John Shuttleworth (character)
Encyclopedia
John Shuttleworth is a fictional singer-songwriter
and radio presenter
, created by English comedy
actor
and musician
, Graham Fellows
in 1986. Shuttleworth is in his late 40s and is from Walkley in Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
. He has a quiet manner and slightly nerdish tendencies. His musical talents are usually expressed through his Yamaha PSS portable keyboard, and include "Pigeons in Flight" – a song which Shuttleworth attempted to have selected for the Eurovision Song Contest.
The character was inspired by some demo tapes sent in to Chappell Music where Graham worked as a songwriter in the 1980s, and takes some of his mannerisms from Graham's father and from mouse breeders he knew as a young man in Sheffield (a character prototypical of John Shuttleworth appeared on the single "Men Of Oats And Creosote").
in 1973, as well as John's wife Mary Shuttleworth, their two teenage children Darren and Karen, and Mary's friend Joan Chitty.
, Shuttleworth's Showtime and Radio Shuttleworth, with Fellows supplying all the voices and performing on his organ. He also made a four-part TV series supposedly filmed by Worthington, 500 Bus Stops (the title being a parodying reference to Frank Zappa
's 200 Motels
), about a UK national tour thwarted very early on by the demise of his beloved Austin Ambassador
Y Reg but then continued by public transport. The venues visited were invariably mundane and uninspiring, and situations experienced usually demoralising, but were optimistically dealt with as if they were defining moments in his career. There followed a television
special, Europigeon, following the success (or otherwise) of Pigeons In Flight.
In May 2008 Fellows appeared in the BBC
s Comedy Map of Britain
in which he discussed the origin of his Shuttleworth character.
Shuttleworth has also guested on Mark and Lard
's Graveyard Shift on Radio 1, and on Radio 4's Loose Ends (radio)
.
, entitled It's Nice Up North
, in which Shuttleworth tests his theory that British people are nicer the further north one ventures by visiting the Shetland Islands
, the most northerly part of the United Kingdom
. In summer 2007 he travelled to the Channel Islands to shoot another, Southern Softies. Again featuring an appearance from Parr, Shuttleworth aims to discover whether people are softer the further south you go.
's promotion of healthy food for school children. Fellows thought "what would happen if Shuttleworth did the same for a slightly older age group". In June, Shuttleworth's 4 Rather Tasty Tracks was released as a download or CD, reaching the appropriately modest number 96 in the UK charts and number 29 in the Indie Charts in July 2007.
In November 2008 John commenced the Minor Tour - and other Mythological Creatures tour.
In October 2010, John commenced his five-month A Man With No More Rolls tour, claiming that it was a misprint and should have been called A Man With No Morals
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and radio presenter
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
, created by English comedy
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, Graham Fellows
Graham Fellows
Graham David Fellows is an English comedy actor and musician, best known for creating the characters of John Shuttleworth and Jilted John.-Early life:...
in 1986. Shuttleworth is in his late 40s and is from Walkley in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
. He has a quiet manner and slightly nerdish tendencies. His musical talents are usually expressed through his Yamaha PSS portable keyboard, and include "Pigeons in Flight" – a song which Shuttleworth attempted to have selected for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Character portrait
Shuttleworth is a very affecting character. Essentially decent and benevolent, but with a painful lack of self-awareness, the unfortunate gap between his actual musical talent and his steadfast belief in the possibility of his eventual pop super-stardom is the main source of the character's tragi-comedy. His "next-door neighbour and sole agent", Ken Worthington is more of a hindrance than a help to John's life.The character was inspired by some demo tapes sent in to Chappell Music where Graham worked as a songwriter in the 1980s, and takes some of his mannerisms from Graham's father and from mouse breeders he knew as a young man in Sheffield (a character prototypical of John Shuttleworth appeared on the single "Men Of Oats And Creosote").
Supporting characters
Shuttleworth has fronted several radio and television series, usually supported by other characters, also voiced by Fellows, including agent / manager, Ken Worthington ("TV's Mr. Clarinet Man"), who came last on the TV talent show New FacesNew Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
in 1973, as well as John's wife Mary Shuttleworth, their two teenage children Darren and Karen, and Mary's friend Joan Chitty.
Broadcasting
The Shuttleworth's various adventures have featured on several radio shows, including The ShuttleworthsThe Shuttleworths
The Shuttleworths is a comedy show that so far has aired for five series and numerous specials on BBC Radio 4. It features "versatile singer/songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire" John Shuttleworth, his wife Mary, neighbour Ken Worthington, their two teenage children Darren and Karen, and a...
, Shuttleworth's Showtime and Radio Shuttleworth, with Fellows supplying all the voices and performing on his organ. He also made a four-part TV series supposedly filmed by Worthington, 500 Bus Stops (the title being a parodying reference to Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's 200 Motels
200 Motels
200 Motels is a 1971 American-British musical surrealist film cowritten and directed by Frank Zappa and Tony Palmer and starring The Mothers of Invention, Theodore Bikel and Ringo Starr. The film covers a loose storyline about The Mothers of Invention going crazy in the small town Centerville...
), about a UK national tour thwarted very early on by the demise of his beloved Austin Ambassador
Austin Ambassador
The Austin Ambassador was a medium-to-large hatchback car model introduced by British Leyland in 1982. The vehicle was a heavily updated version of the Princess, an ageing model that had lacked a hatchback...
Y Reg but then continued by public transport. The venues visited were invariably mundane and uninspiring, and situations experienced usually demoralising, but were optimistically dealt with as if they were defining moments in his career. There followed a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
special, Europigeon, following the success (or otherwise) of Pigeons In Flight.
In May 2008 Fellows appeared in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
s Comedy Map of Britain
Comedy Map of Britain
Comedy Map of Britain is a BBC documentary series which visits the places that have inspired many of Britain's leading comedians. It first aired on BBC Two in 2007 and 2008....
in which he discussed the origin of his Shuttleworth character.
Radio
- The ShuttleworthsThe ShuttleworthsThe Shuttleworths is a comedy show that so far has aired for five series and numerous specials on BBC Radio 4. It features "versatile singer/songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire" John Shuttleworth, his wife Mary, neighbour Ken Worthington, their two teenage children Darren and Karen, and a...
(5 series, Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, 1993—2010) - Shuttleworth's Showtime (1 series, Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, 1994) - Radio Shuttleworth (2 series, Radio 4, 1998—2000)
- John Shuttleworth's Open Mind (1 series, Radio 4, 2006)
Shuttleworth has also guested on Mark and Lard
Mark and Lard
Mark and Lard, the stage name of Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley , are former BBC Radio 1 disc jockeys. Mark and Lard joined Radio 1 in October 1993 and left in March 2004...
's Graveyard Shift on Radio 1, and on Radio 4's Loose Ends (radio)
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...
.
Television series
- Saturday Zoo (Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, 1993) - Shuttleworth had a regular slot on Jonathan Ross' TV series. - 500 Bus Stops - BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, 1997) 4-part rockumentaryRockumentaryThe term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a documentary about rock music or its musicians. The term was used by Bill Drake in the 1969 History of Rock & Roll radio broadcast, and by Rob Reiner in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap....
. - Europigeon (BBC Two, 1998) - This is a television version of the radio special Europigeon, which was included in series 2 of The ShuttleworthsThe ShuttleworthsThe Shuttleworths is a comedy show that so far has aired for five series and numerous specials on BBC Radio 4. It features "versatile singer/songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire" John Shuttleworth, his wife Mary, neighbour Ken Worthington, their two teenage children Darren and Karen, and a...
. - It's Nice Up NorthIt's Nice Up NorthIt's Nice Up North is a 2006 comedy documentary made by comedian Graham Fellows as his alter ego John Shuttleworth.It was filmed by photographer Martin Parr and edited by Fellows on his laptop on a very low budget....
(2006) - Southern Softies (2009)
It's Nice Up North & Southern Softies
In 2004, Fellows (as Shuttleworth) made a film with photographer Martin ParrMartin Parr
Martin Parr is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take a critical look at aspects of modern life, in particular provincial and suburban life in England...
, entitled It's Nice Up North
It's Nice Up North
It's Nice Up North is a 2006 comedy documentary made by comedian Graham Fellows as his alter ego John Shuttleworth.It was filmed by photographer Martin Parr and edited by Fellows on his laptop on a very low budget....
, in which Shuttleworth tests his theory that British people are nicer the further north one ventures by visiting the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
, the most northerly part of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In summer 2007 he travelled to the Channel Islands to shoot another, Southern Softies. Again featuring an appearance from Parr, Shuttleworth aims to discover whether people are softer the further south you go.
Other TV appearances
- The Paradise ClubThe Paradise ClubThe Paradise Club is a BBC television drama starring Don Henderson and Leslie Grantham as Frank & Danny Kane. Two series were produced and were broadcast between 1989 and 1990....
(BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, 1989-1990) - The character appeared as an auditionee in this drama series. - Christmas with Vic and BobVic and BobVic Reeves and Bob Mortimer , more commonly known simply as Vic and Bob or Reeves and Mortimer, are a British comedy double act...
(BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, 1993) - Shuttleworth performed his song, "The Christmas Orphan" on the channel's Christmas comedy theme night, which was hosted by Vic ReevesVic ReevesJames 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 MortimerBob MortimerRobert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
. - Edinburgh Nights (BBC Two, 1995) - A spoof Open UniversityOpen UniversityThe Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
-style examination of comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. - Fully BookedFully BookedFully Booked was a magazine show for children produced by BBC Scotland and broadcast from 1995 to 1999, and in revised form as FBi in 2000. The show was a summer-time replacement for Live & Kicking, which would normally not broadcast over the summer months...
(BBC One, 1998) - Shuttleworth made a guest appearance on this Sunday morning CBBCCBBCCBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
show, at the instigation of copresenter Chris Jarvis, a long time Shuttleworth fan. - SootySooty (2011 TV series)Sooty is a 2011 British children's television series that airs on CITV. It is the first new series to feature Sooty since the last series ended in 2004, and the first since Richard Cadell bought the rights to the brand in 2008...
(CITV, 2011) - The character appeared as Officer Shuttleworth, a policeman, in 'The Alarm System', an episode of the 2011 revival of The Sooty ShowThe Sooty ShowThe Sooty Show is a British children's television series that aired on the BBC from 1955 to 1967 when the BBC eventually cancelled The Sooty Show after Paul Fox, the controller of BBC1 at the time, cleared out some of the long running shows. After it was cancelled from the BBC that year, The Sooty...
.
Other recordings
- John Shuttleworth In Performance (1986, cassette)
- Swimming With Sharon (1987, 7" and 12" single) - a song performed by John, with additional vocals by his son, Darren.
- The Ghost Of Giggleswick (1990, cassette)
- Seven Songs By Sunset (1992, cassette) - comedy special, in which John's manager, Ken Worthington refuses to pay John unless he writes 7 new songs by the following morning.
- Do You Ken Ken Worthington (1993, cassette)
- Y Reg (1996, CD single)
- Talkin (1996-1998) - A series of educational videos produced for children by English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. John Shuttleworth hosted 3 episodes Talkin' Roman (1996), Talkin' Saxon (1997) and Talkin' Viking (1998). - The Yamaha Years (1997, CD)
- Shuttleworth Live (2000, CD)
- Blue John (2001, CD)
- One Foot In The Gravy (live) (2001, CD, VHS, DVD)
- The Voiceprint Christmas CD (2001, CD)
- The Dolby Decades (2008, CD)
Stage show
In April 2007, Shuttleworth started touring with a new stage show With My Condiments. It was inspired by Jamie OliverJamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
's promotion of healthy food for school children. Fellows thought "what would happen if Shuttleworth did the same for a slightly older age group". In June, Shuttleworth's 4 Rather Tasty Tracks was released as a download or CD, reaching the appropriately modest number 96 in the UK charts and number 29 in the Indie Charts in July 2007.
In November 2008 John commenced the Minor Tour - and other Mythological Creatures tour.
In October 2010, John commenced his five-month A Man With No More Rolls tour, claiming that it was a misprint and should have been called A Man With No Morals
Television advertising
In 2009, Shuttleworth appeared in a UK television advertising campaign for Yorkshire TeaYorkshire Tea
Yorkshire Tea is a black tea blend produced by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, one of the few remaining family tea and coffee merchants in the United Kingdom.The company was founded in 1886 by Yorkshire tea merchant Charles Taylor...
.