|
The Oxford Revue
The Oxford Revue is a comedy group primarily featuring students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University, England. Beginning in 1953, The Oxford Revue has produced many prominent comedians, actors and satirists—as is the case with their Cambridge University counterparts, the Footlights. The Revue writes, produces and performs several shows each term in the pubs and theatres around Oxford, as well as touring to cities in the United Kingdom and performing a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year. History The Oxford Revue was originally just a revue show, not a troupe—one of many yearly productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe organised by the Oxford Theatre Group, or O.T.G. (a student-run group co-founded by the brother-in-law of future Revue alumnus Michael Palin). The earliest Revue was called 1953's 'Cakes and Ale', starring Maggie Smith. Other Fringe Revues of historical note include - *1958's 'All For Money' (starring Dudley Moore) *19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comedy Group
A comedy troupe is a group of comedians and associated personnel who work together to perform comedy as entertainment. The term is often used interchangeably with comedy group, and the troupe may specialize in a specific genre or style of comedy. Some examples of comedy troupes include: the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Cheech & Chong, the Second City, Kalabhavan, the Firesign Theatre, Monty Python, Blue Collar Comedy Tour, the Kids in the Hall, the Mighty Boosh, the Tenderloins, the Hollow Men, Asperger's Are Us, Kummeli, Senario, and Them There. See also * Improvisational theatre * Sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ... References {{Comedy footer * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and in the film series '' Johnny English'' (2003–present). Atkinson first came to prominence on the BBC sketch comedy show ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' (1979–1982), receiving the 1981 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance. Atkinson has appeared in various films, including the James Bond film ''Never Say Never Again'' (1983), ''The Witches'' (1990), ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994), '' Rat Race'', ''Scooby-Doo'' (both 2002), ''Love Actually'' (2003), and ''Wonka'' (2023). He played the voice role of Zazu in the Disney animated film ''The Lion King'' (1994). Atkinson portrayed Mr. Bean in the film adaptations ''Bean'' (1997) and '' Mr. Bean's Holiday'' (2007), and voiced the title character in '' Mr. Bean: The Animated Series'' (2002–present). H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Herring
Richard Keith Herring (born 12 July 1967) is an English stand-up comedian and writer whose early work includes the comedy double act Lee and Herring (alongside Stewart Lee). He is described by ''The British Theatre Guide'' as "one of the leading hidden masters of modern British comedy". Towards the end of the double act, Herring also worked as a writer, producing four plays. After Lee and Herring went their separate ways he co-wrote the British sitcom, sitcom ''Time Gentlemen Please'', but quickly returned to performance with high-concept, concept-driven one-person shows like ''Talking Cock (comedy show), Talking Cock'', ''Hitler Moustache'' and ''Christ on a Bike'' as well as regular circuit stand-up. Herring has created fourteen of these stand-up shows since 2001, performing them for eleven consecutive years from 2004 to 2014 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with annual tours and a final performance recorded for DVD. His 2016–17 show was a 'best of' tour, drawing from these ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stewart Lee
Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, and deadpan delivery. Lee began his career in 1989 and formed the comedy duo Lee and Herring with Richard Herring. In 2001, he co-wrote and co-directed the West End hit musical '' Jerry Springer: The Opera'', a critical success that sparked a backlash from Christian right groups who staged a series of protests outside its early performances. In 2011, he won British Comedy Awards for Best Male Television Comic and Best Comedy Entertainment Programme for his series '' Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle''. He has written music reviews for publications including ''The Sunday Times''. In 2009 ''The Times'' referred to Lee as "the comedian's comedian, and for good reason" and named him "face of the decade". In 2012, he was placed at No. 9 on a poll of the 100 most influential people in UK comedy. In 2018, ''The Times'' named him as the best current Engli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Schneider (actor)
David Schneider (born 22 May 1963) is an English actor, comedian, and director. His acting roles include the role of Tony Hayers, in the '' Alan Partridge'' franchise. Early life David Schneider was born in London, England on 22 May 1963 to a Jewish family. He was educated at the City of London School, an independent school for boys in the City of London, before going to Exeter College, Oxford, where he studied modern languages, and studied for a doctorate in Yiddish Drama. During his time at university, Schneider performed a predominantly physical comedy act that contrasted with the trend towards stand-up comedy in live performance comedy in the 1980s. It was at this time that he met Armando Iannucci, who in 1991 recruited him for news-radio spoof '' On the Hour''. He is a fan of Arsenal F.C. Career He performed in the BBC Sketch show ''Up to Something'' (1990) with Shane Richie, Suzy Aitchison, Frances Dodge, & Lewis MacLeod (actor). Schneider performed in '' The D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KYTV (TV Series)
''KYTV'' is a British television comedy series about a fictional television station. It ran on BBC Two, BBC2 from 1989 to 1993, and satire, satirised satellite television in the UK at the time. History The show was in effect the television version of ''Radio Active (radio series), Radio Active'', which spoofed local radio stations, and was developed by the same team. It was written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins, produced by Jamie Rix, directed by John Kilby and John Stroud (director), John Stroud, with music by Philip Pope. The majority of the programme's scripts had already aired on ''Radio Active''. The five key actors all performed various roles, some multiple, others on a single occasion. Their main characters as presenters were: * Angus Deayton as Mike Channel * Helen Atkinson-Wood as Anna Daptor * Michael Fenton Stevens as Martin Brown * Geoffrey Perkins as Mike Flex * Philip Pope simply as The Continuity Announcer (not named) The Television pilot, pilot episod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radio Active (radio Series)
''Radio Active'' is a radio comedy programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 during the 1980s. The series grew out of a 1979 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show presented by The Oxford Revue and starred Angus Deayton, Geoffrey Perkins, Michael Fenton Stevens, Helen Atkinson-Wood and Philip Pope. The first episode was broadcast in 1980, and it ran for seven series. Programme format The show is based on a fictional radio station (described as "Britain's first national local radio station") and the programmes that it might transmit. Initially the radio station concept was used simply as a loose framing device for otherwise unlinked sketches and songs, but as the show developed, the episodes became more thematically focused, each one lampooning a different broadcasting genre and sometimes even a specific programme such as ''Down Your Way'' (parodied as "Round Your Parts"), '' In at the Deep End'' ("Out of Your Depth"), ''Ultra Quiz'' ("Gigantaquiz"), ''The Radio Programme'' ("The Radio R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick. Each series was set in a different historical period, with the two protagonists accompanied by different characters, though several reappear in one series or another, e.g., Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy Percy, Percy and Captain Kevin Darling, Darling, Stephen Fry as Melchett (Blackadder), Melchett, and Hugh Laurie as George (Blackadder), George. The first series was written by Richard Curtis and Atkinson, while the subsequent three series were written by Curtis and Ben Elton. All four series were produced by John Lloyd (producer), John Lloyd. In 2000, ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' ranked at 16 in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angus Deayton
Gordon Angus Deayton (; born 6 January 1956) is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster. Deayton was the original presenter of two successful British comedy panel shows, ''Have I Got News for You'' (1990–2002) and ''Would I Lie to You? (British game show), Would I Lie to You?'' (2007–2008), and a regular cast member of the David Renwick sitcom ''One Foot in the Grave'' (1990–2000). He also played George Windsor in the series ''Waterloo Road (TV series), Waterloo Road''. Early life The youngest of three sons of a Prudential plc, Prudential insurance broker/manager English father and a home economics school teacher Scottish mother,"Angus Deayton on Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland and returning to the Fringe" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim McInnerny
Timothy L. McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is a British actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Kevin Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''. Early life McInnerny was born on 18 September 1956 in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, the son of Mary Joan (née Gibbings) and William Ronald McInnerny. He has one sister. He was brought up in Cheadle Hulme and in Stroud, Gloucestershire, and educated at Marling School, a grammar school in Stroud, and read English at Wadham College, Oxford, matriculating in 1976 after taking a gap year backpacking around the world. Career Television McInnerny's first role was in ''Blackadder'' during the 1980s. He played the two bumbling related aristocrats with the same name of Lord Percy Percy in the first series (''The Black Adder'') and the second series (''Blackadder II''); he declined to appear in the third series for fear of being typecast, though he did make a guest app ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Secret Policeman's Ball
''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' is a series of benefit shows staged initially in the United Kingdom to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started in 1976 featuring popular British comedians but later included leading musicians and actors. The ''Secret Policeman's Ball'' shows are credited by many prominent entertainers with having galvanised them to become involved with Amnesty and other social and political causes in succeeding years. Co-founded by Monty Python member John Cleese, campaigner Peter Luff (Assistant Director Amnesty International 1974–1978), and entertainment industry executive Martin Lewis, there have been four distinct eras of the Amnesty benefit shows. The shows of the first era (1976–1981), featuring five members of Monty Python and newcomers such as Rowan Atkinson, yielded films, television specials, home-videos, and albums that have since been widely seen and heard internationally. The three subsequent e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and Television presenter, presenter. Emerging from the Footlights, Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on ''The Frost Report''. In the late 1960s, he cofounded Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show ''Monty Python's Flying Circus.'' Along with his Python costars Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, Cleese starred in Monty Python films, which include ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1975), ''Monty Python's Life of Brian, Life of Brian'' (1979), and ''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, The Meaning of Life'' (1983). In the mid-1970s, Cleese and first wife Connie Booth cowrote the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'', in which he starred as hotel owner Basil Fawlty, for which he won the 1980 British Academy Television Award for Best Ente ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
