Andrew Paresi
Encyclopedia
Born in Chiswick
in 1961, Andrew McGibbon (a.k.a. Andrew Paresi) is an English comedian, actor, writer, musician and composer. He has also produced and directed extensively, chiefly for radio.
. However, he failed to make a significant impact, peaking with a performance alongside Lou Donaldson
at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
on 22 March 1982.
The name Paresi was adopted around this time on the advice of his then girlfriend, who had found that it was an Italian medical term for embolism. “There was something appealing about naming myself after a heart attack”, he remembers. “Some sort of post-punk bollocks, I guess, which meant a lot to me back in 1982”.
His first big break came on 7 November 1984 with an appearance on Tyne Tees children’s pop show Razzamatazz as the drummer in Jim Diamond
’s band. Given the success of his number one hit I Should Have Known Better
, a subsequent appearance by Paresi on Top of the Pops
was expected were it not for Diamond’s regular drummer Simon Kirke
rapidly returning to the fold.
Paresi soon built a reputation for his drum programming work, and working relationships with a number of record producers developed. David Motion secured Paresi’s percussive abilities for Love in a World Gone Mad and I Used to Love the Radio, recorded during the sessions for Bucks Fizz
’s 1986 album Writing on the Wall
. He also worked with Motion on One Way, an album by europopglam band Rok-Etz recently augmented by Sal Solo
of Classix Nouveaux
. That same year the drummer encountered Stephen Street
, who mixed a single by A Pair of Blue Eyes, a short-lived CBS band to whom Paresi was assigned.
The Street connection would lead to regular work with Morrissey
, immediately following the demise of The Smiths
in 1987. Paresi was regular drummer on albums Viva Hate
and Kill Uncle
as well as the Bona Drag
sessions, lasting until the singer songwriter’s sharp change of direction into rockabilly in 1992. This period of Paresi’s career would later be chronicled in a BBC Radio 4 documentary, I Was Morrissey’s Drummer (2005), as well as a number of related articles.
Paresi joined Bleed in 1994, an agitating feminist group famed for their anti-pornography single It Makes Money, for which they sent “faxes to various music and mainstream press publications plus top-shelf sex magazines” highlighting the industry’s abuses of women. Despite an association with Stephen Street, by then producing Blur
, the group struggled to find an audience and split in 1997.
More recent musical activities include drum duties on the 2010 album by Franc Cinelli, who performs under the Good Times, Good Times moniker. The record, also called Good Times, Good Times, was produced by Danton Supple and released on his label, Definition Sounds.
’s late-night LBC show, beginning in 1986. There, he developed the character of Ned Sherrin
sound-a-like Rodway of Belgravia, a man trapped with his mother and in unrequited love with the girl at his local gardening shop. Shortly before Christmas 1987 he faked the murder of a turkey live on air, provoking several complaints. Another character was Eric the Gardener, a Wiltshireman inclined to speak in gnomic, poetic utterances and non sequiturs. There was also Vini of Vauxhall (based on musician Vini Reilly
) and Ron, an estate dweller constantly having to calm his dogs – Sultan and Khan – during calls to the show. The last of these was a direct influence on a character in BBC Radio 4’s phone-in parody Down the Line with Gary Bellamy. Its creators have freely admitted on Front Row
that Bull’s show was in their minds when making the series, having been regular listeners during the late-Eighties.
The first was Princess by Blu Gene featuring Spider Johnson, a ragga
single which used extracts from the Princess Diana Squidgygate
tape as answering phrases in a love song. Annie Nightingale
played it heavily but the record was otherwise outlawed by Radio 1, despite the creation of a toned-down radio edit.
This was followed by I Live in a Giant Mushroom, a novelty trance single by McGibbon disguised as LBC character Eric the Gardener. The record secured daytime play on Steve Wright in the Afternoon on BBC Radio 1, where the presenter predicted it would be a Christmas hit. In the event, it failed to chart. Issued on Mental Temple, McGibbon’s own label, it was mixed and produced by Danton Supple who would later produce Coldplay
. A song on the Divine Comedy
album Fin de Siecle
was named in tribute to Eric.
around the time that he jumped ship for Virgin Radio in April 1993. His interest was piqued by the Eric the Gardener record, desperate to know if the character was real or make believe. McGibbon was soon contributing sketch material to the show. Additional characters in these early days included Welworth Moore, David van Donkin, Inspector Steeping of Scotland Yard, Raymond Sinclair and Creighton Wheeler.
Transferring to BBC Radio 1 in January 1994, Greening initially fronted the weekend breakfast show, moving to lunchtimes between November 1994 and October 1995. Fixtures during this period include a regular two-part story from Eric the Gardener and three adverts per show by Raymond Sinclair’s insalubrious associates Blo Chap. Musical departures comprised the work of the Sinclair Singers, a satirical four-part jazz harmony group again mixed and produced by Danton Supple, as well as a parody of Morrissey smuggled in during guest host slots for Simon Mayo and known in fan circles as Oh Melanie.
McGibbon was sacked from the show upon the move back to weekend breakfast in October 1995, although returned to assist during the depleted airtime available in Greening’s drive time slot from February – October 1997.
October 1997 saw the partnering of Greening with Zoe Ball
for the Radio 1 breakfast show, which lasted just one year. Here, McGibbon debuted Major Holdups, a terrifying former air pilot prone to barking out travel updates inter-cut with surreal storylines. These items were co-written with Rob Colley. This period also saw the return of Raymond Sinclair in the regular item Ray’s Organ.
With a move to Sundays in September 1998, McGibbon was dropped once again from Greening’s show. A final edition on 16 January 2000 comprised a nostalgic look back at old sketch material, ending with a swansong appearance by Eric the Gardener.
, a sketch troupe formed in 1996 by Owen Evans and Karl Minns. Augmenting the team from the spring of 1999, their third Edinburgh show premiered in August at the Pleasance and was well received. In a five-star review by the Scotland on Sunday newspaper, it was claimed that “you never know where their comedy is coming from. It sneaks up behind you and bites without warning. Whether it’s a skit about Chaucer having his prologue, having The Canterbury Tales rejected on account of the spelling mistakes, or a killingly funny analysis of the abysmal acting common to crime reconstructions, The Nimmo Twins hit the comedy bulls eye like Tyson hits his unfortunate opponents. It’s anarchic, off-the-wall and eye-poppingly innovative.”
By the time of their 2000 radio series, McGibbon had left to pursue his own projects.
, a new character emerged.
Wheeler diversified from the Greening show with regular appearances on Loose Ends
, on which McGibbon had first met The Nimmo Twins
. Live performances followed as part of their Edinburgh show, as did a variation on the character for an episode of Vic Reeves
and Bob Mortimer
’s revival of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
.
Two series for BBC Radio 4 aired in 2003. Wheeler’s Fortune and Wheeler’s Wonders were narrated by Brian Hayes
and explored the character’s Zelig
-like presence in cultural history. Jon Snow
, Bernard Cribbins
, David Frost
, Brian Sewell
, Ned Sherrin
and Michael Winner
were amongst his deadpan witnesses. A rave review followed courtesy of Gillian Reynolds
of The Daily Telegraph, who claimed it had “made me whoop, yell and fall out of bed laughing.” Applauding an arts show parody called ‘Art, Art, Art, Art’, she continued “We have all heard parodies of television arts shows. We have all experienced arts shows that are beyond parody. This one was both spot on and deliciously off. Hayes linked it with the dignity of Kenneth Horne encountering Julian and Sandy.”
show, McGibbon soon wrote a number of half-hour comedies for BBC Radio 4.
Routemasters (1999) was his debut sitcom, telling the tale of a time travelling art thief. The series starred the Nimmo Twins and LA Law actress Amanda Donohoe
. It represented her official radio debut, excluding a number of incognito appearances in various sketches for Greening. Speaking to the Radio Times, she said that “I suppose I’m an intergalactic dominatrix. There are great humorous possibilities – like painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with white emulsion. In the end we discover Hildegard’s rather tawdry past and motives.” The series was written by McGibbon (who also played Raymond) with additional material by Rob Colley and Kevin Greening. Later BBC7 transmissions were cut to remove a subplot about castration.
Two series of I Think I’ve Got a Problem (2001 – 3) followed and were similarly fantastical. The sitcom was a musical about Tom Caine, a man with a band living inside his head. It was co-written with Nick Romero and starred Suggs
(of the band Madness
), Bob Monkhouse
, McGibbon and Romero. Bill Nighy
and Julia Deakin
joined for the second series. The considerable amount of musical content was jointly composed by McGibbon, Romero and Suggs. Matthew Bannister described it as “Pennies from Heaven on acid". Gillian Reynolds summed it up as an “inventive commentary on humanity, cruelty, folly and the chaos of consciousness, all done in the style of a comic strip. It is original, bold [and] amazingly brilliant.”
Dead Man Talking (2001) was a four-part series produced by Wise Buddah, again for BBC Radio 4. The format was a chat show in which John Bird
probed famous people from history, all long since dead, amongst them Adam & Eve, Boudicca & Joan of Arc and Mary Shelley & Robert Oppenheimer. The series featured Fiona Allen
, Jon Culshaw
, John Sessions
and Tony Slattery
.
Andrew McGibbon also made regular appearances in Tom Jamieson & Nev Fountain
’s Elephants to Catch Eels
(2003 – 4), a sitcom about eighteenth century Cornish smugglers. In it he played Captain Marriot and the series ran for two series of six episodes. It co-starred Lucy Speed, John Bowe, Cameron Stewart, Martin Hyder, Julia Deakin and Mark Felgate, with Sheridan Smith
joining for series two. It was produced by Jan Ravens
.
CFR’s first entirely independent production was Kington’s Anatomy of Comedy (2005), a three-part series on the mechanics of comedy presented by Miles Kington
. It was followed by Miles Apart (2006), three extended interviews with comedy practitioners in other cultures – Antoine de Caunes
in France, Sabina Guzzanti
in Italy, and Harry Shearer
in America. All were co-produced by McGibbon and Romero.
I Was Morrissey
’s Drummer (2005) was the first in a sequence of profiles of people who once worked with great artists. McGibbon himself was the initial subject. Two short series of I Was… followed in 2007 and 2008, with reflections from those close to Douglas Adams
, Ernest Hemingway
, David Lean
, Dudley Moore
, Sam Peckinpah
and Peter Sellers
.
A significant coup for CFR saw The Pickerskill Detentions (2005) mark the first radio performance in twenty years by Ian Richardson
, playing the retired English master of Haunchurst College for Boys. In the series he reflected on his most memorable detentions. The series also featured Phil Cornwell
, Martin Hyder, Dominic Hawksley and Nick Romero, and was written and directed by Andrew McGibbon. The series was widely acclaimed, with Ruth Cowen of The Sunday Express describing it as “bizarre and very funny’’ and Chris Campling of The Times noting how “Andrew McGibbon’s stories about a teacher with an unusual, moralistic attitude towards justice are a good example of that gentle humour which suddenly throws in a wobbly that pulls you up short.”
In part due to Richardson’s death in 2007, plans for a television transfer were abandoned. However, a radio sequel – The Pickerskill Reports – aired on BBC Radio 4 in four parts from 28 August 2009. It starred Ian McDiarmid
in the Pickerskill role, with support by Thomas Sangster, Tony Gardner and Philip Madoc
. A second series followed in 2011 featuring Sheridan Smith
.
Not Today, Thank You (2006), a peak-time sitcom written by Andrew McGibbon and Nick Romero, cast Brian Hayes
as a washed-up radio presenter forced to live in his grandmother’s house with her six eccentric tenants. The series also featured Harry Shearer
, Sheridan Smith
, Mark Perry
, Alex Lowe
, McGibbon and Romero. It was poorly received by many critics, including Gareth McLean of The Guardian who was moved to describe it as “the worst programme on the network". Susan Jeffreys of The Daily Mail was kinder, noting “Brian Hayes turning in a great performance.”
Reality is an Illusion Caused by Lack of N.F. Simpson (2007) was a verbosely titled return to documentary, in which presenter David Quantick
chronicled the life of the absurdist playwright. A 'work in progress' version for television was premiered at BFI Southbank in May 2008, representing the first visual production by Curtains for Radio.
Single Files (2007 – 8) was a dating agency sitcom by Mark Trotman and Chris Tisdall. It starred Jo Joyner, Mark Heap, Sarah Hadland, Giles New, Julia Deakin and Bruce MacKinnon. The series was produced by Andrew McGibbon, Nick Romero and Lianne Coop.
A bi-media production, The Cornwell Estate (2008 – ), depicted the lives of four characters played by Phil Cornwell. Devised, written and directed by Andrew McGibbon, the first two radio episodes were the soundtracks of on-location films streamed by BBC Interactive. The remaining two episodes were standard studio productions for BBC Radio 4. Reviews were excellent, with Gillian Reynolds dubbing it “a bright new series… a very good cast, good production and sharp script make it both real and surreal.”. A second series followed in 2010.
To promote the release of the book, The Independent on Sunday published extracts. McGibbon also gave a number of interviews.
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
in 1961, Andrew McGibbon (a.k.a. Andrew Paresi) is an English comedian, actor, writer, musician and composer. He has also produced and directed extensively, chiefly for radio.
Education
The son of James, a prominent educationalist and child psychologist, McGibbon studied at St Edmund’s Primary, Whitton and Salesian College. He learnt to play the drums, his chief instrument, during his time at Richmond Tertiary College. In 1980, despite serious thoughts about attending Berklee School of Music, he left college to forge a career as a working musician.Music career
McGibbon initially associated himself closely with the London jazz scene, often rehearsing with Django BatesDjango Bates
Django Bates , is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. He currently lives in Copenhagen where he is a professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and leader of the StoRMChaser orchestra.-Career:Django Bates was born in Beckenham,...
. However, he failed to make a significant impact, peaking with a performance alongside Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club which has operated in London since 1959.The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was managed by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King. In 1965 it moved to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street...
on 22 March 1982.
The name Paresi was adopted around this time on the advice of his then girlfriend, who had found that it was an Italian medical term for embolism. “There was something appealing about naming myself after a heart attack”, he remembers. “Some sort of post-punk bollocks, I guess, which meant a lot to me back in 1982”.
His first big break came on 7 November 1984 with an appearance on Tyne Tees children’s pop show Razzamatazz as the drummer in Jim Diamond
Jim Diamond (Scottish musician)
James "Jim" Diamond is a Scottish singer-songwriter. Diamond is best known for his three Top 5 hits. The first was "I Won't Let You Down" , as the lead singer in the trio Ph.D., with Tony Hymas and Simon Phillips. His solo performance, "I Should Have Known Better", was a United Kingdom number one...
’s band. Given the success of his number one hit I Should Have Known Better
I Should Have Known Better
"I Should Have Known Better" is a song composed by John Lennon , and originally released by The Beatles on the United Kingdom version of A Hard Day's Night, their soundtrack for the film of the same name....
, a subsequent appearance by Paresi on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
was expected were it not for Diamond’s regular drummer Simon Kirke
Simon Kirke
Simon Kirke is an English rock drummer best known as a member of Free and Bad Company.-Biography:...
rapidly returning to the fold.
Paresi soon built a reputation for his drum programming work, and working relationships with a number of record producers developed. David Motion secured Paresi’s percussive abilities for Love in a World Gone Mad and I Used to Love the Radio, recorded during the sessions for Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
’s 1986 album Writing on the Wall
Writing on the Wall
Writing on the Wall is an album by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in 1986 and featured the comeback single "New Beginning ". It was the first album to feature member Shelley Preston and their only album released on Polydor Records...
. He also worked with Motion on One Way, an album by europopglam band Rok-Etz recently augmented by Sal Solo
Sal Solo
Sal Solo Sal Solo Sal Solo (born Christopher Scott Stevens, 5 September 1961, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England is an English singer.-Career:Solo began his career with an obscure band called The News, who only released one 7" single on GTO Records...
of Classix Nouveaux
Classix Nouveaux
Classix Nouveaux were an English 1980s new wave band. They had number one hits in Poland, Portugal, the former Yugoslavia, Israel, Iceland, and other countries...
. That same year the drummer encountered Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
, who mixed a single by A Pair of Blue Eyes, a short-lived CBS band to whom Paresi was assigned.
The Street connection would lead to regular work with Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, immediately following the demise of The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
in 1987. Paresi was regular drummer on albums Viva Hate
Viva Hate
Viva Hate is Morrissey's debut solo album, released on 14 March 1988 by HMV Records. The album was considered a very strong foray into Morrissey's solo career, as he utilised his traditional lyrical style and retained the basic sound that The Smiths had developed by the time they broke up. It...
and Kill Uncle
Kill Uncle
Kill Uncle is Morrissey's second solo album, released on 4 March 1991 by EMI and HMV Records...
as well as the Bona Drag
Bona Drag
- 2010 re-release :The 2010 re-release features the following additional tracks:* "Happy Lovers at Last United" * "Lifeguard on Duty"...
sessions, lasting until the singer songwriter’s sharp change of direction into rockabilly in 1992. This period of Paresi’s career would later be chronicled in a BBC Radio 4 documentary, I Was Morrissey’s Drummer (2005), as well as a number of related articles.
Paresi joined Bleed in 1994, an agitating feminist group famed for their anti-pornography single It Makes Money, for which they sent “faxes to various music and mainstream press publications plus top-shelf sex magazines” highlighting the industry’s abuses of women. Despite an association with Stephen Street, by then producing Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, the group struggled to find an audience and split in 1997.
More recent musical activities include drum duties on the 2010 album by Franc Cinelli, who performs under the Good Times, Good Times moniker. The record, also called Good Times, Good Times, was produced by Danton Supple and released on his label, Definition Sounds.
Local radio
In parallel to his music career, Andrew McGibbon maintained a keen interest in performing comedy and found regular work as a fake caller on Clive BullClive Bull
Bull Clive is an award-winning radio talk show host, best known for presenting a late-night show on LBC 97.3 in London, England.-Background:...
’s late-night LBC show, beginning in 1986. There, he developed the character of Ned Sherrin
Ned Sherrin
Edward George "Ned" Sherrin CBE was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC...
sound-a-like Rodway of Belgravia, a man trapped with his mother and in unrequited love with the girl at his local gardening shop. Shortly before Christmas 1987 he faked the murder of a turkey live on air, provoking several complaints. Another character was Eric the Gardener, a Wiltshireman inclined to speak in gnomic, poetic utterances and non sequiturs. There was also Vini of Vauxhall (based on musician Vini Reilly
Vini Reilly
Vincent "Vini" Gerard Reilly is an English musician and leader of the post-punk group The Durutti Column.-Biography:...
) and Ron, an estate dweller constantly having to calm his dogs – Sultan and Khan – during calls to the show. The last of these was a direct influence on a character in BBC Radio 4’s phone-in parody Down the Line with Gary Bellamy. Its creators have freely admitted on Front Row
Front Row (radio)
Front Row is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The BBC describes the programme as a "live magazine programme on the world of arts, literature, film, media and music." It is broadcast each week day between 7.15 and 7.45 and has a of highlights available for download. Shows usually include...
that Bull’s show was in their minds when making the series, having been regular listeners during the late-Eighties.
Self-released singles
Shortly after ending his period in the Morrissey band, Andrew McGibbon released two records of his own.The first was Princess by Blu Gene featuring Spider Johnson, a ragga
Ragga
-Origins:Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical...
single which used extracts from the Princess Diana Squidgygate
Squidgygate
Squidgygate refers to the pre-1990 telephone conversations between Diana, Princess of Wales and a close friend, James Gilbey, and to the controversy surrounding how those conversations were recorded. During the calls, Gilbey affectionately called Diana by the names "Squidgy" and "Squidge"...
tape as answering phrases in a love song. Annie Nightingale
Annie Nightingale
Anne "Annie" Nightingale MBE is an English radio broadcaster. She is most commonly known by the more informal name of Annie...
played it heavily but the record was otherwise outlawed by Radio 1, despite the creation of a toned-down radio edit.
This was followed by I Live in a Giant Mushroom, a novelty trance single by McGibbon disguised as LBC character Eric the Gardener. The record secured daytime play on Steve Wright in the Afternoon on BBC Radio 1, where the presenter predicted it would be a Christmas hit. In the event, it failed to chart. Issued on Mental Temple, McGibbon’s own label, it was mixed and produced by Danton Supple who would later produce Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
. A song on the Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy (band)
The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
album Fin de Siecle
Fin de siècle
Fin de siècle is French for "end of the century". The term sometimes encompasses both the closing and onset of an era, as it was felt to be a period of degeneration, but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning...
was named in tribute to Eric.
Kevin Greening
A significant working relationship was forged between McGibbon and GLR disc jockey Kevin GreeningKevin Greening
Kevin Greening was a British radio presenter, who co-hosted the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show with Zoe Ball from 1997 to 1998.-Early career:...
around the time that he jumped ship for Virgin Radio in April 1993. His interest was piqued by the Eric the Gardener record, desperate to know if the character was real or make believe. McGibbon was soon contributing sketch material to the show. Additional characters in these early days included Welworth Moore, David van Donkin, Inspector Steeping of Scotland Yard, Raymond Sinclair and Creighton Wheeler.
Transferring to BBC Radio 1 in January 1994, Greening initially fronted the weekend breakfast show, moving to lunchtimes between November 1994 and October 1995. Fixtures during this period include a regular two-part story from Eric the Gardener and three adverts per show by Raymond Sinclair’s insalubrious associates Blo Chap. Musical departures comprised the work of the Sinclair Singers, a satirical four-part jazz harmony group again mixed and produced by Danton Supple, as well as a parody of Morrissey smuggled in during guest host slots for Simon Mayo and known in fan circles as Oh Melanie.
McGibbon was sacked from the show upon the move back to weekend breakfast in October 1995, although returned to assist during the depleted airtime available in Greening’s drive time slot from February – October 1997.
October 1997 saw the partnering of Greening with Zoe Ball
Zoë Ball
Zoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting the 1990s children's show, Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his...
for the Radio 1 breakfast show, which lasted just one year. Here, McGibbon debuted Major Holdups, a terrifying former air pilot prone to barking out travel updates inter-cut with surreal storylines. These items were co-written with Rob Colley. This period also saw the return of Raymond Sinclair in the regular item Ray’s Organ.
With a move to Sundays in September 1998, McGibbon was dropped once again from Greening’s show. A final edition on 16 January 2000 comprised a nostalgic look back at old sketch material, ending with a swansong appearance by Eric the Gardener.
The Nimmo Twins
Andrew McGibbon briefly performed as the third member of The Nimmo TwinsThe Nimmo Twins
The Nimmo Twins are a sketch comedy duo from Norfolk, UK comprising Owen Evans and Karl Minns. Formed in 1996 in Norwich, they first came to national attention after their show Posh Spice Nude was a sell-out success at the 1997 Edinburgh Festival...
, a sketch troupe formed in 1996 by Owen Evans and Karl Minns. Augmenting the team from the spring of 1999, their third Edinburgh show premiered in August at the Pleasance and was well received. In a five-star review by the Scotland on Sunday newspaper, it was claimed that “you never know where their comedy is coming from. It sneaks up behind you and bites without warning. Whether it’s a skit about Chaucer having his prologue, having The Canterbury Tales rejected on account of the spelling mistakes, or a killingly funny analysis of the abysmal acting common to crime reconstructions, The Nimmo Twins hit the comedy bulls eye like Tyson hits his unfortunate opponents. It’s anarchic, off-the-wall and eye-poppingly innovative.”
By the time of their 2000 radio series, McGibbon had left to pursue his own projects.
Creighton Wheeler
Creighton Wheeler, a character created by McGibbon during his time with Kevin Greening, has enjoyed the longest life of any of his characters. A sufferer of splicer’s disease, words and phrases are skipped as he speaks, thus creating conjunctions made out of fragments from unrelated words. The conceit grew out of the parodies of radio ads featuring Raymond Sinclair on – initially – Greening’s Virgin show, where crude tape edits breathlessly cut from one sentence to another, often losing syllabic sounds. McGibbon could eventually mimic this naturally and, with the tilt of a cut-glass accent broadly based on art critic Brian SewellBrian Sewell
Brian Sewell is an English art critic and media personality. He writes for the London Evening Standard and is noted for artistic conservatism and his acerbic view of the Turner Prize and conceptual art...
, a new character emerged.
Wheeler diversified from the Greening show with regular appearances on Loose Ends
Loose Ends (radio)
Loose Ends is a British radio programme originally broadcast on Saturday mornings, and then transmitted early Saturday evenings from 1998 by BBC Radio 4. It was hosted by Ned Sherrin until he became ill in late 2006 with a reported throat infection, and later throat cancer...
, on which McGibbon had first met The Nimmo Twins
The Nimmo Twins
The Nimmo Twins are a sketch comedy duo from Norfolk, UK comprising Owen Evans and Karl Minns. Formed in 1996 in Norwich, they first came to national attention after their show Posh Spice Nude was a sell-out success at the 1997 Edinburgh Festival...
. Live performances followed as part of their Edinburgh show, as did a variation on the character for an episode of Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
and Bob Mortimer
Bob Mortimer
Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
’s revival of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall & Hopkirk is a British television series, produced by Working Title Films for BBC One. It is a remake of the 1960s television series Randall and Hopkirk and stars Vic Reeves as Hopkirk and Bob Mortimer as Randall, Emilia Fox as Jeannie, and Tom Baker as Wyvern.- Background :Two series...
.
Two series for BBC Radio 4 aired in 2003. Wheeler’s Fortune and Wheeler’s Wonders were narrated by Brian Hayes
Brian Hayes (broadcaster)
Brian Hayes is a radio presenter who is known in United Kingdom for his phone-in shows.The son of a miner, he left school aged 15 and worked as a clerk for a mining company before obtaining a job as a newsreader for a radio station in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia...
and explored the character’s Zelig
Zelig
Zelig is a 1983 American mockumentary film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Allen and Mia Farrow. Allen plays Zelig, a curiously nondescript enigma who is discovered for his remarkable ability to transform himself to resemble anyone he's near.The film was shot almost entirely in...
-like presence in cultural history. Jon Snow
Jon Snow
Jon Snow is an English journalist and presenter, currently employed by ITN. He is best known for presenting Channel 4 News.He was Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008.-Early life:...
, Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
, David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
, Brian Sewell
Brian Sewell
Brian Sewell is an English art critic and media personality. He writes for the London Evening Standard and is noted for artistic conservatism and his acerbic view of the Turner Prize and conceptual art...
, Ned Sherrin
Ned Sherrin
Edward George "Ned" Sherrin CBE was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC...
and Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
were amongst his deadpan witnesses. A rave review followed courtesy of Gillian Reynolds
Gillian Reynolds
Gillian Reynolds MBE, née Morton is a British radio critic, journalist and broadcaster. The daughter of market traders in Liverpool, she was educated at St Anne's College, Oxford University....
of The Daily Telegraph, who claimed it had “made me whoop, yell and fall out of bed laughing.” Applauding an arts show parody called ‘Art, Art, Art, Art’, she continued “We have all heard parodies of television arts shows. We have all experienced arts shows that are beyond parody. This one was both spot on and deliciously off. Hayes linked it with the dignity of Kenneth Horne encountering Julian and Sandy.”
Early sitcoms
Having developed a taste for narrative comedy with the exploits of Tony Meringue on the Kevin GreeningKevin Greening
Kevin Greening was a British radio presenter, who co-hosted the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show with Zoe Ball from 1997 to 1998.-Early career:...
show, McGibbon soon wrote a number of half-hour comedies for BBC Radio 4.
Routemasters (1999) was his debut sitcom, telling the tale of a time travelling art thief. The series starred the Nimmo Twins and LA Law actress Amanda Donohoe
Amanda Donohoe
Amanda Donohoe is an English film and television actress. She is known for her 1980s relationship with popstar Adam Ant and her later work on television — including L.A. Law and Emmerdale — and her roles in successful movies including Liar, Liar.-Early life:Donohoe was born in London, the daughter...
. It represented her official radio debut, excluding a number of incognito appearances in various sketches for Greening. Speaking to the Radio Times, she said that “I suppose I’m an intergalactic dominatrix. There are great humorous possibilities – like painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with white emulsion. In the end we discover Hildegard’s rather tawdry past and motives.” The series was written by McGibbon (who also played Raymond) with additional material by Rob Colley and Kevin Greening. Later BBC7 transmissions were cut to remove a subplot about castration.
Two series of I Think I’ve Got a Problem (2001 – 3) followed and were similarly fantastical. The sitcom was a musical about Tom Caine, a man with a band living inside his head. It was co-written with Nick Romero and starred Suggs
Suggs (singer)
Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
(of the band Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
), Bob Monkhouse
Bob Monkhouse
Robert Alan "Bob" Monkhouse, OBE was an English entertainer. He was a successful comedy writer, comedian and actor and was also well known on British television as a presenter and game show host...
, McGibbon and Romero. Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
and Julia Deakin
Julia Deakin
-Work:On television, Deakin played Stella Tulley in Side by Side and Marsha, the ageing but lovely divorcée landlady, in the British sitcom Spaced ....
joined for the second series. The considerable amount of musical content was jointly composed by McGibbon, Romero and Suggs. Matthew Bannister described it as “Pennies from Heaven on acid". Gillian Reynolds summed it up as an “inventive commentary on humanity, cruelty, folly and the chaos of consciousness, all done in the style of a comic strip. It is original, bold [and] amazingly brilliant.”
Dead Man Talking (2001) was a four-part series produced by Wise Buddah, again for BBC Radio 4. The format was a chat show in which John Bird
John Bird (actor)
John Bird is an English satirist, actor and comedian.-Early life:Born in Bulwell, Nottingham, England, and educated at High Pavement Grammar School, Nottingham, Bird briefly joined the Socialist Party of Great Britain, while still at school...
probed famous people from history, all long since dead, amongst them Adam & Eve, Boudicca & Joan of Arc and Mary Shelley & Robert Oppenheimer. The series featured Fiona Allen
Fiona Allen
Fiona Allen is an English comedienne and actress.-Career:Allen has appeared in many sketch shows, including Smack the Pony, Goodness Gracious Me and The All Star Comedy Show...
, Jon Culshaw
Jon Culshaw
Jonathan Peter Culshaw is an English impressionist and comedian. He was educated at St Bede's RC High School, Ormskirk and St John Rigby College, in Orrell, Wigan....
, John Sessions
John Sessions
John Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
and Tony Slattery
Tony Slattery
Anthony Declan James "Tony" Slattery is an English actor and comedian who has appeared on British television regularly since the mid 1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? As a film actor, both comedic and serious, his credits include The...
.
Andrew McGibbon also made regular appearances in Tom Jamieson & Nev Fountain
Nev Fountain
Nev Fountain, born Steven John Fountain, is an English writer, best known for his comedy work with writing partner Tom Jamieson on the radio and television programme Dead Ringers.A native of Stamford, Fountain attended the University of Warwick...
’s Elephants to Catch Eels
Elephants to Catch Eels
Elephants to Catch Eels was an historical situation comedy series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003 and 2004. It was written by Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain and produced by Jan Ravens....
(2003 – 4), a sitcom about eighteenth century Cornish smugglers. In it he played Captain Marriot and the series ran for two series of six episodes. It co-starred Lucy Speed, John Bowe, Cameron Stewart, Martin Hyder, Julia Deakin and Mark Felgate, with Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
joining for series two. It was produced by Jan Ravens
Jan Ravens
Janet "Jan" Ravens is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers.-Early life:...
.
Curtains for Radio
Initially partnered with Testbed Productions for the Wheeler’s Fortune and Wheeler’s Wonders series, the company Curtains for Radio was established in 2002 by McGibbon, Romero and Jonathan Ruffle. Its work has mainly been in radio comedy and features, although it has recently branched out into film.CFR’s first entirely independent production was Kington’s Anatomy of Comedy (2005), a three-part series on the mechanics of comedy presented by Miles Kington
Miles Kington
Miles Beresford Kington was a British journalist, musician and broadcaster.-Early life :...
. It was followed by Miles Apart (2006), three extended interviews with comedy practitioners in other cultures – Antoine de Caunes
Antoine de Caunes
Antoine de Caunes is a television presenter, actor, writer and film director. He is the son of two prominent French personalities, television journalist-reporter Georges de Caunes and television announcer Jacqueline Joubert...
in France, Sabina Guzzanti
Sabina Guzzanti
Sabina Guzzanti is an Italian satirist, actress, writer and producer whose work is devoted to examining social and political life in Italy.-Early life:...
in Italy, and Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
in America. All were co-produced by McGibbon and Romero.
I Was Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
’s Drummer (2005) was the first in a sequence of profiles of people who once worked with great artists. McGibbon himself was the initial subject. Two short series of I Was… followed in 2007 and 2008, with reflections from those close to Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
, David Lean
David Lean
Sir David Lean CBE was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best remembered for big-screen epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai , Lawrence of Arabia ,...
, Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
, Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
and Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
.
A significant coup for CFR saw The Pickerskill Detentions (2005) mark the first radio performance in twenty years by Ian Richardson
Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
, playing the retired English master of Haunchurst College for Boys. In the series he reflected on his most memorable detentions. The series also featured Phil Cornwell
Phil Cornwell
Phil Cornwell is an English comedian, actor, impressionist and writer. He is probably best known as being part of the Dead Ringers television and radio series...
, Martin Hyder, Dominic Hawksley and Nick Romero, and was written and directed by Andrew McGibbon. The series was widely acclaimed, with Ruth Cowen of The Sunday Express describing it as “bizarre and very funny’’ and Chris Campling of The Times noting how “Andrew McGibbon’s stories about a teacher with an unusual, moralistic attitude towards justice are a good example of that gentle humour which suddenly throws in a wobbly that pulls you up short.”
In part due to Richardson’s death in 2007, plans for a television transfer were abandoned. However, a radio sequel – The Pickerskill Reports – aired on BBC Radio 4 in four parts from 28 August 2009. It starred Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid is a Scottish theatre actor and director, who has also made sporadic appearances on film and television.McDiarmid has had a successful career in theatre; he has been cast in many plays, while occasionally directing others and although he has appeared mostly in theatrical productions,...
in the Pickerskill role, with support by Thomas Sangster, Tony Gardner and Philip Madoc
Philip Madoc
Philip Madoc is a Welsh actor who has had many television and film roles.One prominent role was the title character in the BBC Wales drama The Life and Times of David Lloyd George...
. A second series followed in 2011 featuring Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
.
Not Today, Thank You (2006), a peak-time sitcom written by Andrew McGibbon and Nick Romero, cast Brian Hayes
Brian Hayes (broadcaster)
Brian Hayes is a radio presenter who is known in United Kingdom for his phone-in shows.The son of a miner, he left school aged 15 and worked as a clerk for a mining company before obtaining a job as a newsreader for a radio station in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia...
as a washed-up radio presenter forced to live in his grandmother’s house with her six eccentric tenants. The series also featured Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
, Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
, Mark Perry
Mark Perry (impressionist)
Mark Perry is a British impressionist and his notable impressions include; David Dickinson, John Prescott and the late Robin Cook. Perry is known for playing various public figures in Dead Ringers and 2DTV. In 2007 he appeared in the radio comedy Bleak Expectations...
, Alex Lowe
Alex Lowe (actor)
Alex Lowe is an English actor and comedian, who is best known as the creator and voice behind the character 'Barry from Watford' on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2 show and Absolute Radio's Iain Lee Show-Barry from Watford:...
, McGibbon and Romero. It was poorly received by many critics, including Gareth McLean of The Guardian who was moved to describe it as “the worst programme on the network". Susan Jeffreys of The Daily Mail was kinder, noting “Brian Hayes turning in a great performance.”
Reality is an Illusion Caused by Lack of N.F. Simpson (2007) was a verbosely titled return to documentary, in which presenter David Quantick
David Quantick
David Quantick is a freelance journalist, writer and critic who specialises in music and comedy.-Career history:...
chronicled the life of the absurdist playwright. A 'work in progress' version for television was premiered at BFI Southbank in May 2008, representing the first visual production by Curtains for Radio.
Single Files (2007 – 8) was a dating agency sitcom by Mark Trotman and Chris Tisdall. It starred Jo Joyner, Mark Heap, Sarah Hadland, Giles New, Julia Deakin and Bruce MacKinnon. The series was produced by Andrew McGibbon, Nick Romero and Lianne Coop.
A bi-media production, The Cornwell Estate (2008 – ), depicted the lives of four characters played by Phil Cornwell. Devised, written and directed by Andrew McGibbon, the first two radio episodes were the soundtracks of on-location films streamed by BBC Interactive. The remaining two episodes were standard studio productions for BBC Radio 4. Reviews were excellent, with Gillian Reynolds dubbing it “a bright new series… a very good cast, good production and sharp script make it both real and surreal.”. A second series followed in 2010.
I Was book
Compiled from research for the earlier radio series, as well as drawing on interviews with seven new subjects, I Was Douglas Adams's Flatmate, and Other Encounters with Legends was published by Faber & Faber in 2011. Many reviews commented on its eclecticism, with Tim Walker of The Independent describing it as "a bizarrely versatile toilet book". Iain Finlayson of The Times predicted it would "stand up as entertaining primary source material for future biographies". Writing in The Word magazine, Mark Hodkinson added that, in his view, "the chapters on civil rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith and Valerie Danby Smith, Ernest Hemingway's former secretary, are solid pieces of reportage." The Big Issue added that "McGibbon's comic timing and affection for his subject matter makes it a lot of fun."To promote the release of the book, The Independent on Sunday published extracts. McGibbon also gave a number of interviews.
Discography and sessions
- Bucks FizzBucks Fizz (band)Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
: Writing on the WallWriting on the WallWriting on the Wall is an album by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in 1986 and featured the comeback single "New Beginning ". It was the first album to feature member Shelley Preston and their only album released on Polydor Records...
(album) [drums; 1986] - Rok-Etz: One Way (album) [drums; 1986]
- Sandie ShawSandie ShawSandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
: Hello AngelHello Angel-Personnel:*Sandie Shaw - vocals*Kevin Armstrong - guitar*Danny Cummings - percussion*James Eller - bass*Deon Estus - bass*Reeves Gabrels - guitar*Chrissie Hynde - harmonica*Johnny Marr - guitar*Andy Rourke - bass*Tim Sanders - soprano saxophone...
(album) [drums; 1988] - Sandie ShawSandie ShawSandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
(John Peel Session) [drums; BBC Radio 1, 5 December 1988] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: SuedeheadSuedehead"Suedehead" was the debut solo single from Morrissey, released in February 1988.The single charted higher than any of the singles released by his former band The Smiths, reaching number five in the UK Singles Chart. It charted at #30 in The Netherlands and at #8 in New Zealand...
(single) [drums, 1988] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Viva HateViva HateViva Hate is Morrissey's debut solo album, released on 14 March 1988 by HMV Records. The album was considered a very strong foray into Morrissey's solo career, as he utilised his traditional lyrical style and retained the basic sound that The Smiths had developed by the time they broke up. It...
(album) [drums, 1988] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Everyday Is Like SundayEveryday Is Like Sunday"Everyday Is Like Sunday" is the third track of Morrissey's debut solo album, Viva Hate, and the second single to be released by the artist. It made number nine in the UK Singles Chart and remains one of his best-known songs...
(single) [drums, 1988] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Ouija Board, Ouija BoardOuija Board, Ouija Board"Ouija Board, Ouija Board" was a single released by Morrissey in November 1989, catalogue number HMV POP 1622. The single was poorly received by the music press and the public: its highest chart position was No. 18, making it the first Morrissey single not to reach the British top 10. It appeared...
(single) [drums; 1989] - My Bloody Valentine: Glider (EP)Glider (EP)Glider is an EP by My Bloody Valentine, released in April 1990 by Creation Records. The EP was also the group's first release on the Sire Records label in the USA. The lead track, "Soon", was later included on the Loveless album.-First 12-inch:...
(extended play) [additional programming; 1990] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: November Spawned a MonsterNovember Spawned a Monster"November Spawned a Monster" is a song by Morrissey. It was released as a single in 1990. It was written by Morrissey and Clive Langer. It also features one of Morrissey's former colleagues from The Smiths, Andy Rourke...
(single) [drums; 1990] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Piccadilly Palare (single) [drums; 1990] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Bona DragBona Drag- 2010 re-release :The 2010 re-release features the following additional tracks:* "Happy Lovers at Last United" * "Lifeguard on Duty"...
(compilation) [programming/drums; 1990] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Our FrankOur Frank"Our Frank" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in February 1991. It was the first single taken from the Kill Uncle album. It was also the first of his collaborations with Mark Nevin to be released....
(single) [drums; 1991] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Kill UncleKill UncleKill Uncle is Morrissey's second solo album, released on 4 March 1991 by EMI and HMV Records...
(album) [programming/drums; 1991] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Sing Your LifeSing Your Life"Sing Your Life" was a single by Morrissey released in April 1991. It was the second single taken from the Kill Uncle album. On release this was Morrissey's lowest charting single in the UK charts, reaching only number 33...
(single) [drums; 1991] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: Pregnant for the Last TimePregnant for the Last Time"Pregnant for the Last Time" was a single by Morrissey released in July 1991. It was a stand-alone single rather than taken from any album.This single saw a change in Morrissey's musical style as the 1960s pop of Kill Uncle was replaced by a harder rockabilly sound...
(single) [drums; 1991] - MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
: My Love LifeMy Love Life"My Love Life" was a single by Morrissey released in September 1991. It was a stand alone single rather than taken from any studio album, although it was included on the compilation album Suedehead: The Best of Morrissey....
(single) [drums; 1991] - Flowered UpFlowered Up-Career:The band was formed in mid-1989 by singer Liam Maher, along with his younger brother Joe . After a few changes in personnel, the settled line-up included Tim Dorney , Andy Jackson , and John Tuvey , with dancer Barry Mooncult adding to their live shows...
[programming; 1991 - 1992] - The RockingbirdsThe RockingbirdsThe Rockingbirds were a British country-rock band, formed in London in 1990. They disbanded in 1995, but reformed in 2008 for the Heavenly Records 18th Anniversary shows...
[programming; 1991 - 1992] - Blu Gene featuring Spider Johnson: Princess (single) [composer; 1992]
- Eric the Gardener: I Live in a Giant Mushroom (single) [composer; 1992]
- The Black Velvet Band: King of Myself [drums on selected tracks; 1992]
- Various Artists: Peace TogetherPeace TogetherPeace Together was a 20 July 1993 fundraiser compilation album released by the Peace Together organisation, dedicated to promoting peace in Northern Ireland, which was started by Robert Hamilton, of The Fat Lady Sings, and Ali McMordie of Stiff Little Fingers.Tracks 1 and 13 feature contributions...
[drum programming on ‘’Be Still’’; 1993] - Bleed: The Good Times Are Killing Me (album) [drums; 1995]
- Bleed: It Makes Money (single) [drums; 1995]
- Bleed: Action Man (album) [drums; 1995]
- Bleed: All Breakages Must Be Paid For (single) [drums; 1996]
- Good Times, Good Times: Good Times, Good Times (album) [drums; 2010]
Radio
- Clive BullClive BullBull Clive is an award-winning radio talk show host, best known for presenting a late-night show on LBC 97.3 in London, England.-Background:...
[regular; LBC, 1986 - 1988] - Kevin GreeningKevin GreeningKevin Greening was a British radio presenter, who co-hosted the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show with Zoe Ball from 1997 to 1998.-Early career:...
[writer/performer; Virgin FM/Radio 1, 1993–2000] - The Treatment [performer; BBC Radio 5]
- Room For Improvement [columnist; BBC Radio 4, 1998]
- Loose EndsLoose Ends (radio)Loose Ends is a British radio programme originally broadcast on Saturday mornings, and then transmitted early Saturday evenings from 1998 by BBC Radio 4. It was hosted by Ned Sherrin until he became ill in late 2006 with a reported throat infection, and later throat cancer...
[as Creighton Wheeler; BBC Radio 4, 1998 - 2003] - Routemasters [writer; BBC Radio 4, 8 – 29 September 1999]
- Word of Mouth [columnist; BBC Radio 4, 1999 - 2000]
- The Routes of English: Language at Play [columnist; BBC Radio 4, 24 August 2000]
- Steve Wright in the AfternoonSteve Wright In The AfternoonSteve Wright in the Afternoon is the name of the current afternoon show on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Steve Wright. The show is one of the most popular on the station, and is often referred to as The Big Show...
[performer; BBC Radio 2, 8 February 2001] - Steve Wright in the AfternoonSteve Wright In The AfternoonSteve Wright in the Afternoon is the name of the current afternoon show on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Steve Wright. The show is one of the most popular on the station, and is often referred to as The Big Show...
[performer; BBC Radio 2, 10 July 2001] - I Think I’ve Got A Problem series one [co-writer/co-producer/composer/actor, as Jake; BBC Radio 4, 11 July – 1 August 2001]
- Dead Man Talking [writer; BBC Radio 4, 25 October – 15 November 2001]
- Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
: Death Comes to TimeDeath Comes to TimeDeath Comes to Time is a webcast audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced by the BBC and first broadcast in five episodes on the BBCi Cult website from 12 July 2001, accompanied by limited animation.-Synopsis:When two Time Lords are...
[as Captain Carne; BBC Online, 14 February – 22 March 2002] - Steve Wright in the AfternoonSteve Wright In The AfternoonSteve Wright in the Afternoon is the name of the current afternoon show on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Steve Wright. The show is one of the most popular on the station, and is often referred to as The Big Show...
[performer; BBC Radio 2, 26 February 2002] - Steve Wright in the AfternoonSteve Wright In The AfternoonSteve Wright in the Afternoon is the name of the current afternoon show on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Steve Wright. The show is one of the most popular on the station, and is often referred to as The Big Show...
[performer; BBC Radio 2, 18 July 2002] - Wheeler’s Fortune [writer/performer/co-producer; BBC Radio 4, 16 January – 6 February 2003]
- Elephants to Catch EelsElephants to Catch EelsElephants to Catch Eels was an historical situation comedy series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003 and 2004. It was written by Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain and produced by Jan Ravens....
series one [as Captain Marriot; BBC Radio 4, 12 February - 19 March 2003] - I Think I’ve Got A Problem series two [co-writer/co-producer/composer/actor, as Jake; BBC Radio 4, 27 March – 17 April 2003]
- Wheeler’s Wonders [writer/performer/co-producer; BBC Radio 4, 26 November – 17 December 2003]
- Elephants to Catch EelsElephants to Catch EelsElephants to Catch Eels was an historical situation comedy series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003 and 2004. It was written by Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain and produced by Jan Ravens....
series two [as Captain Marriot; BBC Radio 4, 20 April - 25 May 2004] - Kington’s Anatomy of Comedy [co-producer; BBC Radio 4, 8 – 22 March 2005]
- The Pickerskill Detentions [writer/director/co-producer; BBC Radio 4, 13 July – 3 August 2005]
- One Way Single Parent Family Favourites [guest; Resonance 104.4 FM, 2005]
- Phill JupitusPhill JupitusPhillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
[guest; BBC 6 Music, October 2005] - I Was Morrissey’s Drummer [writer/presenter; BBC Radio 4, 13 October 2005]
- Miles Apart [co-producer; BBC Radio 4; 17 – 31 August 2006]
- Not Today, Thank YouNot Today, Thank YouNot Today, Thank You is a British radio comedy featured on BBC Radio 4. It stars Harry Shearer as Nostrils, a man convinced that he is extremely unattractive, and Brian Hayes as Brian Hughes, an aging radio presenter who tries to broadcast his radio show from his grandmother's basement before...
[writer/director/co-producer/actor; BBC Radio 4, 22 August – 26 September 2006] - Reality is an Illusion Caused by Lack of N.F. Simpson [producer; BBC Radio 4, 5 April 2007]
- Salford Lad [speaker; BBC Radio 2, 21–28 April 2007]
- I Was… series one [writer/presenter; BBC Radio 4, 21 – 28 August 2007]
- Loose EndsLoose Ends (radio)Loose Ends is a British radio programme originally broadcast on Saturday mornings, and then transmitted early Saturday evenings from 1998 by BBC Radio 4. It was hosted by Ned Sherrin until he became ill in late 2006 with a reported throat infection, and later throat cancer...
[guest; BBC Radio 4, 25 August 2007] - Pick of the Week [presenter; BBC Radio 4, 23 September 2007]
- Single Files [co-producer; BBC Radio 4, 18 December 2007 – 8 January 2008]
- The Morricone Affair [speaker; BBC Radio 4, 1 November 2008]
- I Was... series two [writer/presenter/co-producer; BBC Radio 4, 2 – 23 December 2008]
- The Cornwell Estate series one [co-creator/writer/director/co-producer/actor (various roles); BBC Radio 4, 17 December 2008 - 14 January 2009]
- The Pickerskill Reports series one [writer/director/co-producer; BBC Radio 4, 28 August – 18 September 2009]
- A Cymbal Tale [writer/presenter; BBC Radio 4, 10 November 2009]
- Rory Bremner's International Satirists [producer; BBC Radio 4, 8–22 March 2010]
- The Cornwell Estate series two [co-creator/writer/director/co-producer/actor (various roles); BBC Radio 4, 26 October - 1 December 2010]
- The Pickerskill Reports series two [writer/director/co-producer; BBC Radio 4, 27 July - 17 August 2011]
Screen work
- RazzamatazzRazzamatazzRazzamatazz was a music based children's television programme which ran on ITV between 2 June 1981 and 2 January 1987.Singer Lisa Stansfield found fame as a presenter on Razzamatazz at the age of 16...
[drummer; Tyne Tees, 7 November 1984] - Rocksteady [drummer; HTV, 27 August 1985]
- MTV - Up for It Live [regular; MTV Europe, 1997 - 1998]
- Electric Circus [behind the scenes on Radio 1 breakfast show; BBC 2, 17 October 1997]
- Edinburgh Nights [with The Nimmo Twins; BBC 2, August 1999]
- Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)Randall & Hopkirk is a British television series, produced by Working Title Films for BBC One. It is a remake of the 1960s television series Randall and Hopkirk and stars Vic Reeves as Hopkirk and Bob Mortimer as Randall, Emilia Fox as Jeannie, and Tom Baker as Wyvern.- Background :Two series...
: The Best Years of Your Death [as Waymark; BBC 1, 1 April 2000] - That Was the Week That WasThat Was The Week That WasThat Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, is a satirical television comedy programme that was shown on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin and presented by David Frost...
[untransmitted reunion special, December 2002] - Dee Time [as Creighton Wheeler; Channel 4, 29 December 2003]
- NewsnightNewsnightNewsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
[behind the scenes on Not Today, Thank YouNot Today, Thank YouNot Today, Thank You is a British radio comedy featured on BBC Radio 4. It stars Harry Shearer as Nostrils, a man convinced that he is extremely unattractive, and Brian Hayes as Brian Hughes, an aging radio presenter who tries to broadcast his radio show from his grandmother's basement before...
; BBC 2, 25 July 2006] - Reality is an Illusion Caused by Lack of N.F. Simpson [director; 2008]
- The Cornwell Estate [video material to accompany first two radio episodes; BBC Interactive, 17 – 24 December 2008]
Miscellaneous stage work
- Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
[live programming, 1991] - The Nimmo TwinsThe Nimmo TwinsThe Nimmo Twins are a sketch comedy duo from Norfolk, UK comprising Owen Evans and Karl Minns. Formed in 1996 in Norwich, they first came to national attention after their show Posh Spice Nude was a sell-out success at the 1997 Edinburgh Festival...
[member, 1999; including Edinburgh Fringe Festival] - 2 Drummers Drumming [guest performer, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 2008]
Published writing
- Dazed & ConfusedDazed & Confused (magazine)Dazed & Confused is a British style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and published monthly. Its founding editors were Jefferson Hack and Rankin...
: T#2 The Beat [undated; p24-5] - Q Special Edition – ‘The Smiths & Morrissey: I Was Morrissey’s Drummer! And Other Tales’ [p88-90; 2004]
- The Guardian – tribute to Kevin Greening
- I Was Douglas Adams's Flatmate: and Other Encounters with Legends [author; Faber & Faber, 2011]