Newman and Baddiel
Encyclopedia
Newman and Baddiel were a comedy
partnership of the 1990s consisting of British
stand-up comics Robert Newman and David Baddiel
.
Both graduated from Cambridge University and began working separately as stand-up comedians before they were introduced to one another in 1989 by producer Bill Dare
, who wanted to put together a topical sketch show for BBC Radio 1
. The new writing duo joined Steve Punt
and Hugh Dennis
to form the core quartet of The Mary Whitehouse Experience
, which later transferred successfully to BBC television and made stars of both pairings.
There followed a series for BBC2 called Newman and Baddiel in Pieces
, but although it was a ratings success, it was a critical disaster. The comedy was considered too deep and there was a notable absence of camaraderie between the two performers. There was a particularly vindictive round of correspondence sent to Private Eye regarding the duo, heralding a one-off letters page entitled The Great Newman & Baddiel Debate.
They embarked on a sell-out UK tour (featuring stand-up from each and reprises of characters from the TV show) and this culminated in a memorable gig at Wembley Arena
which was full to its 12,000 capacity, the first time this had been achieved by comedians. This was to be their final performance together; shortly afterwards, the two parted as co-performers due to artistic differences.
Newman became a novel
ist, activist and anti-capitalism
campaigner and rarely returned to comedy until more recently, having frequently toured with Mark Thomas
. Meanwhile, Baddiel established a new (and notably more laddish) comedy partnership with Frank Skinner
on Fantasy Football League
and, later, Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned
, as well as the number one single "Three Lions
".
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
partnership of the 1990s consisting of British
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...
stand-up comics Robert Newman and David Baddiel
David Baddiel
David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter.-Early life:Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. His father, Colin Brian Baddiel, was a Welsh research chemist with Unilever before being made redundant in the 1980s, after...
.
Both graduated from Cambridge University and began working separately as stand-up comedians before they were introduced to one another in 1989 by producer Bill Dare
Bill Dare
Bill Dare is an English producer and devisor of radio and television comedy programmes.The son of the actor and broadcaster Peter Jones, he is a graduate of the University of Manchester who subsequently became an actor, director and writer...
, who wanted to put together a topical sketch show for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC 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...
. The new writing duo joined Steve Punt
Steve Punt
Stephen Punt is a British writer, comedian and actor, best known for his long-time comedy partnership with Hugh Dennis. Punt lives in Wimbledon with his girlfriend and two children.-Life and career:...
and Hugh Dennis
Hugh Dennis
Peter Hugh Dennis is an English actor, comedian, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist, best known for his work with comedy partner Steve Punt. He is also known for his position as a permanent panelist on the TV comedy show Mock The Week...
to form the core quartet of The Mary Whitehouse Experience
The Mary Whitehouse Experience
The Mary Whitehouse Experience was a British topical sketch comedy show produced by the BBC in association with Spitting Image Productions. It starred two comedy double acts - David Baddiel and Rob Newman, and also Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, all of whom had graduated from Cambridge University...
, which later transferred successfully to BBC television and made stars of both pairings.
There followed a series for BBC2 called Newman and Baddiel in Pieces
Newman and Baddiel in Pieces
Newman and Baddiel in Pieces is a sketch comedy television show written by and starring comedians Robert Newman and David Baddiel, produced by Harry Thompson, and broadcast on BBC Two in 1993....
, but although it was a ratings success, it was a critical disaster. The comedy was considered too deep and there was a notable absence of camaraderie between the two performers. There was a particularly vindictive round of correspondence sent to Private Eye regarding the duo, heralding a one-off letters page entitled The Great Newman & Baddiel Debate.
They embarked on a sell-out UK tour (featuring stand-up from each and reprises of characters from the TV show) and this culminated in a memorable gig at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
which was full to its 12,000 capacity, the first time this had been achieved by comedians. This was to be their final performance together; shortly afterwards, the two parted as co-performers due to artistic differences.
Newman became a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, activist and anti-capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
campaigner and rarely returned to comedy until more recently, having frequently toured with Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas
Mark Clifford Thomas is a left-wing English comedian, presenter, political activist and reporter from south London. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the late 1980s. He is best known for political stunts on his show, The Mark...
. Meanwhile, Baddiel established a new (and notably more laddish) comedy partnership with Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
on Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League is a British television programme hosted by Frank Skinner and David Baddiel. The Programme began on BBC Radio 5 and was hosted by Dominik Diamond before transferring to BBC 2, with three series being broadcast from January 1994 to May 1996...
and, later, Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned
Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned
Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned is a free-form talk show hosted by British comedians/personalities David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and produced by Avalon Television...
, as well as the number one single "Three Lions
Three Lions
"Three Lions" is a song released in 1996, the official anthem of the England football team for that year's European Championships, held in England...
".