Paul Foot (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Paul Foot is an English
comedian. He commands a significant cult following called The Guild of Connoisseurs. Foot is known for his musings, rants, 'disturbances' and apparent aversion to pop culture. The Daily Express
likened Foot to "a rare exotic bird", whilst six national newspapers including the The Independent
and The Age
have declared Paul to be "a comedy genius".
, Buckinghamshire, he studied mathematics at Merton College, Oxford
. It was during his studies he first started performing stand-up
. As of 2011 Foot has refused to discuss his years at Oxford or former pursuits as a mathematics student. Graduating from Oxford in 1995, Foot was head-hunted by a computer software company in the run-up to the dot-com bubble
, however he loathed the industry: “I had to read manuals on HTML and just write websites from scratch. None of us really knew what we were doing”. He started to pursue a career in comedy, doing open mic slots at various venues, in the hope that show business would allow him to meet his idol Ella Fitzgerald
. Tragically Ella Fitzgerald
died a few days after this decision was made, but Foot decided to stick with comedy as a career anyhow. He is openly gay.
such as By The Yard (2009) and Ash In The Attic (2010) which was directed by Noel Fielding
.
In 2003 Foot and Russell Brand
appeared in a double act at Cafe Royal. Foot's style of comedy had a strong influence on Brand who was inspired by Foot's eccentric hair, quirky mannerisms and love for florid language. In The Guardian
Paul MacInnes wrote about their similarities in an article that explored the notion of 'copycat comedians'. Bruce Dessau made similar observations in The Standard
in February 2011. Ash In The Attic was then taken to Melbourne for the 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
as part of the official gala selection where it received a 5 star review in The Age. Australian Chortle wrote in their review that Ash In The Attic was "One of the best comedy shows ever to have been performed in Melbourne".
Foot's television appearances in 2010 introduced a new generation to his style of comedy, leading some 'Connoisseurs of The Guild of Paul Foot Connoisseurs' unable to attend Foot's Secret Shows due to this new wave of popularity with a younger, student demographic booking them out. Foot addressed this problem by organising his first 'Secret Secret Show' for his longest-serving connoisseurs. The show was not advertised anywhere on his website.
In 2008 Foot was a finalist in NBC's Last Comic Standing
.
In 2011 Foot filmed a series of TV adverts for Virgin Mobile in Australia. He helped to devise his character in the campaign called 'Robin Da Hood', a bizarre fusion of medieval eccentricities and modern-day Australian urbanity.
and the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award
, and was a finalist for the So You Think You're Funny
award for newcomers.
In 2011 Foot was nominated for a Barry Award
at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
.
Foot hosts competitions within the Guild too, such as an annual tie design competition and portrait painting competitions.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
comedian. He commands a significant cult following called The Guild of Connoisseurs. Foot is known for his musings, rants, 'disturbances' and apparent aversion to pop culture. The Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
likened Foot to "a rare exotic bird", whilst six national newspapers including the The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
and The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
have declared Paul to be "a comedy genius".
Biography
Foot was born and raised in AmershamAmersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
, Buckinghamshire, he studied mathematics at Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
. It was during his studies he first started performing stand-up
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
. As of 2011 Foot has refused to discuss his years at Oxford or former pursuits as a mathematics student. Graduating from Oxford in 1995, Foot was head-hunted by a computer software company in the run-up to the dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
, however he loathed the industry: “I had to read manuals on HTML and just write websites from scratch. None of us really knew what we were doing”. He started to pursue a career in comedy, doing open mic slots at various venues, in the hope that show business would allow him to meet his idol Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
. Tragically Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
died a few days after this decision was made, but Foot decided to stick with comedy as a career anyhow. He is openly gay.
Live performances
Foot frequently performs live, with resident slots at various London comedy clubs, and his connoisseurs sometimes demand shows in particularly obscure parts of Britain. He usually takes a show to the Edinburgh FringeEdinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
such as By The Yard (2009) and Ash In The Attic (2010) which was directed by Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
.
In 2003 Foot and Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
appeared in a double act at Cafe Royal. Foot's style of comedy had a strong influence on Brand who was inspired by Foot's eccentric hair, quirky mannerisms and love for florid language. In The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
Paul MacInnes wrote about their similarities in an article that explored the notion of 'copycat comedians'. Bruce Dessau made similar observations in The Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
Ash In The Attic
Foot's 2010 Edinburgh show Ash In The Attic enjoyed a second sell-out run at London's Soho TheatreSoho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
in February 2011. Ash In The Attic was then taken to Melbourne for the 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
as part of the official gala selection where it received a 5 star review in The Age. Australian Chortle wrote in their review that Ash In The Attic was "One of the best comedy shows ever to have been performed in Melbourne".
Still Life
Foot performed eight secret London previews for his 2011 Edinburgh show Still Life before taking it to the Fringe where the show had a sell-out run at the Underbelly.. Foot will tour the UK this autumn with Still Life starting at the Soho Theatre on 26th September. The poster image for Still Life is an original artwork, a portrait of Foot amidst various fruits, by Victoria Brook.Secret shows
In September 2006, Foot started a regular London-based solo variety show called Paul Foot's Comedy for Connoisseurs. The title comes from the name given to his fans, "The Guild of Paul Foot Connoisseurs", for whom Foot arranges "secret" events advertised only via his official website and mailing list. In the secret shows Foot often enters a surreal territory, taking on the personae of his own character creations such as 'Penny' and 'Skeleton Johnson', and sometimes improvising elaborate mini-dramas in which he plays all of the parts.Foot's television appearances in 2010 introduced a new generation to his style of comedy, leading some 'Connoisseurs of The Guild of Paul Foot Connoisseurs' unable to attend Foot's Secret Shows due to this new wave of popularity with a younger, student demographic booking them out. Foot addressed this problem by organising his first 'Secret Secret Show' for his longest-serving connoisseurs. The show was not advertised anywhere on his website.
Television
Foot has appeared on numerous television shows including:- FAQ UFAQ UFAQ U was a television programme broadcast by Channel 4 in the UK in 2005. It was shown every night, Monday to Friday, just after 11:00pm. It was presented by Justin Lee Collins in its first week, David Mitchell in the second and Karen Taylor in the third. It included four comedian guests and an...
(Channel Four) - Edinburgh and Beyond (Paramount Comedy Channel)
- Rob Brydon's Annually RetentiveRob Brydon's Annually RetentiveRob Brydon's Annually Retentive is a British television show, first aired on BBC Three in July 2006. Devised by Paul Duddridge, it concerns the making of a comedy panel game show called Annually Retentive, themed around historical events, and hosted by Welsh comedian Rob Brydon...
(BBC Three) - Come Dine With MeCome Dine With MeCome Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
(Channel 4) - Richard & JudyRichard & JudyRichard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...
(Channel 4) - Never Mind the BuzzcocksNever Mind the BuzzcocksNever Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
(BBC Two) - Russell & Katy Get Married (FIVE)
- Big Brother's Big Mouth (Channel 4)
- The 50 Funniest Moments of 2010 (Channel 4)
- Greatest Christmas TV Ads (FIVE)
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival All Star Supershow (Channel Ten - Australia)
In 2008 Foot was a finalist in NBC's Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
.
In 2011 Foot filmed a series of TV adverts for Virgin Mobile in Australia. He helped to devise his character in the campaign called 'Robin Da Hood', a bizarre fusion of medieval eccentricities and modern-day Australian urbanity.
Awards
In 1997 Foot won both the BBC New Stand-up AwardBBC New Comedy Awards
The BBC New Comedy Awards first appeared in 1995 and were considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards until they were axed in 2006. It was announced in the summer of 2006 that they were being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed...
and the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award
Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award
The Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award was a competition for comedians. It ran from 1994 to 2002 when it was discontinued due to sponsorship running out. Despite its short lifespan, its winners and finalists boast some of the UK's most notable comedy talent, including Noel Fielding, Jimmy Carr,...
, and was a finalist for the So You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny? is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 and has become the longest running best comedy newcomer award in Great Britain....
award for newcomers.
In 2011 Foot was nominated for a Barry Award
Barry Award
The Barry Award is an annual prize presented to the most outstanding comedy act at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It has been awarded since 1998, when it was introduced as the Stella Award, and was renamed in 2000 in honour of Barry Humphries, one of the festival's founding patrons...
at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
.
Guild events
As well as secret stand-up comedy shows Foot arranges events for The Guild of Connoisseurs such as secret picnics, spoof lectures and guided tours. In July 2011 he scheduled an event at Stepney City Farm at which connoisseurs attempted to complete a 32,000 piece jigsaw puzzle.Foot hosts competitions within the Guild too, such as an annual tie design competition and portrait painting competitions.
Radio
- The Infinite Monkey CageThe Infinite Monkey CageThe Infinite Monkey Cage is a BBC Radio 4 comedy series. Starring physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince, The Independent described it as a "witty and irreverent look at the world according to science".The show is into its fifth season....
(BBC Radio 4) - November 2010, May 2011 - Chequebook And Pen (BBC Radio 4) - December 2010
- The Late Show (talkSPORT) - February 2011
Edinburgh shows
- Most Wanted (2003)
- Simple Pleasures (2004)
- Comedy For Connoisseurs (2007)
- Off The Top Of/With His Head (2008)
- By The Yard (2009)
- Ash In The Attic (2010)
- Still Life (2011)