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'{{Infobox person | name = Mark Earl Lamarr | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = Mark Earl Jones | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|1|7|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Swindon]], [[Wiltshire]], [[England]] | years_active = 1985–2010 | occupation = Comedian, radio DJ, television presenter }} '''Mark Earl Lamarr''' (born '''Mark Earl Jones''', 7 January 1967) is an English comedian, radio DJ, and television presenter. He was a team captain on ''[[Shooting Stars (TV series)|Shooting Stars]]'' from 1995 to 1997, and hosted ''[[Never Mind the Buzzcocks]]'' from 1996 to 2005. ==Early life== Lamarr was born in the Park South area of [[Swindon]], [[Wiltshire]]. He has three elder sisters. His father is [[Irish people|Irish]]. He passed five [[General Certificate of Education|O-Levels]] at Park School (renamed Oakfield School) but dropped out of school at 17 and moved to [[Harrow, London]], which was the centre of the early 1980s British [[rockabilly]] revival scene. After his [[poetry|poem]] ''Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Work'' was published in 1987, his act developed from poetry to stand-up comedy. He took to performing at London's [[The Comedy Store, London|Comedy Store]] in 1985, was spotted on the touring circuit for the launch of [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[The Big Breakfast]]'' in 1992 and co-presented'' [[The Word (TV series)|The Word]]''. ==Career== ===Television=== Lamarr first came to the public's attention as a co-presenter of the early 1990s late night variety show ''[[The Word (TV series)|The Word]]''. The magazine format of the series allowed for interviews, live music, features and even game shows. The flexible late-night format meant that guests could do just about anything to be controversial. Talking about his TV career to Jo Brown of ''Cheers Magazine'', Lamarr said ''The Word'' was: {{cquote|No fun at all; it was a horrible, horrible, repulsive environment to work in, fucking shite to be honest, mainly due to the company. They were just very cunty and just an obnoxious group of people to deal with, and I think that came across in the shows they ended up producing.<ref name=ayme> {{cite web|last=Brown |first=Jo |title=Mark Lamarr Interview |work=Cheers magazine |publisher=Association of Young People with ME |date=March–April 2003 |url=http://www.ayme.org.uk/article.php?sid=13&id=26 |accessdate=6 March 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040618151642/http://www.ayme.org.uk/article.php?sid=13&id=26 |archivedate=18 June 2004 }} </ref>}} After leaving ''The Word'', Lamarr was an outside presenter on ''[[The Big Breakfast]]'' from 1992 to 1996. Between 1995 and 1997 he appeared as a team captain in the surreal panel show ''[[Shooting Stars (TV series)|Shooting Stars]]'', where he displayed a mixture of dour boredom and contempt towards hosts [[Vic Reeves]] and [[Bob Mortimer]] who, in turn, mocked his "50s throw-back" appearance. Lamarr declined to return for the fourth series in 2002, claiming he did not want to be typecast for appearing on panel shows.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} He said of his experience on the show: {{cquote|''Shooting Stars'' was strangely no fun whatsoever, because I was sort of playing a particularly moody, almost mute character and you end up just doing that... I mean it was always fun with Vic and Bob because they are old friends and it was nice working with them, but no, it wasn't fun.<ref name=ayme />}} Lamarr was host of ''[[Never Mind the Buzzcocks]]'' when the show launched in 1996 and continued in this role for 17 series until 2005. Under Lamarr, the show gained a reputation for scornful treatment of the boy bands and the bland pop music that had dominated the music scene since the early '90s, a position that was maintained by his successor. Although Lamarr initially intended to return to ''Buzzcocks'' after one series away,<ref> {{Cite news | title = Buzzcocks to get guest presenters | publisher = BBC News | date = 14 November 2005 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4435568.stm | accessdate = 6 March 2010 | quote = Never Mind the Buzzcocks presenter Mark Lamarr is to be replaced by guest hosts for the next series of the BBC Two pop music quiz show. He is set to return to Buzzcocks after the next series is complete. "After nine years he just wanted to take a little break," said a spokeswoman at Talkback Thames. }}</ref> he was ultimately replaced by [[Simon Amstell]] from the 19th series.<ref> {{Cite news | title = Amstell cued up to host Buzzcocks | publisher = BBC News | date = 23 August 2005 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5275266.stm | accessdate = 6 March 2010 | quote = Former Popworld presenter Simon Amstell is to replace Mark Lamarr as host of TV music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Amstell will take over when the BBC Two show returns for its 19th series later this year, having been one of several guest presenters in the last series. }}</ref> The two series of the sitcom ''[[15 Storeys High]]'' were co-written by Lamarr with comedian [[Sean Lock]] and Martin Trenaman, although Lamarr was credited under his real name, Mark Jones.<ref> {{cite web | title = Filmography, Mark Lamarr | work = Film & TV Database | publisher = [[British Film Institute]] | url = http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/420797?view=credit | accessdate = 6 March 2010 }} </ref> ===Radio=== Lamarr has previously presented shows on [[BBC London 94.9|BBC GLR]], [[BBC Radio 5 (former)|BBC Radio 5]] and [[BBC Radio 1]]. He also often guest presented the late night [[BBC Radio 2]] show, sitting in for [[Mark Radcliffe]]. He hosted the show on the day that [[John Peel]] died (25 October 2004). On 20 July 1998, Lamarr launched a new show on [[BBC Radio 2]] called ''Shake, Rattle and Roll'', where he played tracks from his own sizeable record collection of obscure [[rock and roll]] gems. He also presented ''The Reggae Show'' series and ''Mark Lamarr's Alternative Sixties'', playing lesser known tracks from the 1960s. On 22 April 2006, Lamarr started a new Radio 2 show called ''God's Jukebox''. The show aired from midnight to 3.00am on Saturdays and featured a wide variety of music from the previous 70 years including soul, ska, reggae, country, gospel and rap. He also, with [[Jo Brand]], regularly covered the [[Jonathan Ross]] Saturday morning show on Radio 2 when Ross was away. His final God's Jukebox show was broadcast on Christmas Eve/Day, 2010. At the end of 2010 Lamarr left Radio 2, claiming the station had lost interest in non-mainstream music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/03/mark-lamarr-to-leave-radio-2|title=Mark Lamarr to leave Radio 2|author=John Plunkett|work=the Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/03/mark-lamarr-departing-radio-2|title=Mark Lamarr hits out at Radio 2|author=John Plunkett|work=the Guardian}}</ref> Lamarr presented a music show for [[British Airways]] on-board listeners as part of their in-flight entertainment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lime-management.com/airline-information/onboard.aspx|title=On Board|work=lime-management.com}}</ref> In this show he presented a mix of rock and roll, blues, reggae, soul and R&B. ===Post-radio career=== Lamarr has continued to produce various compilation albums for several record labels, with an emphasis on lesser-known rock 'n' roll tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://famouslastwordsrecords.com/coffee/time-for-a-recall-to-the-airwaves/|title=Time For A Recall To The Airwaves|work=famouslastwordsrecords.com}}</ref> He produced a compilation for Vee-Tone Records in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Wild-Streak-Rock-N-Roll/release/6818659|title=Wild Streak Rock 'N' Roll|work=discogs.com}}</ref> ===Stand-up videos=== * ''Uncensored And Live'' (17 November 1997) ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== *{{IMDb name|0482848}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamarr, Mark}} [[Category:1967 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:British radio DJs]] [[Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters]] [[Category:English game show hosts]] [[Category:English male comedians]] [[Category:English radio DJs]] [[Category:English radio personalities]] [[Category:English television presenters]] [[Category:People from Swindon]]'