ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia. The channel broadcasts a range of original content supplemented with repeats of popular ABC1 programmes, notably children's programmes, magazine shows, and sport.

History[link]

Origins[link]

The history of ABC2 can be traced back to 1998 when the Australian Broadcasting Authority released a report, titled Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting, recommending that the Australian Government support the early introduction of digital broadcasting as a free-to-air service with the loan of a 7 MHz channel for each broadcaster.^[2] The Australian Broadcasting Corporation stated that it wished to run up to four multichannels at different times of the day or alternatively offer a high-definition television service. The corporation claimed that up to A$100 million would be needed to prepare for these services, half of which would need to be government-funded.^[2]

In August 2001 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched the ABC Kids Channel, with Fly TV following in November 2001. The two multichannels, available only through digital television, broadcast a range of programming targeted at younger and teenage viewers.^[3] Funding issues meant that, in June 2003, ABC Television closed ABC Kids and Fly TV.^[4]

Unlike its predecessors, ABC2 launched on 7 March 2005 on channel 21, independent of government funding, instead running on a budget of A$3 million per year.^[5] The first programme in the launch schedule was an episode of Landline - although scheduled to begin at 6.25am, the programme was delayed ten minutes. The channel was officially inaugurated by former Minister for Communications, Senator Helen Coonan, at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on 10 March 2005.^[6]

Late 2000s[link]

Weekly video gaming and technology programme Good Game was launched on 19 September 2006, becoming one the first programmes in its genre to be broadcast on free-to-air television in Australia.^[7] Similarly in the same year, programmes produced included Australia Wide, Short and Curly, dig tv and Late Night Legends.

Genre restrictions imposed by the Australian government on digital multichanneling were lifted along with the media ownership laws passed through the Australian parliament on 18 October 2006.^[7][8] Previously limited in the subjects it could cover, ABC2 was henceforth able to carry shows identified as comedy, drama, national news, sport or entertainment.

On 1 January 2008 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation announced the introduction of live coverage and programme content on ABC2 from the Australian Film Commission, Opera Australia, and the Australian Ballet.^[9]

At 12:00pm on 8 February 2008 ABC2 was rebranded with a new slogan^[10] and yellow-coloured logo, complementing the new ABC TV logo, which was concurrently revamped as ABC1.^[11][12] The channel also moved from channel 21 to channel 22.^[13]

Controllers[link]

As part of a revamp of the entire ABC Television network, the ABC2 hired its very first television controller. That being Stuart Menzies, currently the Head of ABC Documentaries. ABC 1 also hired its very first television controller, Brendan Dahill.

• 2010-: Stuart Menzies

Programming[link]

ABC2 is required by charter to meet certain programming obligations.^[14] Although it has a strong focus on comedic and lifestyle programming, it also presents documentaries and educational programmes, news and current affairs, children's shows, drama, and sports.

News and Current Affairs (2005-2010)[link]

In order to allow automated operation of the channel without the complications of variable length live news broadcasts. Prior to the launch of ABC News 24, ABC2 broadcast hourly ABC News updates produced for ABC Online. also to included the 7pm news on ABC1 primary channel. ABC2 also launched the morning show ABC News Breakfast on 3 November 2008, a three-hour news program running every weekday. The program is now simulcast on ABC1 and ABC News 24.

The channel also with former shows such as ABC Asia Pacific News, which is originally produced for the Australia Network, In addition to these news programs, various ABC News and Current Affairs programs, which include Landline, Lateline, Four Corners, Australian Story and 'Foreign Correspondent, are only aired on ABC1, now they screen on ABC News 24.

In May 2011, ABC News Breakfast moved to ABC1, with children's programming moving over to ABC2 and ABC3 respectively.

Sport[link]

ABC2 broadcasts exclusive national coverage of many sporting competitions, which include the New South Wales Rugby Union, Queensland Rugby League, Victorian Football League, South Australian National Football League, West Australian Football League, and the Northern Territory Football League. The Women's National Basketball League and W-League Women's Football Competition is broadcast live on ABC2 every week. In addition to this ABC2 also broadcasts the Fed Cup and the Tiwi Islands Football League Grand Final annually.

Availability[link]

ABC2 is available on all of ABC Television's digital television transmitters in 576i SD Digital, as well as on most satellite and cable services.

ABC2 does not broadcast 24 hours a day. ABC2 usually closes between 1am to 2am and recomences broadcasting programs from 6am. During this time a written message appears advising viewers that programs have concluded for the day and that ABC2 is back on air at 6am. This is broadcast with ABC DiG radio music playing in the background.

Logos[link]

The channel launched with a three-dimensional logo of the numeral two. The previous idents were produced in part by Amanda Dennis (known for her work on Australia Wide, and Good Game), and were used in some form since the channel's launch, until the 2008 rebrand. ABC2's previous slogan was More Choice, More Often. All promos featured the "Big 2" placed in famous, and iconic Australian locations, such as Port Jackson, the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre and the Northern Territory. The "Big 2" was somewhat similar to the on air mascot of BBC Two in appearance. ABC2's logo was modified for the promotion of the channels launch, and for various sporting events, notably the channel's launch, where the logo appeared under-construction, and during the promotion of Australians Women's Netball where it took on the appearance of a netball.

On 8 February 2008, ABC2 updated to a yellow logo, and slogan to Connecting 2,^[12] as well as moving its digital terrestrial broadcast from Channel 21 to Channel 22. In addition to this, the slogan More Choice, More Often was replaced with Connecting 2. After concerns in some sections of the media that the 43-year-old Lissajous curve brand was to disappear completely, ABC management reaffirmed that it would remain in use by the corporation.^[15][16] On 1 April 2011 the logo was rebranded to look similar to that of the logo used by ABC1, and the slogan replaced with Always Brighter.

• OldABC2Logo.jpg

  7 March 2005 – 8 February 2008

• ABC2.svg

  8 February 2008 – 31 March 2011

• ABC2 logo.svg

  1 April 2011 – present

References[link]

External links[link]

Television in Australia portal

• Official website
• ABC2 is Launched in March 2005, but only on ABC Digital TV
• About ABC2/How to watch ABC2
• Corporate website
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation website

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Trevor Noah (born 20 February 1984) is an award winning^[1] South African comedian. He has also been a radio DJ, actor and TV host.

Career[link]

Trevor Noah had a small role on the South African soap opera, Isidingo in 2002, when he was 18. He then began hosting his own radio show Noah’s Ark on Gauteng’s leading youth radio station, Yfm. Noah then went on to host an educational program on SABC2 followed by hosting The Real Goboza, a gossip show on SABC1^[2].

Noah dropped his radio show and acting to focus on comedy, and has performed with South African comedians such as Riaad Moosa, Darren Simpson, Marc Lottering, Barry Hilton and Nik Rabinowitz^[3], international comedians such as Paul Rodriguez, Carl Barron and Paul Zerdin, and as the opening act for Gabriel Iglesias in November 2007 and Canadian comedian Russell Peters on his South African tour^[4].

Noah has performed all around South Africa in The Blacks Only Comedy Show, Heavyweight Comedy Jam, the Vodacom Campus Comedy Tour, the Cape Town International Comedy Festival, the Jozi Comedy Festival, and Bafunny Bafunny. His stand up comedy specials include The Daywalker^[5], and Crazy Normal^[6] both of which have been released on DVD.

Following his Daywalker performance Noah began hosting his own TV Show Tonight with Trevor Noah which aired on South Africa's MNet network^[7].

On 6 January 2012 Noah became the first South African stand up comedian to appear on The Tonight Show^[8].

Noah is also the subject of the documentary You Laugh But It's True^[9][10] which will be released in 2012.

Relationship with Cell C[link]

On 28 July 2010, a video clip of Trevor Noah was posted on YouTube in which he expressed the faults of various mobile networks, more specifically Cell C, South Africa’s 3rd largest mobile network operator. Cell C then publicly apologized to Noah in adverts printed in The Sunday Times^[11].

Shortly afterwards Cell C announced plans to upgrade their network infrastructure to 4G as well as unveiling a new Cell C brand. It was also revealed that Noah would be Cell C's new CEO ("Customer Experience Officer"), essentially a consumer protection agent^[12]. He would be a representative for all consumers, keep the company "honest" and assist them in understanding their consumer’s wants and needs.

Appearances[link]

• Film

• 2012

• Subject of the documentary You Laugh But It's True

• Television

• 2002

• Cameo role on Isidingo
• Hosted educational show on SABC2

• 2004

• Presentor on Run The Adventure (until 2006)

• 2007

• Hosted The Real Goboza
• Hosted Siyadlala (SABC's sports show)

• 2008

• Co-hosted alongside Pabi Moloi on The Amazing Date (dating game-show)
• Runner up on Strictly Come Dancing Season 4

• 2009

• Hosted the 3rd Annual South Africa Film and Television Awards (SAFTA Awards)
• Co-hosted alongside Eugene Khoza on The Axe Sweet Life (reality competition series)
• Hosted the 15th annual South African Music Awards

• 2010

• Hosted the 16th annual South African Music Awards
• Hosted Tonight with Trevor Noah on MNet (in the second season it moved to DStv's Mzansi Magic Channel).

• 2012

• Performing on The Tonight Show January 6

• Comedy

• 2007

• Opening comedy act for Gabriel Iglesias South African tour

• 2009

• Starred in his first one man comedy show The Daywalker

• 2010

• Starred in the comedy show Bafunny Bafunny

• 2011

• Starred in the one man comedy show Goodbye For Now, which was released on DVD as Crazy Normal

References[link]

External links[link]

• Trevor Noah Official Website
• Trevor Noah Twitter Profile

The Bedroom Philosopher aka Justin Heazlewood is an Australian comedian, author, actor and songwriter. Most known for his writing and musical comedy works, The Bedroom Philosopher has released several albums, performed at many arts festivals, been nominated for an ARIA Award, published a book of tour diaries and is a regular guest on several Australian radio shows.

Recording career[link]

[edit] 2002-2005 Living on the Edge of My Bed

The Bedroom Philosopher began in 2002, when Heazlewood became a regular guest on Triple J's The Morning Show.^[1] He also filmed two pilot episodes of The Bedroom Philosopher Show for ABC Fly TV, a now defunct digital youth television station.^[2] He also secured his first major musical gig, playing support for Bodyjar and The Bumblebeez at Triple J's Unearthed concert later that year.

The Bedroom Philosopher has performed in past years at the Big Day Out,^[3] Falls Festival,^[4] Melbourne Fringe Festival,^[5] Adelaide Fringe Festival,^[6] National Folk Festival, Perth International Arts Festival^[7] and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. His first three Melbourne Comedy Festival Shows included Living on the Edge of My Bed (2003),^[8] In Bed with My Doona (2004), and Pyjamarama (2005). In 2006 he teamed up with Josh Earl to form The Renegades of Folk, performing a Melbourne Comedy Festival show of the same name.^[9]

The Bedroom Philosopher's first album, Living on the Edge of My Bed' featured tracks which had earlier been played on The Morning Show, and was released in 2003. This un-mastered collection was only sold at live shows.

2005-2008 "I'm So Post Modern"[link]

In 2005 the Bedroom Philosopher released his first retail and studio album, In Bed with My Doona,^[10] produced by his uncle Ken Heazlewood. This release was taken to strongly by Triple J's audience, with the first single "I'm So Post Modern" becoming a high-rotation hit, reaching number 72 in the Hottest 100.^[11] The Bedroom Philosopher was the only unsigned artist to make the list in 2005.^[12] His self-produced film clip of "I'm So Post Modern" (by Dan Ilic) also featured on the Hottest 100 DVD.^[13]

2007 saw the introduction of 'The Awkwardstra', composed of Andy Hazel on bass and Hugh Rabinovici on drums. Late 2008 saw the addition of Jamie Power on percussion and Gordon Blake on sitar.^[14] This coincided with the release of second single "Wow Wow's Song (La La La)" which quickly became a Youtube hit garnering 20 000 plays in its first 5 days of being posted,^[15] and featured popular comedy trio Tripod featuring as backing vocalists. This was released as a precursor to his second album 'Brown and Orange'.

[edit] 2008-2009 Brown and Orange

After performing at Perth International Arts Festival The Bedroom Philosopher completed his second album Brown and Orange with producers Chris Scallan and Martin "Moose" Lubran, released in February 2009.^[14] The first single from this was "The Happiest Boy", released in October 2007.^[16] The video clip of "The Happiest Boy" was made by David Blumenstein at Nakedfella Productions.^[17]

The album was promoted with a national tour.

[edit] 2009-2010 Songs from the 86 Tram

April 2009 saw The Bedroom Philosopher debuting his show Songs from the 86 Tram in the Melbourne Comedy Festival.^[18] He won the Director's Choice award for outstanding show and reprised it in the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival. Songs from this show comprise his third album Songs from the 86 Tram, recorded in August and September 2009. The show was nominated for three 2009 Green Room Awards winning for best cabaret production.^[19] The show was revised for a sold-out run at the 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Heazlewood appeared as "Re-enactment John" in the ABCTV series John Safran's Race Relations in late 2009.^[20]

Songs from the 86 Tram album was presaged by the single Northcote (So Hungover), released to radio in February 2010. The single peaked at number 12 in the Australian Independent Singles charts and received high rotation on Triple J. The album was released 16 April 2010.

An accompanying Australian national tour to promote the album ran from 12 August until 5 September 2010.

On 28 September 2010 the album was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release.^[21]

Northcote (So Hungover) Film Clip[link]

The music video for song 'Northcote (So Hungover)' was created by director Craig Melville and produced by David Curry. The video satirises hipster culture which is currently popular in inner-city Melbourne, with humorous stereotypes and pretension thought to be present in neo-hipsterism, and has received over 320 000 views on YouTube. The Bedroom Philosopher has since recorded a version of the song composed entirely of comments made on the film clip's YouTube page.

On 23 September 2010 the clip won the Australian Director Guild award in the music video category.^[22] On 20 November 2010 it won a silver Australian Cinematographers Society music video award,^[23] Best Independent Production Award at the St Kilda Film Festival^[24] and Best Music Video Award at the 15 Minutes of Fame Festival in Florida.^[25] The filmclip was also voted in Rage's Top 50 film clips of 2010,^[26] and the song in the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2011.^[27]

[edit] 2011-2012 Wit Bix

2011 saw the release of the songs 'Leaving My Hairdresser' and 'Tram Inspector', the film clip for the latter charting at 19 in Rage's Top 100 Filmclips of 2011. The Bedroom Philosopher embarked on several solo tours, including opening for The Dresden Dolls on their national tour, had a successful run at the Melbourne Comedy Festival with the show Wit Bix, and published the book The Bedroom Philosopher Tour Diaries. A Very Beddy Christmas EP was released in November, with the radio single 12 Days of Christmas achieving moderate play. In early 2012, a release of Northcote (YouTube Comments) was released online and on national radio.

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

• "Folkstar/I'm So Post Modern" (2006) Maxi-single
• "The Happiest Boy" (2007) iTunes single
• "Wow Wow's Song (La La La)" (2008) iTunes single
• "Party In My Head" (2009) Radio single
• "Northcote (So Hungover)" (2010) iTunes single
• "Tram Inspector" (2011) iTunes single
• "Leaving My Hairdresser" (2011) iTunes single
• "12 Days of Christmas" (2011) Radio single
• "Northcote (YouTube Comments)" (2012) Radio single

Albums[link]

• Living on the Edge of My Bed (2003)
• In Bed with My Doona (2005)
• Brown and Orange (2009)
• Songs from the 86 Tram (2010)

EP[link]

• "A Very Beddy Christmas" (2011)

Writing[link]

Under his real name, Justin Heazlewood frequently writes for a number of Australian publications.

Since 2002, Heazlewood has written a fortnightly column for Canberra streetpress BMA called "Struth Be Told".^[28] More recently, Heazlewood has written regular contributions for national Australian magazines Frankie Magazine, JMag and The Big Issue. His works have also appeared in Australian publications Sleepers Magazine,^[29] Rattapallax,^[30] Going Down Swinging,^[31] The Sex Mook^[32] and The Death Mook.

From 1999 to 2005, Heazlewood was a regular contributor and editorial committee member for Voiceworks.^[33]

From 2005 to 2006, Heazlewood was a full-time writer for the Network Ten sketch comedy program The Ronnie Johns Half Hour.^[34]

As The Bedroom Philosopher, Heazlewood has written a monthly Ezine LapTopping since 2002.^[35]

In 2009 Heazlewood created the sketch radio show 'Lime Champions' on Melbourne community radio Triple R. He co-hosted it with Melbourne comedians Damien Lawlor, Josh Earl and Eva Johansen. He left the show in 2010.

Heazlewood is also a regular contributor to Scrivener's Fancy.|url=http://thescrivenersfancy.com/visiting-scrivener/2011/03/23/me-versus-front-row-guy.aspx

World records[link]

• Longest continuous performance of Daryl Braithwaite's "The Horses" while riding on a horse carousel on Melbourne Cup day in Canberra - (30 minutes).^[36]
• Longest continuous performance of John Farnham's "You're The Voice" in Melbourne - (9 hours).^[37]
• Longest demonstration of 'BoonRapping' (reading David Boon's autobiography in a hip hop style) in Hobart - (12.5 minutes).^[2]
• Artist with the most performances at the venue 'Stage Door: The Cafe' in Burnie, Tasmania.

Chart statistics[link]

• "I'm So Post Modern" voted number 72 in Triple J Hottest 100, 2005. (lyrics)^[38]
• "Northcote (So Hungover)" charted at number 12 on the Australian Independent Singles chart 3 March.
• "Northcote (So Hungover)" charted at number 91 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2010.
• "Northcote (So Hungover)" charted at number 3 on Rage's Top 50 Videos of 2010
• "Tram Inspector" charted at number 19 on Rage's Top 50 Videos of 2011

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Bedroom Philosopher official site
• The Bedroom Philosopher's MySpace page.
• Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Justin Heazlewood q:Justin Heazlewood

Dave Callan (born 20 September 1975 in Dundalk, Ireland) is a comedian based in Perth, Australia. He works as a Triple J disc jockey.

Biography[link]

Callan was born in Dundalk, Ireland, and arrived in Australia in 1990, aged 15.^[1] He spent part of his teenage years in Perth where he attended Chisholm Catholic College.

Radio career[link]

Callan hosted the Mid-Dawn shift at Triple J on Sundays from 1am - 6am for most of 2005, until it was discontinued. He continued to host the Triple J show Pirate Radio from 6pm until 9pm on Saturday evenings. The show features party music, mash-ups and many unusual regular callers, referred to as 'carnies', including Steph from Tamworth, Evil Me and Jarred from Bunbury. On 19 January 2008, Callan presented the last show of Pirate Radio. On 27 January 2008, he returned to the Mid-Dawn shift on Sundays from 1am – 6am.

TV career[link]

Callan first gained popularity while performing on Rove (Nine Network) and also on the first series of Rove Live (Network Ten), but left the show to pursue his love for stand up. Callan was Rove McManus' groomsman at his wedding to Belinda Emmett.

In 2005, Callan appeared in a series of commercials called "Change is in the Air", to introduce Australians to the impending smoking ban in pubs and clubs.^[2] He also narrated a commercial for the Ferndale Confectionery item "Tuff Nuts", and has performed in Western Australian advertisements for WA Home Loans and Fruitisma.^[3]

During 2006 and 2007 Callan appeared on jtv and presented episodes on occasion.

He has appeared as a guest on the Comedy Channel's improvisational comedy program Comedy Slapdown.

His other TV credits include O'Loghlin on Saturday night (ABC), Standing Up (ABC), King of the Road (SBS), Good Morning Australia (Ten Network), The (NRL) Footy Show (Nine Network), Hey Hey It's Saturday (Nine Network), as a recurring guest on Spicks and Specks (ABC),^[4] and a regular performer on the yearly "Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala". Recently, Callan has appeared thrice on Good Game (ABC) as a guest reviewer, looking at Soul Calibur V,Just Dance: Best Of and Kid Icarus: Uprising.

Stand-up career[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2009)

Touring internationally over the next few years, Callan had shows each year in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) including:

• Dave Callan is Shithouse (2000)
• Dave Callan is Hairy (2001)
• Jesus Christ, Movie Star (2001, with Duff)
• Dave Callan's Wonderful World (2003)
• Bare Faced Cheek (2004)
• Raw Comedy Finals (2004, as Host and MC)
• The Sunshine Factory (2005, with Sam Simmons, Tim Harris, Steve Bunce)
• Show us your Roots (2005, with Hung Le, Steve Abbott, Gabriel Rossi, Tommy Dean, Desh, Sean Choolburra, Tahir)
• The Sunshine Factory Part II (2006, with Sam Simmons)
• Dance of the Flame Retardant Monkey (2007)
• Daylight Savings for the Doomsday Clock (2008)
• 0+ (Symbol of Venus) (2011)
• The Graveyard Shift (2012, also fringe title 'Radio Gaga')

In addition, Callan performs regularly at the MICF Festival Club and the MICF Festival Roadshow. These shows have included choreographed fight and dance scenes with Ninjas, Pirates, Zombies and Burlesque Dancers. During MICFs he can often be seen with an entourage of ninjas.

He occasionally is referred to as 'Danger Dave'.

His 2005 joint show with Sam Simmons, (also with Tim Harris and Steve Bunce), The Sunshine Factory was nominated for a Golden Gibbo MICF award.

Also in 2005, his show 'Show us your Roots' (with a group of comedians - see list above) season sold out at Crown Casino as part of the MICF, at the National Multi-Cultural Festival in Canberra, and at the Sydney Opera House. This show was later released on DVD by Beyond Home Entertainment.^[5]

In more recent years, his shows have included political and environmental commentary, for instance 2007-2008 shows 'Dance of the Flame Retardant Monkey' and 'Daylight Savings for the Doomsday Clock'. Ripe with pop-culture references and an eclectic mash of immaturity and sincerity, 'Daylight Savings' was a near sell out season.

Dave's 2012 sell-out show 'the Graveyard Shift' featured highlights from his late night radio program on TripleJ, with live commentary.^[6][7]

Film career[link]

He plays the character of a sports commentator in the upcoming Australian comedy film Reverse Runner. ^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dave Callan's bio on the Triple J website
• Sydney Morning Herald article about The Graveyard Shift
• Graveyard Shift fan page

Rich Hall
Hall performing at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania in 1986
Birth name	Richard Hall
Born	(1954-06-10) 10 June 1954 (age 58) Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Medium	Stand-up, television
Nationality	American
Years active	1979—present
Genres	Observational comedy, Deadpan, Political satire
Subject(s)	American culture, British culture, United States politics, British politics
Spouse	Karen Hall
Notable works and roles	QI, Saturday Night Live, Fridays, Late Show with David Letterman
Website	http://www.offthekerb.co.uk/rich-hall/

Richard "Rich" Hall (born 10 June 1954) is an American comedian, writer and musician.

Early life and career[link]

Hall was born in Alexandria, Virginia and grew up in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He is part Cherokee Indian and his mother's Christian name is Doris.^[1] Early in his career, he performed as a street comedian with a suitcase and stand, traveling the college circuit, and performing impromptu skits for gathering crowds.

Hall's first professional work was as a writer and performer on the American sketch comedy TV series Fridays from 1980 until 1982. After the end of Fridays, Hall co-wrote and starred in the satirical comedy series Not Necessarily the News from 1983 until 1990 where he coined the term "sniglet" and collected and published several volumes of books of them. Matt Groening has described him as the inspiration for Moe Szyslak from The Simpsons.^[2] He was also a regular on Saturday Night Live. In 1986, he had his own Showtime channel special, Vanishing America, which was turned into a book with the same title. He hosted a talk show during The Comedy Channel's 1990-91 season, titled Rich Hall's Onion World.

In the United States, he has appeared several times on American talk shows such as Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Appearances and work in the United Kingdom[link]

Outside his homeland, Hall has also achieved popularity in the United Kingdom, where he has lived on-and-off for 23 years. He spends part of his time during the off-seasons writing plays in the United States where he has a small ranch just outside Livingston, Montana. The rest of the time is spent in London, where he owns a flat. Hall is a guest on popular BBC panel quiz shows, most notably as a regular guest on QI,^[3] for which he has received much critical acclaim and is known as the game's most frequently victorious guest panellist with seven victories (only permanent panellist Alan Davies has won more shows), and also with appearances in 8 Out of 10 Cats, Have I Got News for You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.^[4][5] He has also appeared on the British stand-up comedy series Jack Dee's Live at the Apollo. His appearances achieved some cult status due to his line of jokes on Live at the Apollo about Tom Cruise, and the perceivable similarities between many of his roles. In 2000, he won the Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, in the guise of his own grizzled uncle, Otis Lee Crenshaw, the much-convicted country music singer. He has released several albums and a concert movie as this character. In 2004, he published a book of the man's memoirs, entitled Otis Lee Crenshaw: I Blame Society, and in 2007 he finished a screenplay for a film based on the book, written for the director Mel Smith.^[6] In 2006, Hall also wrote and acted in the play Levelland at the Edinburgh Festival.

Hall has had four BBC TV series of his own: Rich Hall's Badly Funded Think Tank, Rich Hall's Fishing Show in 2003, Rich Hall's Cattle Drive in 2006, as well as a one-off programme about the 2004 American Presidential Elections, Rich Hall's Election Special. He also appeared on the BBC Two programme Top Gear, where he successfully managed to make a song about a Rover 25 car, much to the enjoyment of host Jeremy Clarkson and the audience. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hall was entrusted with the task of responding to the tragedy on the first subsequent edition of Have I Got News for You.

Hall has written and presented three 90-minute documentaries about film genres, broadcast on BBC Four. Rich Hall's How the West Was Lost (first broadcast June 2008)^[7] discusses Westerns, Rich Hall's The Dirty South (October 2010) challenges stereotypical Hollywood presentations of the Southern United States,^[8][9] and Rich Hall's Continental Drifters (November 2011) examines the American road movie.^[10]

In 2007, he returned to the Fringe with his second play, Best Western, which he wrote and directed. In 2008, Hall toured two stand-up shows around the UK: Rich Hall Autumn Tour 2008 played around 45 dates and he also went on the road as his alter-ego in a show entitled Otis Lee Crenshaw and Band that listed Rich Hall as a "special guest." He subsequently toured a version of this show throughout the UK and Ireland in 2009, with long time sidekick Myron T. Buttram (guitarist and pedal steel player, Rob Childs) and Lonesome Dave (banjoist and guitarist, David Lindsay) appearing at the 2009 Adelaide Fringe festival, the Sydney Opera House, and the 2009 Melbourne Comedy festival. With the band renamed as "The Honky Tonk A**holes" and joined by Horst Furst II (bassist, Nigel Portman Smith) and drummer Mark Hewitt, his autumn 2009 tour included a performance at London's Hammersmith Apollo, which was recorded and released in November 2009 as a live DVD.

In 2009, he performed at the Edinburgh Festival in two shows, his solo stand up and also with long time collaborator Mike Wilmot and Montana-based actor Tim Williams in a new play entitled "Campfire Stories".

On April 5, 2010, Hall appeared as one of the stand-up acts on Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show organised by Channel 4 to raise money for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

Hall is now a regular performer on Channel 4's Stand Up for the Week, which began in June 2010.^[11]

Other appearances[link]

Hall also made an Irish TV appearance as a guest on the fifth series of RTÉ's topical news comedy programme, Don't Feed the Gondolas, and has appeared at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs comedy festival on 15 occasions. He has also performed at the West Belfast Festival/Feile an Phobail, one of the largest community festivals in Ireland, to a sell-out audience where he received widespread critical acclaim.

Hall appeared in several Pizza Hut commercials in the 1980s, mainly promoting Pizza Hut's guarantee of serving each customer within five minutes.

He has also achieved some popularity in Australia, regularly appearing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and also on Australian comedy panel shows, such as The Glass House and Spicks and Specks.

Rich Hall also made a guest appearance on Top Gear (British TV series) in 2003.

Hall has also appeared in France at the Altitude Comedy Festival 2008 in the ski resort of Meribel. He also appeared — albeit briefly — in the 2006 Cheap Seats (ESPNCL) episode titled "Steve Garvey Celebrity Skiing". He was also at the Garvey 1989 Celebrity Ski Classic.

[edit] List of celebrities impersonated on SNL

• Doug Henning
• Doug Flutie
• Bernhard Goetz
• Caspar Weinberger
• Paul Harvey
• David Byrne
• Mark Goodman
• Vince McMahon

Musical and literary career[link]

Discography[link]

1. London Not Tennessee (with The Black Liars) (2001)
2. How Do We Do It? Volume! (2003)

Bibliography[link]

1. 1984: Sniglets (Snig'Lit: Any Word That Doesn't Appear in the Dictionary, but Should), ISBN 0-02-012530-5
2. 1985: More Sniglets: Any Word That Doesn't Appear in the Dictionary, but Should
3. 1986: Unexplained Sniglets of the Universe
4. 1986: Rich Hall's Vanishing America, ISBN 0-02-547480-4
5. 1987: Angry Young Sniglets (1987)
6. 1989: When Sniglets Ruled the Earth (1989)
7. 1994: Self Help for the Bleak: Attaboy Therapy, ISBN 0-8431-3669-3
8. 2002: Things Snowball, ISBN 0-349-11576-1
9. 2003: Top Gear, (2003)
10. 2004: Otis Lee Crenshaw: I Blame Society, ISBN 0-349-11818-3
11. 2009: Magnificent Bastards, ISBN 0-349-11965-1

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rich Hall at the Internet Movie Database
• Rich Hall reading from "Magnificent Bastards" at writLOUD, London