Jasper Carrott

Jasper Carrott was born in Birmingham in 1945, and educated at Moseley Grammar School.

His first showbiz appearance was as resident singer at the Boggery Folk Club in Solihull. There he discovered his talent for comedy, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In 1975 Jasper released his first single. Funky Moped / Magic Roundabout, was a massive chart hit, selling over half a million copies and giving Jasper his first Silver Disc.

He made his first television series in 1978, 'An Audience with Jasper Carrott' for LWT followed by a box-office breaking national tour of over one hundred concerts. The following year he made the television film 'Carrott Gets Rowdy', in the USA.

In 1979 Jasper was named as ITV Personality Of The Year and his live TV show from the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 'The Unrecorded Jasper Carrott', since then Jasper's national and international tours have been sell-outs and have taken him to many corners of the world.

In 1985 he starred in the stage play 'The Nerd' and, in 1988, the film 'Jane and the Lost City'.

In 1992, Jasper was named BBC TV's Personality Of The Year and in this year teamed up with actor Robert Powell to record 'The Detectives', a comedy series based on the hilarious antics of two bungling detectives. Such was the success of the initial series there have been five further series of 'The Detectives' to date with a Christmas Special for Christmas 1997.

Jasper has regularly presented a Christmas special for the BBC, either in the form of the hugely successful "Carrott's Commercial Breakdown", which won the Best Independent Prize at the prestigious Montreux Festival and a Gold medal at the New York TV & Film Awards, or as a television special such as "One Jasper Carrott" recorded at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, a live show which attracted over 14 million viewers.

In 1995 Jasper celebrated his 50th birthday and the award "Midlander Of The Year", while Aston University presented to him an achievement award for services to the Midlands.

During 1996 Jasper again performed in many other countries including the Far East, the Middle East, Australia and South Africa

1996 and 1997 have seen Jasper return to writing new material in preparation for a new series for the BBC and a major UK tour in 1998, his first for many years. The tour embraced over 150 sell out shows in the major theatres of the country including a sell out fourteen night run in the 2000-seater Birmingham Hippodrome and a two week season at the famous Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London's West End.

1998 culminated with the filming of a brand new six part BBC television series transmitted three times on BBC1 Television during1999

“It often seems that stand-up comedy has become the exclusive domain of young comics obsessed with expletives and bodily functions. Thank heaven, then, for Jasper Carrott, the exasperated voice of middling England, especially of parents sandwiched between two difficult generations (teenage children and their grandparents) who, as Carrott remarks, are “both on drugs”. Carrott’s shrug-rich anecdote about the French exchange student is particularly amusing.” Evening Standard.

“It’s hard to believe Jasper Carrott – funnyman, singer and sit-com star of The Detectives – is celebrating 30 years in show business. He started off in the clubs back in 1969 and returns to his roots as a stand-up in Jasper Carrott – Back to the Front. The balding Brummie walked on stage with just a microphone pinned to his jacket and a guitar waiting in the wings. It was ample. When God made Jasper he gave him all he requires to make people laugh – rolling eyes, a rubber neck and a face to launch a thousand well-scripted quips. He tears out what little hair he has left over everything from teenagers to grandparents. He even manages to take the mickey out of the sick without causing offence. As the man himself put it: “Laughter is the best medicine – unless you’re diabetic, then insulin comes pretty high on the list.”

The guitar was simply an excuse for more fun. He vanished off stage with it to sing From a Distance. It was billed as his first all stand-up series for television. There were no sketches, no TV commercials to poke fun at, no guests, and no visible means of support – not even a stool to sit on.” The Mirror.

“Midway through a tour of the nation, Jasper Carrott has landed in the West End. There is something about seeing a comedian in such a venue that brings home to you what a terrifying occupation stand-up comedy must be. There it is, this vast gilt-framed stage, accustomed to housing all the paraphernalia of an Oscar Wilde play, now sporting only a guitar on a stand and a table with a glass of water. It is enough to give even the audience butterflies.

Jasper Carrott, however, has no problem occupying the space and holding the audience for two hours and more. He breezes on merrily and is immediately greeted by a round of applause, just for being there. After more than twenty years in the business, he is as smooth and polished as Fred Astaire’s toe-caps. There are no rough patches, no embarrassing sketches or limp one-liners. He knows his audience well, knows how to woo them and how far to push them once they have been loosened a little by an interval drink. His comedy is mainstream, depending on observation and recognition. He is very good at what he does, but he’s not one for the political – unless you count a couple of mild digs at Bill Clinton – the surreal, the unusual or the dangerous. No, we are on the case of caravanners and bald men who comb their hair over, wear toupees or grow pit-tails (provoking plenty of sidelong glances in the interval). On this last topic, Carrott is an authority, being afflicted with hair-loss himself: “I’m using a shampoo now called ‘What’s the point?’”. His one-liners are funny and often acute. On the subject of water bills and water meters: “If my house catches fire I’ve got a decision to make.” On the millennium bug: “All the computers revert to 1900 and you can buy a car for 4p.” On hang-gliding: “Chucking yourself off Beachy Head attached to a frame tent.”

Some of his observations are lovely – such as the way men stand for hours peering into the fridge, “we’re looking for the one thing that you haven’t bought” – and he does extended passages on the joys of being a parent of teenage children that is clearly based on intensive personal research. Among the one-line observations and comments, he works in a couple of longer sessions, one being a fantasy about the perils of trying to get treatment from the emergency services on December 31^st 1999, and another being a – very amusing – description of his one perilous attempt at scuba diving.

Towards the end of the evening he makes the audience work harder, with a sudden flurry of sick jokes about dyslexia, leprosy and the like, but for the most part his act is very precisely pitched. He is sharp, skilful and succinct.” Financial Times

Born	14th March 1945 - Acocks Green, Birmingham
Educated	Moseley Grammar School
First regular appearance	Boggery Folk Club, Solihull as resident
1975	Jasper released his first single. Funky Moped / Magic Roundabout, was a massive chart hit, selling over half a million copies and giving Jasper his first Silver Disc.
1978	Jasper's first Television series "AN AUDIENCE WITH JASPER CARROTT" ( 6 x 30 minutes ) for London Weekend Television. A 118 - date tour followed, with box office records broken at many of the major British theatres.
1979	Jasper was named as ITV Personality Of The Year, "CARROTT GETS ROWDY", a look at soccer in the USA was filmed in America. "THE UNRECORDED JASPER CARROTT", transmitted live from The Theatre Royal Drury Lane, was the first time that any solo artiste had done one hour of live to air comedy on television - a unique achievement that has never been equalled. The show became a gold selling album and was followed by national and international sell-out tours that continue through to the present day.
1980	Jasper's first book "A ZIT ON THE SIDE " was published in 1979 and sales of over half a million copies established it in the Top 10 for many weeks.
1980	A 100 plus-date sell-out concert tour of the UK. Jasper's first tour of Australia and New Zealand meets with sell out houses and media acclaim.
1981	"BEAT THE CARROTT", a television Special is filmed from the London Palladium resulting in the gold selling album of the same name. Jasper appears in the famous "SECRET POLICEMAN'S OTHER BALL". Further visits abroad this year include shows in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and at Hong Kong's City Hall.
1982	The BBC invite Jasper to host his own Saturday night television show. "CARROTT'S LIB" ran for forty-five minutes for seven weeks receiving high ratings and critical acclaim. His next book "SWEET AND SOUR LABRADOR" is released to advance orders of 200,000.
1983	The second series of "CARROTT'S LIB" on BBC TV receives the BAFTA award for light entertainment on television.
1984	Jasper spends many months of the year in the USA preparing for and filming an HBO / Channel 4 Special to be released in 1985 and his visit included sell-out concerts in San Francisco and five sell-out nights in Los Angeles.
1985	Jasper is associate producer and co-writer of the highly successful BBC series "COOL IT" starring PHIL COOL. Jasper stars in the stage play "THE NERD'
1986	"STAND UP AMERICA", a 6-part BBC TV series is presented and directed by Jasper. The show is a focus on American comics and is filmed on location at venues in New York and Los Angeles. The latter part of 1986 sees a new book, "CARROTT ROOTS" and Jasper's departure for Mauritius for his first film roll playing the part of Heinrich in a new film version of "JANE AND THE LOST CITY", released in 1988.
1987	"CARROTT CONFIDENTIAL" - Jasper hosts his own 8-week live TV show on BBC 1 shown at 9:00pm for 35 minutes each Saturday night and attracts over TEN MILLION viewers each week.
1988	Such was the acclaim for the initial series Jasper starts the year with a second 8-part series of "CARROTT CONFIDENTIAL". A tour of Australia and New Zealand is booked for April and results in sell-out appearances everywhere whilst his new film "JANE AND THE LOST CITY" is premiered in May. A new book - "SHOP! OR A STAR IS BORN" is released and over Christmas it reaches No.6 in The Best Seller Lists.
1989	A third series of "CARROTT CONFIDENTIAL" becomes the highest rated comedy show by viewers
1990	A British tour of 90 dates plays to sold-out notices including on June 10th, a concert at the internationally famous Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon recorded for a television special. The departure of Jasper from the BBC to the independent production company CELADOR. Their first production is "CARROTT'S COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN" - a hilarious view of adverts selected from around the world. The show was highly acclaimed winning the Best Independent Prize at the Montreux Festival and a Gold Medal at the New York TV & Film Awards. Jasper starts recording a new 6-week television series for Celador. "CANNED CARROTT" was destined to become one of Jasper's most popular series and introduced for the first time the character "WIGGY" and his teaming up with actor Robert Powell in "THE DETECTIVES".
1991	Jasper concentrates solely on the second series of "CANNED CARROTT", which is shown in November. The two series of "CANNED CARROTT" regularly entered the BBC Top 10 consistently reaching audiences of 13.5 million viewers. Prior to this, in September, two compilations of the best of the first series of "CANNED CARROTT" are shown and make the Top 10 ratings with the second show gaining over 11 million viewers. "CARROTT'S COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN 2" is shown between Christmas and the New Year and results in viewing figures of 14 million.
1992	Jasper teams up with his old friend Phil Cool, the show "CARROTT & COOL" playing to sold out houses in a record 143 performances nation-wide. "THE DETECTIVES" evolves into a full 6-part comedy series based on the antics of Jasper and Robert Powell as the two bungling detectives. The BBC1 Christmas Special "ONE JASPER CARROTT" live at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane attracts over 14 million viewers. Jasper is named as BBC TV’s Personality Of The Year.
1993	January - The first series of "THE DETECTIVES" -BBC1. Visits to The Middle East and Far East including three sell out concerts at the Hong Kong Convention Centre. "COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN 3" is made for Christmas.
1994	The second series of "THE DETECTIVES" is shown in January on BBC1. "CARROTT-U-LIKE" - Christmas special for the BBC. Visits to Australia and New Zealand.
1995	Jasper takes a break from touring and celebrates his 50th birthday and the receiving of the award "MIDLANDER OF THE YEAR" and an award from Aston University for services to the Midlands. The third series of "THE DETECTIVES" is shown in February with a fourth series filmed in the Autumn for transmission in 1996. "COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN 4" is made for Christmas.
1996	"THE DETECTIVES" -Series Four. 1996 sees Jasper take to the road again in the UK and presents a BBC Radio Two series of thirteen half hours of his classic material from 1973 to the present day along with a second series of thirteen half hours dedicated to comedy material from the BBC archives.
1997	"THE DETECTIVES" -Series Five is shown in January with a Christmas Special screened in December 1997.
1998	Throughout 1998 Jasper embarked on what was to be one of the longest and most successful UK tours undertaken by any comedy artist. The tour embraced over 150 sell out shows in the major theatres of the country including a sell out fourteen night run in the 2000 seater Birmingham Hippodrome and a two week season at the famous Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London’s West End. With the shows receiving ecstatic reviews, the year culminated with the filming of a brand new six part BBC television series with Jasper once again excelling in the role of pure stand-up comedian, his first television series in this format for nearly ten years.
1999	"BACK TO THE FRONT" is transmitted on BBC1 Television from February 24th for six weeks