Matthew Highton

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Matthew Highton is a British comedian [1] and film-maker from Saddleworth known for his surreal storytelling. [2]

Performing since 2009, Highton has worked as both a solo act and as part of the alternative comedy collective Weirdos. He has taken several shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, débuting in 2010. [3] In 2014, Highton was also part of the cast for Knightmare Live, [4] a stage version of the popular 90s children show Knightmare.

As part of Weirdos, Highton co-wrote and directed their 2013's alternative Christmas Panto, The Colonel [5] alongside Weirdos founder Adam Larter and directed 2014's A Christmas Tail. [6] He also played Rufio in their 2012 stage re-production of Steven Spielberg's Hook . In 2012, Highton and Larter also put on Bowie Fest [7] a spoof version of the V&A's 'Bowie Is' exhibit. [8] In 2017, he played a hybrid of Donald Trump and Phil Collins, [9] in Tony Law and Friends in the Battle for Icetopia. A collaboration between Weirdos and Tony Law unwisely set on the Alexandra Palace Ice Rink. [10] The show went on to receive the 2018 Chortle Award for Event of the Year. [11]

Highton is a filmmaker, creating the online sketch show The Thinking Shower which he stars in alongside, amongst others, Fosters Comedy Award winner John Kearns. In 2014, he made his first short film Santageddon [12] which starred several other UK comedians including Nick Helm, John Kearns, Gemma Whelan and Pat Cahill. He has a plethora of shorts and sketches to his name, working closely with many of the UKs best comedians. Many of these include collaborations with fellow Weirdo Joz Norris, [13] whom he also has a Resonance FM radio show with, called Radio K.A.O.S [14] named after the Roger Waters album.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, Highton put his filmmaking and editing skills to use creating a string of viral videos. Most notably his stock footage recreations, where he recreates classic TV intros such as Pokémon [15] and the Simpsons [16] using nothing but stock footage.

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References

  1. ↑ "Matthew Highton, comedian tour dates : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk.
  2. ↑ http://www.broadwaybaby.com/news/matthew-highton/237. Archived 2015-01-21 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "FringeGuru - Matthew Highton's Incidental Combobulations". www.fringeguru.com.
  4. ↑ "Cast". Archived from the original on 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  5. ↑ "The Colonel: the Weirdos team's alternative pantomime – Christmas comedy in London – Time Out Comedy – Time Out London". Archived from the original on 2013-12-19.
  6. ↑ "A Christmas Tail – Weirdos Alternative Panto". Time Out London.
  7. ↑ "Bowie Fest". Time Out London.
  8. ↑ "V&A · David Bowie". Victoria and Albert Museum.
  9. ↑ "Live Review: Tony Law and Friends in The Battle for Icetopia, Alexandra Palace". Beyond The Joke. October 15, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Anarchy at the ice rink: when comedy, theatre and nonsense collide". the Guardian. October 11, 2017.
  11. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Chortle Awards 2018: The results : News 2018 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk.
  12. ↑ "Cool Short: Santageddon – Christmas comedy horror! | Live for Films". Archived from the original on 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  13. ↑ Finch, Alex (May 9, 2019). "Interview: Joz Norris".
  14. ↑ "Mixcloud". Mixcloud.
  15. ↑ "Pokémon's Intro, Remade with Stock Footage". 7 April 2021.
  16. ↑ "THE SIMPSONS Intro Recreated from Stock Footage is a Delight".
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