Paul Foot (born 24 December 1973) is an English comedian. Foot is known for his musings, rants, "disturbances" and apparent aversion to pop culture. The ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
'' likened him to "a rare exotic bird", and six national newspapers including ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' and ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' have described him as "a comedy genius".
Biography
Foot was born and raised in
Amersham
Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt.
...
, Buckinghamshire, and has a younger brother.
He studied mathematics at
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...
.
It was during his studies that he first started performing stand-up.
As of 2011, Foot has refused to discuss his years at Oxford or former pursuits as a mathematics student. Graduating from Oxford in 1995, Foot was head-hunted by a computer software company in the run-up to the
dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble (dot-com boom, tech bubble, or the Internet bubble) was a stock market bubble in the late 1990s, a period of massive growth in the use and adoption of the Internet.
Between 1995 and its peak in March 2000, the Nasdaq Compo ...
, but he loathed the industry: "I had to read manuals on HTML and just write websites from scratch. None of us really knew what we were doing".
He started to pursue a career in comedy by doing
open mic
An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether the ...
slots at various venues.
He is openly gay. He has been described as "a little bit vegetarian", but has said that occasionally he does return to eating meat due to nutrition-related health issues.
He has stated on his video log that he has
face blindness.
Live performances
Foot frequently performs live, with resident slots at various London comedy clubs, and his fans sometimes demand shows in particularly obscure parts of Britain. He usually takes a show to the
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
such as ''By the Yard'' (2009), ''Ash in the Attic'' (2010) (which was directed by
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding (; (born 21 May 1973) is an English actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and more recently as a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' ...
) and ''Words ''(2013).
Following Edinburgh, Foot usually tours Britain with his current show before taking it to Australia after Christmas for the Australian festival circuit. He has also given runs at Montreal Comedy festival as well as selling out at venues in Sweden.
In 2003, Foot and
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...
appeared in a double act at Cafe Royal. Foot's style of comedy had a strong influence on Brand, who was inspired by Foot's eccentric hair, quirky mannerisms and love for florid language. In ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Paul MacInnes wrote about their similarities in an article that explored the notion of "copycat comedians". Bruce Dessau made similar observations in ''
The Standard''.
Although a sector of Foot's fan base felt Brand had stolen Foot's act, the two comedians have remained friends. In 2012, Brand made a special appearance at one of Foot's ''Secret Shows'' and they improvised a play in which Brand played Foot and Foot played actress
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
.
Shows
* Most Wanted (2003)
* Simple Pleasures (2004)
* Comedy For Connoisseurs (2007)
* Off The Top Of/With His Head (2008)
* By The Yard (2009)
* Ash in the Attic (2010)
* Still Life (2011)
* Kenny Larch Is Dead! (2012)
* Words (2013)
* Hovercraft Symphony in Gammon Sharp Major (2014)
* The Paul Foot Experience (2015)
* Paul Foot's Game of Dangers (2016)
* 'Tis a Pity She's a Piglet (2016)
* Image Conscious (2018)
''Ash in the Attic''
Foot's 2010 Edinburgh show ''Ash in the Attic'' was directed by comedian
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding (; (born 21 May 1973) is an English actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and more recently as a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' ...
and enjoyed two sell-out runs at London's
Soho Theatre
The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces.
The the ...
in February 2011. ''Ash in the Attic'' was then taken to Melbourne for the 2011
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
as part of the official gala selection where it received a 5-star review in ''The Age''.
Australian Chortle wrote in their review that ''Ash in the Attic'' was "One of the best comedy shows ever to have been performed in Melbourne". A CD of the show was released, and can be bought from his website, standard online shops, and from Foot at tour shows.
''Still Life''
Foot performed eight secret London previews for his 2011 Edinburgh show ''Still Life'' before taking it to the Fringe where the show had a sell-out run at the Underbelly.
Foot toured the UK in autumn 2011 with ''Still Life'' starting at the Soho Theatre on 26 September. Foot took ''Still Life'' to the 2012
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
where he starred in the
Comedy Festival Gala on Australia's
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
and was nominated for a
Barry Award.
''Still Life'' also featured at the
Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. The poster image for ''Still Life'' is an original artwork, a portrait of Foot amidst various fruits, by Victoria Brook.
Kenny Larch Is Dead
Foot's 2012 Edinburgh show was called ''Kenny Larch Is Dead''. As ever with Foot, the show had nothing to do with the title. Following the Fringe the sell-out show toured Britain, before being taken to the
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
. The show won the Best of Fest award at the Sydney Comedy festival,
and Best International Show at the Perth comedy awards.
Secret shows
In September 2006, Foot started a regular London-based solo variety show called ''Paul Foot's Comedy for Connoisseurs''. The title comes from the name given to his fans, "The Guild of Paul Foot Connoisseurs", for whom Foot arranges "secret" events advertised only via his official website and mailing list.
In the secret shows Foot often enters a surreal territory, taking on the personae of his own character creations such as "Penny" and "Skeleton Johnson", and sometimes improvising elaborate mini-dramas in which he plays all of the parts. Some of Foot's characters feature on his website which also has a secret page for his Guild of Connoisseurs.
Foot's television appearances in 2010 introduced a new generation to his style of comedy, leading some "Connoisseurs of The Guild of Paul Foot Connoisseurs" unable to attend Foot's Secret Shows due to this new wave of popularity with a younger, student demographic booking them out. Foot addressed this problem by organising his first "Secret Secret Show" for his longest-serving fans. The show was not advertised anywhere on his website.
The Paul Foot Festival
In 2009, Paul Foot hosted his own all-day festival at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club in East London with the help of arts and music collective HungaMunga. Sketches included 'Foot of the Yard', a whodunnit, an Invisible Man Contest, Flamingo I-Spy, an Erotic Menu, and Paul's Rants. HungaMunga provided many arts and crafts materials and activities. Foot also painted portraits of members of the audience. The festival also included Paul's Protégé's featuring the comedians Tom Bell and Joel Dommett
Joel Patrick Dommett (born 8 June 1985) is an English actor, author, comedian, and television presenter. He is known for his television roles in '' Live in Chelsea'', ''Impractical Jokers UK'', '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!,'' ''Joel ...
. Musical performers at the festival were Birmingham gonzo-ska band Misty's Big Adventure
Misty's Big Adventure are an English eight-piece band from Birmingham. Their music is an eclectic mix of jazz, lounge, psychedelia, 2 tone, pop and punk.
The band is composed of singer and sole songwriter Grandmaster Gareth (real name Gareth J ...
and Antony Elvin.
Television
Foot has appeared on numerous television shows including:
* ''FAQ U
''FAQ U'' was a television programme broadcast by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in 2005. It was shown every weeknight, Monday to Friday, just after 11:00pm. It was presented by Justin Lee Collins in its first week, David Mitchell in the second ...
'' (Channel Four)
* ''Edinburgh and Beyond'' (Paramount Comedy Channel)
* ''Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive
''Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive'' is a British television show, first aired on BBC Three in July 2006. Devised by Paul Duddridge, it concerns the making of a comedy panel game show called ''Annually Retentive'', themed around historical events, ...
'' (BBC Three)
* '' Come Dine with Me'' (Channel 4)
* ''Richard & Judy
''Richard & Judy'' (also known as ''Richard & Judy's New Position'') is a British television chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 to 22 Augus ...
'' (Channel 4)
* ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks
''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hoste ...
'' (BBC Two)
* ''Russell & Katy Get Married'' (FIVE)
* ''Big Brother's Big Mouth
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' (Channel 4)
* ''The 50 Funniest Moments of 2010'' (Channel 4)
* ''Greatest Christmas TV Ads'' (FIVE)
* ''Melbourne International Comedy Festival All Star Supershow'' (Channel Ten – Australia)
* ''Russell Howard's Good News Extra
''Russell Howard's Good News'' was a British comedy and topical news television show which was broadcast on BBC Three between 2009 and 2014, and on BBC Two between 2014 and 2015. Hosted by comedian Russell Howard, it offered his commentary on t ...
'' (BBC Three)
* ''8 out of 10 Cats
''8 Out of 10 Cats'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on Channel 4 and its sister networks, airing since 3 June 2005. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr; the current team captains are Rob Beckett and Katherine Ryan.
The show is based on ...
'' (Channel 4)
* ''Would I Lie To You Would I Lie to You? may refer to: TV
* ''Would I Lie to You?'' (game show), British comedy panel quiz show that premiered in 2007
** ''Would I Lie to You?'' (Australian game show), an Australian comedy panel quiz show based on the British version th ...
'' (BBC One)
In 2008, Foot was a finalist in NBC's ''Last Comic Standing
''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...
''.
In 2011, Foot filmed a series of TV advertisements for Virgin Mobile in Australia. He helped to devise his character in the campaign called "Robin Da Hood", a bizarre fusion of medieval eccentricities and modern-day Australian urbanity. The first of these adverts featured an emergency phone conversation between Foot and head of the Virgin Group
Virgin Group Ltd. is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970.
Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by the Companies House, who class it as a holding c ...
Sir Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
.
Awards
In 1997, Foot won both the BBC New Stand-up Award and the ''Daily Telegraph'' Open Mic Award, and was a finalist for the So You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny? (SYTYF) is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 in the United Kingdom.
The finals are held every August at The Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Past wi ...
award for newcomers. In 1998, he was nominated for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award in Edinburgh.
In 2011, Foot was nominated for a Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
.
In 2012, Foot was nominated again for a Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
.
In 2013, Foot won the top award at the Sydney Comedy festival for Kenny Larch Is Dead, which won the best show award.
Paul Foot Podcast
Since 2009, Foot has released a podcast, the ''Paul Foot Podcast''. It was originally the highlights from his show on Resonance FM
Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station specialising in the arts run by the London Musicians' Collective (LMC). The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and ...
, and featured fellow stand-up comedian Joel Dommett
Joel Patrick Dommett (born 8 June 1985) is an English actor, author, comedian, and television presenter. He is known for his television roles in '' Live in Chelsea'', ''Impractical Jokers UK'', '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!,'' ''Joel ...
, among other regulars. After the Resonance FM show ended, a few episodes were released independently up to May 2010. Episodes of the podcast then became more sporadic, being released every few months or so; these episodes included guests such as Trevor Lock and Paul's tour support act Malcolm Head, as well as recordings from Paul's Secret Shows.
Guild of Connoisseurs
He commands a significant cult following called ''The Guild of Connoisseurs''.
As well as secret stand-up comedy shows Foot arranges events for The Guild of Connoisseurs such as secret picnics, spoof lectures and guided tours. In July 2011 he scheduled an event at Stepney City Farm at which connoisseurs attempted to complete a 32,000 piece jigsaw puzzle.
Foot hosts competitions within the Guild too, such as an annual tie design competition and portrait painting competitions.
Radio
* ''The Infinite Monkey Cage
''The Infinite Monkey Cage'' is a BBC Radio 4 comedy and popular science series. Hosted by physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince, ''The Independent'' described it as a "witty and irreverent look at the world according to science". The sh ...
'' (BBC Radio 4) – November 2010, May 2011, August 2014, February 2016
* ''Chequebook And Pen'' (BBC Radio 4) – December 2010
* ''The Late Show'' (talkSPORT) – February 2011
* ''The Dave Gorman Show'' (Absolute Radio) – June 2012 Show 119, 120, 121
* ''Paul Foot Podcast'' (self published) – July 2009 – present
References
External links
*
*
Paul Foot on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foot, Paul
1973 births
Alumni of Merton College, Oxford
English male comedians
English stand-up comedians
Last Comic Standing contestants
Gay comedians
British LGBT broadcasters
English LGBT entertainers
Living people
People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe
People from High Wycombe
20th-century English comedians
21st-century English comedians
British LGBT comedians