House on ''City on Fire'', a documentary showing Mullinger getting ready for his first sold-out show at Harbour Station and exploring his love of New Brunswick. He also finished shooting the first season of ''Comedy Bootcamp'' on Bell Aliant TV1 in 2016. In 2022, Mullinger published his memoir ''Brit Happens: Or Living the Canadian Dream'' with Goose Lane Editions. ''NBrexit'', his next major venture, is a sitcom about a comedian forced to move to Canada (whereas Mullinger made the choice) to escape a Brexit scandal. It was filmed in Miramichi and claims to be the first English-speaking sitcom filmed and set entirely in New Brunswick. Mullinger also made an effort to employ people living in New Brunswick. It is scheduled to air in March 2023.

Mullinger worked at '' GQ'' 2000-2014, starting during a two-week work experience after university. He was a journalist, comedy editor, and photo editor, and interviewed celebrities such as Daniel Craig, Tom Cruise, and George Clooney. In 2012, he was at the center of controversy when he airbrushed Kate Winslet to look thinner and have longer legs. While the pushback was difficult, he said that the argument was valid and that he "was just an idiot" and that it was a "big mistake" rather than an intentional act of misogyny. Despite this, he won Employee of the Year three times during his fourteen-year stint there.

Mullinger has appeared on ''Street-Cred Sudoku'' alongside Robin Ince, Sue Perkins and Rufus Hound. In Canada, he toured the country for ''Blimey! An Englishman in Atlantic Canada'' and ''Atlantic Edition'' and played villain Mr. Green in the children's show ''Ug Wug''. Mullinger is also editor-in-chief of ''Maritime DIT', a quarterly publication centered on Atlantic Canada, and co-hosts ''Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights'' with Paul Field. He has been nominated for a Just for Laughs Comedy Award and a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Live Show. Mullinger credits a comedy course taught by Logan Murray and Hils Jago for helping him garner the confidence needed to perform standup.

Personal life

Mullinger and his Canadian-born wife, Pam, moved to Saint John, New Brunswick from London in 2014. His wife worked with '' Vanity Fair'' and ''Wallpaper*'' while in London and as of 2022 was a marketing consultant and advertising director for several magazines, including ''Kinfolk''. The couple have two sons, Hunter and River, who play Mullinger's children in his show ''NBrexit''. Mullinger is a self-proclaimed feminist and has performed to benefit women's charities. In 2022, as a resident of Rothesay, he became a Canadian citizen.

References

External links

''The Maritime Edit'' official website

James Mullinger live
at the Imperial Theatre on YouTube

James Mullinger on why he loves Montreal

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mullinger, James
Living people
English male comedians
Alumni of Kingston University
People from Maidenhead
English emigrants to Canada
21st-century English comedians
Comedians from New Brunswick
People from Kings County, New Brunswick
1978 births