‘IT'S JUST NICE TO BE DISCUSSED AND FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE A VIEW'
[ltllL'llllili tttlll‘ag'e.
'Ynu knnw. snnretimes a inke is ~iust based nn hate and thinking that _\nu're better than snnienne else.‘ reeknns ('arr. 'llut it it dnesn't itt\n|\e thnse things. then I think it‘s ()K. :\ lnt nl the titne it‘s inst wnrdpla} and what happens is that inkes aren‘t nltensne trntil snmenne tells a persnn that the} enuld lurther their eause with this trike. 'i‘ilk‘lt‘ was that ease \\ llll [Jill/c HI'I'IUI'II. where the} did that inke abntrt the wnrnan whn had a pr'nblern with her bladder and suddenl} there was snrne enrnplaints l'rnm the .\'atinnal \VntttettK l.nnse Bladder .«\ssneiatinn and the wnman whn was inteniewed was \er) hnnest and said that the-\‘d made a enrnplaint beeause penple didn't knnw abntrt this prnblem and it was \er} gnnd publieit) l'nr the eausef
()l ennrse the knnek—nn el'l'eet is that an) deepl} hurt member til the publie whn gets in the news enmplaining abntrt a inke will nnl} \L‘t'\e It) add till a lew e\tt'a tieket sales littt‘ that enmie. Being nllensne \er} rar'el} damages eareers these da_\s. \Vhen .Iulian ('lar) ntade a lixe—nn-air relerenee tn listing .\'nrman l.amnnt baekstage at the British (‘nmed_\ .»\war'ds in I‘M}. the nest da_\'s papers \irtuall} w r'nte (‘lar'_\ ‘s shnw business nbituar}. 'l'his mnnth. he is appearing at the Bunk l‘estnal with his debut
ltn\el and has ernpped up nn ehildren's tele\ isinn presenting dng training shnw s.
‘l~'nr me. it‘s just niee tn be diseussed and t‘nr penple tn take a \ iew.' (‘ari' sa_\s nl an} ad\erse reaetinn tn his tnaterial. 'But it snmenne thinks I‘m tunn}. the}‘re right: it' snmenne thinks I‘m rtnt l'unn}. thefre rigltt. 'lhat's the end nt' the stnt'} real|_\. and il~ )nu ha\ e In make it mnre nt' a stnr'_\ then )nu'll tind a reasnn: "l dnn‘t like him because he dues stttl-l~ that's lttisngytistie. nl‘ he said snmething that's hnmnphnbie'. Well. I‘m neither nl thnse things. 'l'hese are just little wnrdpla_\s that titillate and eseite. lt’s almnst pnrnngraphie in a sense. the idea that. "he said that thing that _\nu ean’t sa) and it‘s kind nt' t'un; lean't lnnk awa_\".'
l‘rnm the mnment (‘arr tnnk his place within the enmed} l'raternit}. penple haxe l‘nund it dil'l'ieult tn lnnk aw a} (this isn't just a eheap swipe at the laet that l'nr a while. whene\ er _\nu switehed nntn (‘hannel 4. there he wnuld be pt‘n\idittg the tiller tnaterial tn the III!) (il't’tllt‘.\l ll'lrulr't't'rsi. l)isenehanted with the wnrld nl' marketing at Shell. this (‘ambridge graduate nl' Sneial and l’nlitieal Seienees ('l dnn‘t knnw' whether it‘s helped my eareer bttt it's wnn me a enuple nl pub quiHes n\ er the wars) snapped up the tiller nl' \'nluntar_\ redundane} when the enmpan)‘ w'as espeeting the _\nuthl'ul likes nl' him tn sta_\ nn.
:\ enmedy tan by nature. he had started In w'rite snme gags in his last few mnnths at the enmpan)‘. and was happ} tn take the mnne) and run nl'l' tn a new life.
‘I arri\ ed at enmedy quite dead set nn it.‘ he reealls. 'l‘m seen by snme penple as aVarieinus but I thnught l was a massive sueeess as snnn as I started playing the (’nmedy Stnre. The way it w‘nrk‘s is that _\'ntt gn tn see liddie l//.ard playing l‘nr an hnur and ynu think. “my gnd l enuld ne\'er dn that". Then ynu gn tn the (‘nmedy Stnre and w'ateh guys dn l‘antastie 20-minute sets and think. “I enuld never dn that". lisentuall} _\'nu gn tn the l)ng and Duck in Stepney and w‘ateh snme new aets dn lis'e nr ten minutes. and _\'nu lnnk at the aw t'ul nnes and think. "well. I enuld dn that." That‘s hnw' it starts nil:
('arr's lidinburgh debut was with the Ruh/wmeekw' gang t'rnm 2()()l t’rnnted by Ricky (ierx'ais and numbered b} Stephen Merchant and Rubin lnee. (‘arrs shnn sharp shneks and Derek .\'immn-esque laux innneenee still remain fresh in the memnr} and have been hnned and ehiselled tn pinpnint per‘t‘eetinn thrnugh Fringe slums sueh as the l’errier-nnminated I)’(ll'(’-l‘il(‘(’(/ .-\mhirinn thrnugh tn last )CM‘K (jug Reflex;
This _\'ear he is a Rt'pt'ul ()Ht’llt/(‘I‘ and prnmises annther rnugh ride t‘nr thnse (it a sensitive dispnsitinn. 'l'\'e gnt l'nur nr t'n'e jnkes w'hieh are genuinely the must "nh. I can‘t believe Iliur's a jnk'e" that I‘ve e\'er written. I w'nuldn‘t reall} eall them nt'l'ensive. but thefre perhaps things that penple might not have thnught were nnw‘ subjeet matters that jnkes enuld be dnne abnutf Braee _\nur.sel\'es.
Jimmy Carr, EICC, 0870 4000 886, 16-26 Aug (not 20-22), 9pm, £14 (£12).
The right stuff
Punt and Dennis can‘t work out what it means to be British these days. Julian Hall finds them scratching their heads and looking fomard to a rare union
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Hugh [tennis :5; equal", peat‘ht. keen atmrt the le:;ti.al experientt- and .rtlrvrrts ‘E rlrnhurrrh in wire (it the tnur placer; cnultl Irxe at. tin; with l t illtit ill rwhew l .ln |r‘.e> 23.:lttey and Cape lriwn. all tnr rlrtterent reasnns \"Jhen :;pt;ke tn hrrn, [)ennié; hatl rust returnerl trnrn the Han? Pyrenees where he had taken part in the Britikrn l tape riu lnur the amateur let) nt the lnur de l rance. He cnrnpleterl rt in it hours; and 1' minutes: ‘I was an hnur ahead (it the "the hrnnrn", the vehicle that tiatherf; the slnwer rulers; and (listrtialrtref; thern
Despite Dennrn' cnntinental adventure, rt't, rnatteré; closer tr) hnrne that :nncern thern print in their 13ll()\.".', more specifically the filtjltllltlitlttt.‘ nt being British, nr rnrleett Scnttrnh. 'lt's (renniner interesting; to tinrl nut where penple feel a Int lesr. Britishf rnuset; l’unt "It tnu watch tnntarie n? the 1906 Wnrlrl Cup l rnal exer‘,’ flat; there I") the llnrnn Jack which has; now heen (,nrnpletely replaced hy the St Genrtte llart ()nrnerly it; usually ahnut the common grnunrl, what people share rather than (in/ides them it; where the laughs are, int these differences are genuinely interestrnri' Are there any unifying factors to being Billlfiil nnw'.’ ‘Yes' they chrrne. ‘tn complain hitterly Ili)()lli unrnethrnr; before rt happens. like the Olympics. i)lll really
get ltllt) rt When it".
actually happening?" Punt and [Jenn/.3, . P/er’rsar )(,‘()
Cour’tyarri, 5‘30 _/ 65330, 10— Iii Aug. 4pm, Hz (PW/)0}.
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9—‘. 6 Aug 2 E LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZI