Arnold Brown (born 1936, in Glasgow [1] ) is a Scottish Jewish comedian, [2] [3] one of the main figures in the alternative comedy scene of the early 1980s.
Originally an accountant, Brown worked hard at live standup, until he found a knack for presenting observational comedy in a slow, meandering but entertaining style. He won the Edinburgh Festival Perrier Award in 1987. His catchphrase is "And why not?"
He quotes the highlight of his career as supporting Frank Sinatra on stage in Glasgow's Ibrox Park. [4]
He can be seen on: the original Julien Temple film The Comic Strip (1981), performing live on stage; the Bill Forsyth film Comfort and Joy in which he plays a psychiatrist in a manner reminiscent of his stand-up style; The Comic Strip television series (1982 onwards) in various roles; The Young Ones in various roles; and in The Dangerous Brothers (1985).
He appeared as himself in the 1994 partially-improvised comedy film There's No Business..., starring the comedy duos Raw Sex (Simon Brint and Rowland Rivron) and The Oblivion Boys. He has appeared in Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle in various roles; [5] and in "Torture" (from Saturday Live ) as a man who has experienced Chinese water torture. Also in 1994, Methuen published his book, Are You Looking at Me, Jimmy?. [6]
Brown featured in 2012 in two Random Acts films on Channel 4 called "Where is the Fish That Never Swam?" and "The Alleyway of a Thousand Questions", directed by Jes Benstock. His DVD, Jokes I Have Known was produced and released by Go Faster Stripe in the same year. [7]
In 2008, he performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a show called Happiness: The Search Continues with Ian Macpherson. [8] He appeared on KT Tunstall's documentary about Ivor Cutler in 2020, speaking about Cutler but also about Jewish life in Glasgow. [9] In the same year, he was mentioned by Lenny Henry on Louis Theroux's Grounded podcast as an act who commendably does not resort to sexist or racist material. [10]
Arnold Brown was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Scottish Comedy Awards in April 2014. [11] [12]
The University of Kent Special Collections & Archives holds a collection of Arnold Brown's material relating to his comedy career. [13] It includes promotional material, audio recordings, press coverage and photographs. [13]
Richard Keith Herring is an English stand-up comedian and writer whose early work includes the comedy double act Lee and Herring. He is described by The British Theatre Guide as "one of the leading hidden masters of modern British comedy".
Alexei David Sayle is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic of all time on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007. In an updated 2010 poll he came 72nd.
Ivor Cutler was a Scottish poet, singer, musician, songwriter, artist and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential eponymous late-night radio programme, and later for Andy Kershaw's programme. He appeared in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film in 1967, and on Neil Innes' television programmes. Cutler also wrote books for children and adults, and was a teacher at A. S. Neill's Summerhill School and for 30 years in inner-city schools in London.
The Glee Club is a chain of independent live stand-up comedy and live music venues in the UK. The first Glee Club was opened by Mark Tughan in Birmingham's Chinese Quarter in 1994, the first dedicated comedy club to open in the United Kingdom outside London.
James Anthony Patrick Carr is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of one-liners which have been known to offend some people. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regularly appeared on television as the host of Channel 4 panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.
Omid Djalili is an Iranian-British actor, comedian, and writer.
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland. She has released eight studio albums internationally: Eye to the Telescope (2004), Drastic Fantastic (2007), Tiger Suit (2010), Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon (2013), Kin (2016), Wax (2018), Nut (2022), and a collaboration album with American musician Suzi Quatro, Face to Face (2023). She has also appeared in two episodes of the comedy series This is Jinsy on Sky Atlantic.
Josie Isabel Long is an English comedian. She started performing as a stand-up at the age of 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17.
"Suddenly I See" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall from her debut studio album, Eye to the Telescope (2004). It was inspired by New York singer and poet Patti Smith, whose album cover for Horses (1975) also inspired Tunstall's album cover for Eye to the Telescope. The song was released on 29 August 2005 as the third single from the album in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was released as the album's second single on 27 February 2006.
The discography of KT Tunstall, a Scottish rock and folk recording artist, includes eight studio albums, seven as a solo artist, a a collaboration album with Suzi Quatro, and twenty-three singles. In addition to her recording work, she has also written various soundtracks for movies. In 2014, Tunstall wrote "Miracle" as an official soundtrack single for the film Winter's Tale, and "We Could Be Kings" for Million Dollar Arm.
Ian Macpherson is an Irish writer and performer. He is best known for his stand-up comedy and for his comic novels including Deep Probings: The Autobiography of a Genius. In 2004, Deep Probings was featured as a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. He has also written a number of children's books including Late Again!
Simon Antony Bird is an English comedian, actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Will McKenzie in the multi-award-winning E4 comedy series The Inbetweeners (2008–2010), as well as its two films, and Adam Goodman in the Channel 4 comedy series Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020).
Francis Martin Patrick Boyle is a Scottish comedian and writer. Boyle first gained widespread recognition as a regular panellist on the comedy show Mock the Week from 2005 until 2009. He then created and starred in the Channel 4 sketch show Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights (2010) and BBC Two's chat show Frankie Boyle's New World Order (2017–2022). In 2020, he presented a four-part series on BBC Two, Frankie Boyle's Tour of Scotland. He has embarked on a number of tours, releasing several stand-up specials. Boyle has been involved in several public controversies due to his humour.
This is a summary of 2006 in music in the United Kingdom.
Iain Andrew Stirling is a Scottish comedian, writer, television presenter, narrator and Twitch streamer from Edinburgh, Scotland.
James William Acaster is an English comedian. As well as the stand-up specials Repertoire and Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999, he is known for co-hosting the food podcast Off Menu and the panel show Hypothetical. Acaster makes use of fictional characters within his stand-up comedy, which is characterised by frequent callback jokes, offbeat observational comedy and overarching stories. He has won five Chortle Awards, a Just for Laughs Award and International Comedy Festival Awards at Melbourne and New Zealand.
Ivor Joseph Dembina is a British stand-up comedian and writer in the alternative tradition from London.
Aunty Donna is an Australian surrealist comedy group formed in Melbourne in 2011. The group consists of performers and writers Mark Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane, alongside writer and director Sam Lingham, director Max Miller and composer Thomas Zahariou. Their work spans numerous live shows, a YouTube channel, a podcast, a studio album, the Netflix series Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun, the ABC Australia series Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe and the picture book Always Room for Christmas Pud.
Oliver Double is a British stand-up comedian, author and academic. Since 1999, he has taught comic and popular performance at the University of Kent. His current roles at the university are Reader in Drama and Theatre, and Head of Comedy and Popular Performance.
Leo Kearse is a comedian and broadcaster from Scotland. His stand-up comedy routines have earned him the Scottish Comedian of the Year award and UK Pun Champion. A self-professed right-wing comedian, Kearse regularly appears on GB News.