Rosie Allen - BTEC Acting
KEY INFLUENCES IN STAND-UP COMEDY
Stand-Up Comedy is a genre of comedy that involves a comedian performing live in front of an audience, usually delivering a monologue-style sketch directly to them. Most stand-up comedians either write their material in an anecdotal style, or as a series of 'one-liners' which are in the more traditional 'joke' format.
1) Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise were a famous British comedy double act who worked in many genres of media including television, radio, variety shows and film. They began to perform together in 1941 when they each applied for a solo appearance in Jack Hylton's revue, Youth Takes A Bow. They became known for their work in variety shows in the mid-20th Century and transferred to many different genres of media during their long career as entertainers, appearing on television for the first time in 1956 in their own show, Running Wild. Their style is very much sketch-based and critic Kenneth Tynan stated that they had a unique dynamic - Ernie was a 'comedian who wasn't funny' whilst Eric was was a 'straight man who was funny'. They have left a legacy of well-known catchphrases, iconic comedy sketches as well as a significant influence on contemporary comedy with the likes of Miranda Hart openly citing them as a key influence on her career in entertainment.
2) Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood is a multi-talented comic who has had a wide-spanning career over many genres of comedy including sketches, plays, films, sitcoms and music-based live comedy performances. She began her career whilst studying drama at the University of Birmingham where she first appeared on the TV show, New Faces. Her first play, Talent, was commissioned in 1978 and won an award for Most Promising New Writer, which led the head of drama at Granada Television to invite her to create a TV adaptation in which Julie Walters starred in the lead role. Her sketch show, As Seen on TV, has led to the legacy of many iconic British comedy moments such as 'Acorn Antiques' which was a spoof of low-budget soap operas and this successful TV programme starred Julie Walters, Patricia Routledge and Celia Imrie. Her most famous stand-up shows include Sold Out, At the Albert Hall - Live and Live In Your Own Home. She has had a hugely long career so far, spanning from the early 1970s and she has already left a lasting legacy on the genre of British stand-up comedy due to her then-unique method of combining her many talents into a truly multi-disciplinary act, giving way to musical comedians such as Bill Bailey adopting this form of comedy.
3) Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard began his career in the early 1980s whilst at university studying accountancy at Sheffield, a degree that he abandoned in favour of pursuing comedy as a career on the streets of Covent Garden in London. He rose to a position of some recognition in the comedy world throughout the early 1990s through his improvisational work at his own club in Soho, 'The Raging Bull'. Since then, he has drawn inspiration from people such as Billy Connelly, Monty Python and Spike Milligan and has become renowned for his 'rambling, whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime', often with a very intellectual spin that incorporates linguistics into the comedy routines that he performs live on stage. This intellectual comedy has gone on to influence famous comedians such as Dara O'Briain, Sean Lock, Harry Hill and Rhod Gilbert and has been the winner of many awards including Emmy Awards and British Comedy Awards since the early 1990s.
4) Michael McIntyre
Michael McIntyre has been on the comedy circuit since 1999 and was reported to be the highest grossing comedian in 2012. He is most noted for his satire and observational comedy and has truly commercialised stand-up comedy in recent years, sparking a revival and bringing this genre of entertainment to a wider audience through his extensive work on television in programmes such as Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, Live at the Apollo and The Michael McIntyre Chat Show as well as appearing on TV panel quiz shows and publishing an autobiography in 2010. His style of humour is inoffensive and highly observational, giving it an incredibly relateable feel for his audiences. He continues to be one of the most prominent comedians in the public eye today.
