James Anthony Patrick "Jimmy" Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an Irish-born British comedian and humourist. He is known for his deadpan delivery, dark humour and his use of edgy one-liners. He is also a writer, actor and presenter of radio and television.
Carr moved to a career in comedy in 2000.[3] After becoming established as a stand-up comedian, Carr began to appear in a number of Channel 4 television shows, most notably as the host of the panel show 8 out of 10 Cats. In Ireland he is known for appearances on The Panel and The Late Late Show.
Carr was born in Limerick, Ireland to parents Patrick James (born March 1945), a Roman Catholic and self-made millionaire who became treasurer for computer company Unisys,[4] and Nora Mary (née Lawlor,[5] 19 September 1943[6] – 7 September 2001), who died of pancreatitis in St Thomas' Hospital, London, aged 57.[4] His parents married in 1970, separated in 1994, but never divorced.[7] His father married Natasha in 2003.[4] Carr has an older brother, Colin, and a younger brother, Patrick.[4] Carr was educated at Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe. he also attended St Bernards's Catholic Grammar School also in Slough. Carr's father was not happy with the school so moved him to Burnham Grammar School
After schooling in Slough he gained a place at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a 2:1 degree in Political Sciences.[3][8] Carr was a marketing executive for Shell[9][dead link] in the late 1990s.[4] During an appearance on BBC's Would I Lie to You? (Series 1, Episode 3), Carr revealed that he had been a Christian until his mid-twenties, and remained a virgin until the age of 26[10] due to his faith. Carr became aware of the writings of Richard Dawkins and renounced his religion, becoming an atheist. He stated that he felt religion limited people's desires to live their own lives.[11] He also stated that at this time, to help him cope with his loss of faith he did a lot of psychotherapy, and ended up qualifying as a therapist.[12]
Carr lives in North London with his girlfriend, Karoline Copping, a commissioning editor for Five,[3] whom he has been with since 2001.[10]
In March 2004, Carr's father[13] was arrested by the Metropolitan Police after Carr and his brother Colin accused their father of harassment.[clarification needed] The senior Carr was later acquitted of all charges and awarded costs by the Court. His acquittal was followed by a written apology from the CPS. Later the Metropolitan Police apologised and paid him substantial damages in an out of court settlement for the arrest and prosecution.[14][15] Carr holds dual British-Irish citizenship.[citation needed]
Whilst working at JC Productions with his father, Carr made his first television pilot / short film at Pinewood starring Craig Charles, Roy Dotrice and himself. The mockumentary, The Colour of Funny was essentially a vanity project for Carr.[citation needed]
Carr has hosted Channel 4 game shows Distraction and Your Face or Mine?. He has also presented the 100s series of programmes for Channel 4: 100 Worst Pop Records, 100 Worst Britons, 100 Greatest Cartoon Characters, 100 People Who Look Most Like Jimmy Carr (a spoof) and 100 Scary Moments. He has also presented a series of Commercial Breakdown.
From 2004 to 2006, Carr hosted a United States version of Distraction for Comedy Central. He was also nominated for the 2006 Rose d'Or award for Best Game Show Host. Carr presents the Big Fat Quiz of the Year on Channel 4, having presented the first 8 shows each December (2004–2011). He also currently hosts the quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats.
In April 2010, Carr hosted the first British version of a comedy roast show, Channel 4's A Comedy Roast. On 6 May 2010, he was a co-host of Channel 4's Alternative Election Night, along with David Mitchell, Lauren Laverne, and Charlie Brooker. He joined the three presenters again for 10 O'Clock Live, a Channel 4 comedy current affairs show, which started airing on 20 January 2011.[16]
Carr is also a writer as well as performer, with writing credits including Bo' Selecta! (C4), Meet Ricky Gervais (C4) and material for Lily Savage and Frank Skinner.
Carr was a guest presenter for one edition of Have I Got News For You; later he joined Ian Hislop's team in the edition of the show first shown 23 November 2007, chaired by Ann Widdecombe with whom he “flirted” outrageously.[citation needed] Widdecombe later vowed "I will never appear on Have I Got News for You again."[citation needed]
Carr has appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks twice, as well as multiple times on QI. He has also been appeared on at least one episode per season of A League of Their Own.
During a guest appearance on the BBC motoring show Top Gear, Carr set a new celebrity test track lap record on the 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car' segment. He was described as "the worst driver we've ever had" and "the luckiest man alive" by Top Gear's test driver the Stig. His re-appearance on Top Gear in May 2006 placed him last in the brand new Reasonably Priced Car, with the slowest time ever (due to the fact that he spun off on his timed lap). Carr also hosted a highlights edition of the show, and on the Top Gear Live World Tour of 2009/10 he hosted the section 'Carmageddon' in which the Stig successfully attempted a 'gear change'.
In the United States, Carr has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien twice and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno three times. Carr has also appeared on the Irish news comedy show The Panel.
In 2003, Carr was in the music video for the song "Proper Crimbo".
Carr appears at the end credits of Ross Noble's Randomist DVD, where he punches Noble on his way back to the dressing room. Noble had joked in his show that Carr only performed for a "weak" 1 hour 20 minutes, as opposed to Noble's 2 and a half hour show. Carr can also be seen for a few seconds in the audience for Dara Ó Briain's live DVD.
In January 2008, Carr appeared on E4 show Big Brother Celebrity Hijack as a hijacker for the day.
Carr appeared on the Royal Variety Performance in December 2008.
On the gameshow Deal or No Deal, Jimmy was the first ever contestant in the 2012 celebrity editions. After losing the £250,000 box earlier in the game, and turning down an offer from the banker for £14,500, he continued to the end game and his box contained £750.
Carr is a regular guest and interviewer on Loose Ends (BBC Radio 4) and The Fred MacAulay Show (BBC Radio Scotland). In January 2005, Carr hosted 'It's Been a Terrible Year' — a comedy review of 2004, on BBC Radio 2. Up until July 2006, he had a Sunday morning radio show on XFM, with the mercurial comedian Iain Morris. The show had a strong emphasis on toilet humour.
Features, of varying popularity, have included:
- Goth Classics — Item lasting about four weeks in which the Sisters of Mercy track 'This Corrosion' was played twice.
- Now That's What I Call A Jukebox — Long running item invented by Iain Morris where a number of songs are selected from a Now That's What I Call Music album, and are put to a vote. The song with the most votes is played.
- The Songs You Should Like And The Songs You Do Like (But You Like The Song You Should Like As Well) — This catchy-titled item consists of playing in sequence one credible but underrated or overlooked song (The first was 'Touch Sensitive' by the Fall) and one guilty pleasure (Liberty X's 'Just A Little Bit' followed) On 9 July 2006, the item was renamed 'A Song to Patronise, A Song To Sanitise.' Traditionally, items are carried out with little professionalism, presumably to match the rest of the show content.
In January 2006, Carr made a joke on Radio 4's Loose Ends, the punchline of which implied that Gypsy women smelled.[17] Although the BBC issued an apology, Carr refused to, and continues to use the joke during his acts.
Carr appeared in 2 episodes of the radio series of Flight of the Conchords in 2005.
On 22 January 2009, he covered Zane Lowe's evening show on BBC Radio 1 between 7 and 9pm.
Carr will become the fifth "Curator" of The Museum of Curiosity when the show returns in late 2012, following on from comedians Bill Bailey, Sean Lock, Jon Richardson and Dave Gorman.
Carr does stand-up tours continuously over the course of the year, taking only five weeks off between them.[18] In 2003 he sold out an entire month's performances of his Edinburgh Festival show Charm Offensive by the second day of the festival, and received 5-star reviews from four major newspapers. In 2004 he performed sold out solo shows at Dublin's Vicar Street, Leicester's Comedy Festival, Glasgow Festival, Kilkenny Cat Laughs and the Galway Festival along with appearances at the Bloomsbury Theatre where he filmed his first live DVD. Also in 2004 he threatened to sue fellow comedian Jim Davidson for using a joke that Carr considered 'his'.[19] The matter was dropped when it became apparent that the joke in question was an old one used for decades by many different comedians. He toured the country with his show, A Public Display of Affection, starting on 9 April 2005 at the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury and ending on the 14 January 2006 at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End. He also appeared at the EICC during the Edinburgh Festival in August 2005 with his Off The Telly show. Later on in the year, in late November, he released his second DVD "Jimmy Carr: Stand Up".
In August 2006, he commenced a new tour, Gag Reflex, for which he won the 2006 British Comedy Award for "Best Live Stand up". He released his third DVD, Jimmy Carr: Comedian in November 2007. He also performed at the 2006 Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, as well as making a return visit to the Newbury Comedy Festival. In 2003, he was listed in the Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In 2007, a poll on the Channel 4 website for 100 Greatest Stand Ups, Jimmy Carr was the 12th. A new national tour commenced in autumn 2007 named Repeat Offender, which began at the Edinburgh Festival that year. In autumn 2008, Carr began touring his new show, entitled Joke Technician. As with his previous tour, he performed many shows at the Edinburgh Festival, even adding an extra date due to ticket demand.
On 23 April 2009, the dates for Carr's 2009-10 tour, entitled Rapier Wit, were announced. The tour opened on 20 August 2009 with 9 shows at the Edinburgh Festival before touring the country.[20]
On Twitter, Carr released details about his new DVD entitled Jimmy Carr: Telling Jokes. The DVD was released on the 2 November 2009.[21]
In July 2009, Carr revealed that he is currently touring with Las Vegas band the Killers. Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers explained that it was part of his vision for his band’s shows to become more of a Las Vegas-style spectacle. Flowers, who grew up in Vegas, said: “We had met Jimmy before, at a Comic Relief gig, then we bumped into him again at a party a couple of weeks later. “We were just throwing ideas around and having a comedian as part of the show sounded like a Las Vegas thing to do — it used to be common in the '60s and '70s – “Jimmy seemed to like it so we are giving it a go.”
Carr's sixth Live DVD, Jimmy Carr: Making People Laugh, was released on 8 November 2010.[22]
Carr's 2010-11 tour, entitled Laughter Therapy, was announced on 8 April 2010. The tour will start with a run at the Edinburgh Festival before touring the country.[23]
Carr also appeared at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal in July 2011. At which he performed his 2010/11 tour show 'Laughter Therapy'.
Carr's latest stand up DVD was released on 21 November 2011 with the title of Jimmy Carr: Being Funny.
| Title |
Years |
| Live |
2004–05 |
| Stand Up |
2005–06 |
| Gag Reflex |
2006–07 |
| Repeat Offender |
2007–08 |
| Joke Technician |
2008–09 |
| Rapier Wit |
2009–10 |
| Laughter Therapy |
2010–11 |
| Gagging Order |
2012–13 |
[edit] Second Life
On 21 December 2006, Carr announced plans to become the first major comedian to perform in the virtual reality world of Second Life. This was confirmed on his MySpace webpage on 3 January 2007, and a competition launched to choose a select audience from the list of his MySpace friends.[25]
Carr's Second Life show took place on 3 February 2007 at 7.00pm, at Adam Street Bar and Members' Club in Central London. Fifty MySpace friends made up his live audience, with 100 virtual attendees in Second Life itself. The show was enjoyed by both sets of audiences, with excellent feedback received on both Carr's MySpace profile and within Second Life.[citation needed]
Carr hinted at the show that he may perform future shows in Second Life.
In March 2007, Laura Jackson from the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that Carr had obtained the world record for being the first comedian to perform a stand-up gig to an audience in cyberspace, following on from his Second Life show.[citation needed]
Detractors of Carr's humour include Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe, who — following an appearance with him on BBC One panel show Have I Got News for You — wrote in the Daily Express that "His idea of wit is a barrage of filth and the sort of humour most men grow out of in their teens".[26]
Veteran comedian Arthur Smith was quoted in the Sunday Mirror in 2005 as saying "He has a terrible act. There I've said it and already I feel better".[27] Smith has gone on to criticise Carr on other occasions. In a 2009 interview with The Times he said: "He (Carr) makes jokes like little clocks. He has no interest in their context or meaning, only that they cause an explosion of laughter. I want a comedian to have a hinterland. The best comedians are interested in jazz, poetry, and the world".[28]
In October 2009, Carr received criticism from several Sunday tabloid newspapers for a joke he made about British soldiers who had lost limbs in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.[29] The newspapers themselves came under criticism for falsely claiming the audience reacted with stunned silence when the joke was told.[30] Carr himself has defended the joke as "totally acceptable" in an interview with The Guardian, in which the interviewer noted his tendencies to make jokes about disabilities and rape.[31] Carr would go on to describe the interview, with Guardian journalist Stephen Moss in the paper's G2 section, on his Twitter account as about "[selling] my DVD to the liberal elite."[32]
- LAFTA Awards 2008: Best Stand Up
- LAFTA Awards 2007: Funniest Man
- British Comedy Awards 2006 – Best Live Stand Up
- Rose D'Or Nomination 2006: Best Game Show, 'Distraction'
- LAFTA Awards 2005: Funniest Man
- Rose D'Or Nomination 2004: Best Presenter, 'Distraction'
- Loaded Lafta Award 2004 – Best Stand Up
- Royal Television Society Award Winner: Best On-Screen Newcomer 2003
- Perrier Award Nominee: 2002
- Time Out Award Winner: Best Stand Up 2002
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKwZM8TDEa0
- ^ Template:Chortle.co.uk
- ^ a b c "Taboo-buster: the dark side of Jimmy Carr". London: The Independent. 2008-11-18. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/taboobuster-the-dark-side-of-jimmy-carr-1022921.html. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Behind Jimmy Carr's wisecracks". London: Dailymail.co.uk. 2006-09-16. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-405420/Behind-Jimmy-Carrs-wisecracks.html. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "James Anthony P Carr born Hounslow". http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4458/jimmycarrrl8.jpg. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006". Findmypast.co.uk. http://www.findmypast.co.uk/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Independent corrections". London: Independent.co.uk. 2009-05-11. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/corrections/jim-carr-1681527.html. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ Chris Harris. "chrismoyles.net". chrismoyles.net. http://chrismoyles.net/soundvault/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=1672. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Jimmy Carr on Dave". dave.uktv.co.uk. http://dave.uktv.co.uk/hall-of-fame/daves-mates/jimmy-carr/. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- ^ a b Interview by Jon Bennett (9 March 2008). "What I know about women". London: Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/mar/09/familyandrelationships2. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Jimmy Carr on Richard Dawkins". Richarddawkins.net. 2008-12-20. http://richarddawkins.net/articles/3443. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ BBC Radio 4, The Museum of Curiosity, Season 4, episode 1, broadcast 3rd October 2011.
- ^ Behind Jimmy Carr's wisecracks, This Is London "Jim was a self-made millionaire who rose to become treasurer of computer giant Unisys in Europe and Africa before setting up his own marketing business."
- ^ Comedian's father 'given damages'. BBC News. Retrieved on 13 May 2007.
- ^ Quigley, Maeve (2005-12-04). "Jimmy Carr's dad to sue British CPS". Sunday Mirror. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20051204/ai_n15905217. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- ^ "10 O'Clock Live". http://www.channel4.com/programmes/10-oclock-live. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
- ^ Campbell, Duncan (5 January 2006). "BBC apologises for joke about Gypsy women on radio show". London: Guardian Unlimited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1677955,00.html. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- ^ Carr, Jimmy (3 November 2008). The Paul O'Grady Show. Interview with Melanie Sykes. Des O'Connor. Channel 4.
- ^ "Stand-ups square up over fat joke". BBC News. 5 August 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3539246.stm.
- ^ "Tour Dates". Ents24.com. http://www.ents24.com/web/artist/7992/Jimmy_Carr.html. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Telling Jokes". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0028N6MZO. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Play.com – Jimmy Carr: Making People Laugh". Play.com. http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/-/2350/1617/-/12041707/Jimmy-Carr-Making-People-Laugh/Product.html?searchtype=genre. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Ents24 – Jimmy Carr". Ents24.com. http://www.ents24.com/web/artist/7992/Jimmy_Carr.html. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "BBC Story on Carr's Second Life performance". BBC News. 2007-01-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6227869.stm. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Widdecombe disgusted by Carr's 'filth'". mediamonkey (London: Guardian Unlimited). 2007-11-08. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/mediamonkey/2007/11/widdecombe_disgusted_by_carrs.html. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
- ^ Accessed at findarticles.com Quigley, Maeve (2005-12-04). "Jimmy Carr's dad to sue British CPS". Sunday Mirror. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20051204/ai_n15905217/. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ Arthur Smith, the comic who would be Daphne Fairfax[dead link]
- ^ 8:00AM GMT 25 Oct 2009 (2009-10-25). "Anger over Jimmy Carr's joke about war amputees". London: Telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6427618/Anger-over-Jimmy-Carrs-joke-about-war-amputees.html. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Dominic Lawson: Jimmy Carr and the pomposity of those professing outrage". London: Independent.co.uk. 2009-10-27. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-jimmy-carr-and-the-pomposity-of-those-professing-outrage-1809954.html. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ Stephen Moss (5 November 2009). "Jimmy Carr: 'I thought my Paralympics joke was totally acceptable'". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/nov/05/jimmy-carr-paralympics-joke. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ^ Jimmy Carr (5 November 2009). "G2 in The Guardian today – did an interview with Stephen Moss (nice fellow) to sell my DVD to the liberal elite.". Twitter. http://twitter.com/jimmycarr/status/5448888953. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Carr, Jimmy |
| Alternative names |
Carr, James Anthony Patrick |
| Short description |
British comedian and humourist |
| Date of birth |
15 September 1972 |
| Place of birth |
Hounslow, Greater London, England, UK |
| Date of death |
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