Mark Watson
| Mark Watson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mark Andrew Watson |
| Born | 13 February 1980 Bristol, England |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, radio |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Genres | Satire, observational comedy |
| Spouse | Emily Watson Howes |
| Website | http://www.markwatsonthecomedian.com |
Mark Andrew Watson (born 13 February 1980) is a British stand-up comedian and novelist. He was born in Bristol of a Welsh family.[1][2]
Early life
Watson attended Bristol Grammar School before going to Queens' College, Cambridge, where he studied English, gaining a first class degree.
At university he wrote, starred in, and directed a number of plays and comedy sketch shows including two years with the Cambridge Footlights, with whom he was nominated for a Perrier Comedy Award (Best Newcomer) at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Career
Comedy
Watson has appeared regularly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning the first ever Panel Prize at the if.comeddies in 2006 and being nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2005 Perrier Comedy Awards. His other awards include the Time Out Critic's Choice Award 2006 and a Barry Award nomination for best show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival 2006.
Watson has performed several unusual shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and Melbourne Festivals, including marathon shows lasting 24 hours and more, also featuring guest appearances from other performers such as Tim Key, Tim Minchin, Adam Hills, Daniel Kitson, David O'Doherty, Brendon Burns and John Dorney as the balladeer.
Watson undertook his first long show at the 2004 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, lasting 24 hours; at the end of the show he successfully proposed to his girlfriend Emily Howes.
At the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Watson hosted a literary workshop-cum-interactive comedy show entitled Mark Watson, And His Audience, Write A Novel. The aim was to write, by the end of August, a novel begun from scratch and woven entirely from audience suggestions, with another 2,000 words or so added each day. The novel was not finished within the month but the project is set to continue albeit in by an, as yet, undecided method now that the festival has finished. The book so far is posted on the website MySpace. [1]
At the 2007 Fringe, Watson hosted We Need Answers with Alex Horne and Tim Key. This saw 16 comedians take part in a knock out quiz where all the questions and answers came from text service Any Question Answered. Paul Sinha won the competition, beating Josie Long in the final. We Need Answers returned in 2008 with fewer rounds, Josie Long emerged as winner, beating Sinha in the semi-final and Kristen Schaal in the final.
Watson performed his last ever 24 hour show at the 2009 Fringe along with his "Earth Summit" and his "Edit". The Earth Summit was Watson's version of the Al Gore talk about world pollution and global warming and the Edit was a compilation of Watson's fringe shows to date, made particularly for those who have not seen him perform there.
Watson's debut DVD, titled The Mark Watson Edit, will be released on 15th November 2010[3].
Live shows
| Show name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Far too Happy | Cambridge Footlights revue with Edward Jaspers, Tim Key, Dan Macaskill, James Morris and Sophie Winkleman. Perrier Comedy Award nomination |
| 2004 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Stereocomics | With Rhod Gilbert |
| Mark Watson's Overambitious 24-Hour Show | ||
| 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | 50 Years Before Death And The Awful Prospect Of Eternity | Perrier Best Newcomer Award nomination[4] |
| 2005 Years in 2005 Minutes | ||
| 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | I'm Worried That I'm Starting To Hate Almost Everyone In The World | |
| Mark Watson's Seemingly Impossible 36-Hour Circuit Of The World | Won if.comeddie award Panel Prize[5] | |
| Mark Watson, And His Audience, Write A Novel | ||
| 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Can I Briefly Talk To You About The Point Of Life? | Followed by UK tour |
| Mark Watson's 24 Hour Jamboree To Save The Planet | ||
| We Need Answers | Gameshow. With Tim Key and Alex Horne. Later transferred to BBC Four | |
| Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2008 | Mark Watson (And Friends) Take Control Of The World In 24 Hours | |
| 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | All The Thoughts I've Had Since I Was Born | Followed by UK tour |
| We Need Answers | With Tim Key and Alex Horne | |
| 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Mark Watson's Last Ever 24-Hour Show | |
| Mark Watson's Earth Summit | ||
| The Mark Watson Edit | ||
| The Hotel | Comedic theatre show written and directed by Mark Watson[6] |
Television
We Need Answers
A three-episode run of We Need Answers began on BBC Four on 12 February 2009, based on the Edinburgh Fringe show of the same name. As with the live show, Watson co-hosted with Tim Key and Alex Horne.
Guests included Germaine Greer, Michael Rosen and Jilly Goolden.
We Need Answers has been commissioned for a further 13 episodes, to be broadcast in 2009.
Guest appearances
Watson has made regular appearances on BBC Two's comedy panel show Mock The Week; he has also been a panellist on BBC music quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks four times—once as guest captain and once as presenter—in addition to appearing on current affairs panel show Have I Got News for You. He also makes regular appearances on panel show cum debate programme Argumental.
Watson performed several talking heads in Armando Iannucci's spoof documentary series Time Trumpet.
In Australia he has been seen on Rove, Good News Week, Spicks and Specks and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, all aired in April 2007.
Watson performed stand up on episode one of Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, aired 7 June 2009.
Radio
Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better, aired on BBC Radio 4 in February 2007, followed by a second series in August 2008. Both series featured poems by Tim Key and music, performed by Tim Minchin in the first series and Tom Basden in the second. In August 2009, Watson hosted a three-episode series on BBC Radio 5 Live called 100 Million or Bust, where a panel of guests attempted to spend £100 million on transfers as managers of a English Premier League team.
Guest appearances
Watson has made regular appearances on the BBC Radio 5 Live show Fighting Talk.
Books
Watson has written two novels: Bullet Points (2004) and A Light-Hearted Look At Murder (2007), both published by Chatto and Windus. His most recent book, Crap at the Environment (2008), follows his own efforts to halve his carbon footprint over the course of one year and was the Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4 in the last week of July 2008.
Other work
In 2009, Watson appeared in adverts for Magners Pear Cider.
On 25 February, Watson presented the 2009 NME Awards at Brixton Academy. At the start of the 2009/2010 season, Watson writes a regular article in the Bristol City official matchday programme Well Red.
In December 2009, Watson's television drama A Child's Christmases in Wales was screened on BBC Four.
On February 17th 2010, Watson started a Ten-Year Blog on his website. To mark his 30th birthday and the imminent birth of his son, Watson has decided to attempt a daily blog lasting ten years to record his thirties. Coinsiding with this, Watson pitched the idea of the Ten-Year Self Improvment Challenge or TYSIC for short. Officially beginning on 4th March 2010, Watson invited people to set goals, challenges or resolutions to try to complete in the ten year period. He revealed his own on the 3rd March 2010:
1) To have more courage and conquer his fear of lightning.
2) To play drums at a live gig or on a record.
3) To cut down on alcohol so that by his 40th birthday he is drinking 50% less of his current consumption.
4) To stop comparing himself with other people, both professionally and personally.
5) Something outlandish: either to meet Barack Obama, cause a change to the laws of the country or to take significant steps to getting into Outer Space.
People were invited to suggest their own aims through comments on his blog and will be able to track their progress on a fans forum. It is yet to be seen if anything is achieved but fingers crossed for all!
Personal life
Watson is married to Emily Watson-Howes, a fellow writer and performer. On February 23rd 2010, Emily gave birth to their first child, baby boy Kit Watson.
As a fan of Bristol City Watson attends around 10 or 12 games a season.[7]
References
- ^ a b Gavin Allen (22 January 2007). "Preview: Mark Watson". South Wales Echo.
- ^ Brian Logan (15 August 2006). "The show must go on and on". The Guardian.
- ^ "Play.com - The Mark Watson Edit".
- ^ "The Perrier Comedy Award 2005".
- ^ "Phil Nichol wins top comedy award". BBC News. 27 August 2006.
- ^ The Hotel Press Release - TheInvisibleDot.com
- ^ Griffiths, Huw (9 September 2008). "Mark Watson Interview". Bristol City Net Centre. Retrieved 8 July 2009.