Mark Lamarr

Last updated
Mark Lamarr
Born
Mark Jones

(1967-01-07) 7 January 1967 (age 57)
Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • disc jockey
  • television presenter
Years active
  • 1985–present

Mark Lamarr (born Mark Jones; 7 January 1967) is an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. He was a team captain on Shooting Stars from 1995 to 1997, and hosted Never Mind the Buzzcocks from 1996 to 2005.

Contents

Career

Television

Lamarr first came to the public's attention as a co-presenter of the early 1990s late night variety show 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:

No fun at all; it was a horrible, horrible, repulsive environment to work in, mainly due to the company. They were just very... just an obnoxious group of people to deal with and I think that came across in the shows they ended up producing. [1]

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 , [2] 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. [2] 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 ] He said of his experience on the show:

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. [1]

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 pop music that had dominated the music scene since the early 1990s, a position that was maintained by his successor. Lamarr left the show in 2005 and initially claimed he intended to return after one series away. However, Lamarr later confirmed via Twitter in 2022 that he said that to avoid questions about leaving the show. [3] He was ultimately replaced by Simon Amstell from the 19th series. [4]

The second series of the sitcom 15 Storeys High was co-written by Lamarr with comedians Sean Lock and Martin Trenaman, although Lamarr was credited under his original name, Mark Jones. [5] Lamarr made a cameo appearance in the fourth episode of series two. [6]

Radio

Lamarr has previously presented shows on BBC GLR, BBC Radio 5 and BBC Radio 1. He also often guest presented the late night BBC Radio 2 show, sitting in for Mark Radcliffe.

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. [2] [7] In a 2013 interview with music website “Famous Last Words”, Lamarr stated that he would return to radio in the future. [ citation needed ]

Lamarr presented a music show for British Airways on-board listeners as part of their in-flight entertainment. [8] 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. [9] He produced a compilation for Vee-Tone Records in 2015. [10] Lamarr joined Twitter in 2018 and uses the platform to showcase lesser known music.

Lamarr made a return to comedy in September 2020, appearing in an episode of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Phil Ellis Is Trying as the voice of Billy Bonker, the reclusive owner of a Cup-a-Soup factory. [11]

Stand-up videos

Personal life

On 1 September 2018, the Metropolitan Police charged Lamarr with common assault and false imprisonment. [12] He was due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on 2 October 2018 to face the charges, [12] but on 1 October 2018 the case was discontinued, with the Crown Prosecution Service confirming "there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction". [13] On 22 March 2019, Lamarr received an apology from the Crown Prosecution Service about the discontinued case, where it was observed that "the prosecutor who authorised the charges... did so in error". [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Bailey</span> British musician and comedian (born 1965)

Mark Robert Bailey, known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom Black Books and for his regular appearances on the panel shows Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI, as well as for his stand-up comedy work. He plays a variety of musical instruments and incorporates music into his performances.

<i>Never Mind the Buzzcocks</i> British comedy panel game television show

Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hosted by Mark Lamarr, then by Simon Amstell, and later by a number of guest presenters, with Rhod Gilbert hosting the final series. It first starred Phill Jupitus and Sean Hughes as team captains, with Hughes being replaced by Bill Bailey from the eleventh series, and Bailey replaced by Noel Fielding for some of series 21 and from series 23 onward. The show returned six years later, now hosted by Greg Davies, with Daisy May Cooper as the new captain and Fielding returning as a captain. The show is produced by Talkback. The title plays on the names of the Sex Pistols album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and the band Buzzcocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phill Jupitus</span> British comedian

Phillip Christopher Jupitus is a retired English stand-up and improv comedian, actor, performance poet, cartoonist and podcaster. Jupitus was a team captain on all but one BBC Two-broadcast episode of music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks from its inception in 1996 until 2015, and also appears regularly as a guest on several other panel shows, including QI and BBC Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Sharp</span> English broadcaster (born 1961)

Patrick Sharpin, known professionally as Pat Sharp, is an English radio presenter, television presenter and DJ. He worked on the children's ITV programme Fun House, was one of the Sky Channel's VJs and presented the Coca-Cola Eurochart Top 50 and Nescafé UK Top 50.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Bruce</span> British DJ (born 1951)

Kenneth Robertson Bruce is a Scottish radio and television presenter. He hosted a weekday mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2 between 1986 and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Amstell</span> English comedian

Simon Marc Amstell is an English comedian, writer and director. He wrote and directed the films Carnage (2017) and Benjamin (2018). His work on television has included presenting Popworld and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

<i>15 Storeys High</i> British sitcom

15 Storeys High is a British sitcom, set in a tower block in south London. Created and co-written by Sean Lock, it originated as two radio series broadcast in 1998–2000, transferring to television in 2002–2004. The television series starred Sean Lock and Benedict Wong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Mack</span> British comedian (born 1968)

Lee Gordon McKillop, known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huey Morgan</span> American musician (born 1968)

Hugh Thomas Diaz Morgan is an American musician best known as the former frontman of rock/hip hop band Fun Lovin' Criminals. Morgan performs both vocals and guitar and combines rock, hip hop, jazz, reggae, and funk influences in his music. He is also a presenter for BBC Radio and has made film and TV appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Howard</span> British comedian and presenter

Russell Joseph Howard is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He has hosted his own television shows, Russell Howard's Good News and The Russell Howard Hour, and appeared on the topical panel TV show Mock the Week. He won "Best Compère" at the 2006 Chortle Awards and was nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award for his 2006 Aberdeen Festival Fringe show. Howard has cited comedians Lee Evans, Richard Pryor, and Frank Skinner as influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Crosby</span> English comedian and writer

Matthew Crosby is an English comedian and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda Hart</span> English comedian

Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke is an English actress, comedian and writer. Following drama training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Hart began writing material for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and making appearances in BBC sitcoms, including Hyperdrive (2006–2007) and Not Going Out (2006–2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhod Gilbert</span> Welsh comedian

Rhodri Paul Gilbert is a Welsh comedian and television and radio presenter who was nominated in 2005 for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award. In 2008 he was nominated for the main comedy award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alun Cochrane</span> British comedian

Alun Cochrane is a British comedian, and actor. He was born in Glasgow and raised in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. He was a co-presenter on The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio (2011-2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Jupp</span> English actor and comedian (born 1979)

Miles Hugh Barrett Jupp is an English actor, singer, and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian before playing the role of the inventor Archie in the children's television series Balamory. He also played John Duggan in The Thick of It, Nigel in the sitcom Rev and appeared on many comedy panel shows. In September 2015, Jupp replaced Sandi Toksvig as the host of The News Quiz on BBC Radio 4.

Arnab Chanda is an English born actor, writer, and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Langford</span> Welsh comedian

Lloyd Langford is a Welsh comedian, comedy writer and voice artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Ramsey (comedian)</span> English actor and comedian

Christopher Ramsey is an English actor, comedian and presenter. After appearing in Hebburn as Jack (2012–2013), Ramsey began presenting series including I'm A Celebrity: Extra Camp (2016), Virtually Famous (2016–2017) and Stand Up Central (2017).

References

  1. 1 2 Brown, Jo (March–April 2003). "Mark Lamarr Interview". Cheers magazine. Association of Young People with ME. Archived from the original on 18 June 2004. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 John Plunkett (3 December 2010). "Mark Lamarr to leave Radio 2". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media.
  3. ↑ "Buzzcocks to get guest presenters". BBC News. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  4. ↑ "Amstell cued up to host Buzzcocks". BBC News. 23 August 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  5. ↑ "Filmography, Mark Lamarr". Film & TV Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  6. ↑ "Sean Lock's Sitcom 15 Storeys High Comes To BBC iPlayer Following Comedian's Death". Yahoo! News . 27 August 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  7. ↑ John Plunkett (3 December 2010). "Mark Lamarr hits out at Radio 2". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media.
  8. ↑ "On Board". Lime. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  9. ↑ Nathan Olsen-Haines (30 September 2013). "Time For A Recall To The Airwaves". Famous Last Words.
  10. ↑ "Wild Streak Rock 'N' Roll". Discogs. 13 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Phil Ellis Is Trying, Series 3, Billy Bonker and The Cup A Soup Factory". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Former Buzzcocks host Lamarr charged with common assault". BBC News. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "Former Buzzcocks presenter Mark Lamarr's assault case discontinued". BBC News. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Mark Lamarr receives apology over discontinued assault case". BBC News. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.