Character comedy: Difference between revisions

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Character comedy is a genre in which a stand-up comedian performs as a character they have created. Examples include Al Murray's crotchety Pub Landlord and Rich Hall's musician "uncle" Otis Lee Crenshaw; both of these won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Diane Morgan's character Philomena Cunk and Steve Delaney's Count Arthur Strong are further examples.^[1]

References

^ Blake, Marc (2021). How To Be A Comedy Writer: Secrets from the Inside. Andrews UK. pp. 39–40. ISBN 9781789825107.

[1] Blake, Marc (2021). How To Be A Comedy Writer: Secrets from the Inside. Andrews UK. pp. 39–40. ISBN 9781789825107.

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 {{Short description|Comedy genre}}
 {{refimprove|date=December 2008}}
+[[File:Al Murray.jpg|thumb|Al Murray as the Pub Landlord]]
-'''Character comedy''' is a genre in which a comedian performs as a character they have created.
+'''Character comedy''' is a genre in which a stand-up comedian performs as a character they have created. Examples include [[Al Murray]]'s crotchety Pub Landlord and [[Rich Hall]]'s musician "uncle" Otis Lee Crenshaw; both of these won the Perrier Award at the [[Edinburgh Comedy Awards]]. [[Diane Morgan]]'s character Philomena Cunk and [[Steve Delaney]]'s Count Arthur Strong are further examples.<ref>{{cite book |last=Blake |first=Marc |date=2021 |title=How To Be A Comedy Writer: Secrets from the Inside |pages=39–40 |publisher=Andrews UK |isbn=9781789825107}}</ref>
-==List of character comedians==
-Notable character comedians include:
-{{div col}}
-*[[Barry Humphries] - plays [Dame Edna Everage]
-*[[Tim Allen]] – Plays a handyman in ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'' and his stand-up routines
-*[[Rowan Atkinson]] – Plays [[Mr. Bean]]
-*[[Colleen Ballinger]] – Plays the talentless and cocky [[Miranda Sings]]
-*[[Maria Bamford]] – Plays a neurotic version of herself in her stand-up shows
-*[[George Carlin]] – Played Al Sleet the "hippy-dippy weatherman" in his stand-up routine
-*[[Jim Carrey]] – Often portrays a hyperactive maniac
-*[[Charlie Chaplin]] – Played [[The Tramp]]
-*[[Andrew Dice Clay]] – Has played the "Diceman" character for most of his stand-up career
-*[[Sacha Baron Cohen]] – Plays [[Ali G]], [[Borat Sagdiyev|Borat]], and [[Brüno (character)|Brüno]], among others; mostly avoided public appearances and out-of-character interviews until the mid-2010s
-*[[Stephen Colbert]] – Performed a [[Stephen Colbert (character)|fictional version of himself]] on ''[[The Daily Show]]'' and ''[[The Colbert Report]]''
-*[[Steve Coogan]] – Plays various characters, most notably [[Alan Partridge]]
-*[[Leigh Francis]] – Plays original characters such as [[Keith Lemon]] and various parodies of celebrities
-*[[Ricky Gervais]] – Plays various characters
-*[[Ilana Glazer]] and [[Abbi Jacobson]] – Perform live stand-up as the characters from their comedy series ''[[Broad City]]''
-*[[Andy Kaufman]] – Played various characters
-*[[Chris Lilley (comedian)|Chris Lilley]] – Played [[Ja'mie King]], [[Mr G]], and [[Jonah Takalua]] on the miniseries ''[[Summer Heights High]]''
-*[[Harold Lloyd]] - Played Lonesome Luke and Glasses Character
-*[[Sam Lloyd]] – Plays various characters
-*[[Anders Matthesen]] – Plays various characters, some of which starred in the 2004 film ''[[Terkel in Trouble]]''
-*[[Joji (musician)|George Miller]] – Played and created various characters, most famously Filthy Frank and Pink Guy
-*[[Joe Pera]] – Plays a version of himself in ''[[Joe Pera Talks With You]] (TV series)'' and his stand-up routines
-*[[Paul Reubens]] – Plays [[Pee-wee Herman]]
-*[[Martin Short]] – Played [[Jiminy Glick]], [[Irving Cohen]], [[Ed Grimley]], [[Nathan Thurm]], and various others<ref>{{Cite web|title=Martin Short|url=https://www.secondcity.com/people/other/martin-short/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=The Second City|language=en-US}}</ref>
-*[[Sarah Silverman]] – Played a dim-witted and naïve character who treads insensitively through controversial topics in her early stand-up shows
-*[[Catherine Tate]] – Plays various characters, mostly in ''[[The Catherine Tate Show]]''
-*[[Jane Turner]] and [[Gina Riley]] – Play various characters such as [[Kath Day-Knight]] and [[Kim Craig]] from ''[[Kath & Kim]]'', and rarely make out-of-character public appearances<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/culture/how-long-can-it-go-on/2007/10/25/1192941221509.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap4|title=How long can it go on?|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|date=25 October 2007}}</ref>
-*[[Tracey Ullman]] – Plays various characters
-*[[Jim Varney]] – Plays Ernest P. Worrell and Aunty Nelda in various productions
-*[[Sam Hyde]] – Plays various characters
-*[[María Elena Velasco]] – Played [[La India María]]
-*Tom Walker – Plays [[Jonathan Pie]]
-*[[Bobcat Goldthwait]] –Played a crazed comic with a loud and wild bobcat-like voice. He played up that character as Officer Zed in Police Academy.
-{{div col end}}
 == References ==