Harry Hill
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Harry Roy Hill is the stage name of Dr. Matthew Hall (born October 1, 1964), who is an English stand-up comedian who has graduated to being a star of British television by way of a BBC radio series Harry Hill's Fruit Corner. He was born in Woking and educated at Cranbrook School in Kent, and holds a medical degree from St George's Hospital Medical School.
Hill's humour is quirky almost to the point of surrealism. In way of illustrating this, the comedy historian Oliver Double described Hill as being "Ronnie Corbett possessed by the ghost of Salvador Dalí." His character has a trademark appearance, comprising a bald head, thick black spectacles, pens in his top pocket, small badges on his lapel and a comically oversized shirt collar.
Harry Hill is one of many alternative British comics associated with the Avalon Promotions comedy family. Other careers launched from this company include Richard Herring, Stewart Lee, Dave Gorman, Simon Munnery, Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and Al Murray.
In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
On the 13th of December 2006 he won two Highland Spring British Comedy awards, over the favourites Ant and Dec, which Harry made light of in his acceptance speeches.
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[edit] Radio
Starting in 1993 and running for four series, Harry starred in his own BBC Radio 4 programme, Harry Hill's Fruit Corner.
[edit] Television
In 1994 Harry made the transition to television, where he produced and starred in six episodes of a very peculiar show called Fruit Fancies. The name was somewhat similar to his radio show at the time Fruit Corner and was transmitted on BBC Two in 1994. This was a 10 minute episode series and was filmed in black and white with little or no dialogue.
From 1997 Harry had his own Channel 4 television series called The Harry Hill Show (listed simply as Harry Hill on screen) which ran to three series. The show was essentially a reworking of the Radio series Harry Hill’s Fruit Corner. Among the regular characters were Harry's big brother, 'Alan' (played by the comedian Al Murray) and his adopted son 'Little Alan' (played by Dr. Matt Bradstock).
The actor Burt Kwouk appeared in every episode of the Harry Hill show and occasionally, Harry's major live standup shows. Kwouk plays Harry's 'Chicken Catcher' and each week he will have an excuse as to why he has not yet captured a chicken, followed by singing the song "Hey Little Hen" and dancing. It was odd that such a star was performing in such an amateur and ridiculous fashion, and therein lay the joke: Kwouk would do almost anything for a joke on Harry's show, as long as it was slightly demeaning.
Harry's wife May Sung also made appearances on the show, mainly around the theme of trying to steal Harry's savings book.
Another favourite on the show was Stouffer the cat. Stouffer is a curious-looking cat glove puppet made of blue rubber. Stouffer normally sits in a throne supported by a rubber 'Rod Hull' arm. Harry employs Stouffer to intimidate guests in his standup routines and as part of a strange children's TV parody sketch on his TV show.
The end of each episode was supposed to host an event called 'The Badger Parade': a strange parade of puppet badgers. But every week there would be some kind of problem resulting in the badgers being unable to perform. In place of the badger parade, Harry would usually sing a song, with a guest he had invited onto the show.
2001 saw Harry move to ITV presenting an all-new show Harry Hill's TV Burp, which has had five series so far. The show is a comic look at the week's television, picking out and commenting on lines and scenes from various programmes. Also on ITV1 was The All New Harry Hill Show, similar to his Channel 4 show, but with a bigger budget and more celebrity guests. Regular features included the Hamilton Challenge and a Butterfly in Blue Jeans finale.
In 2004 Harry became the new narrator of You've Been Framed, a programme in the "funny home videos" genre.
2005 Saw Harry move into new territory with Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard. A 13 part show broadcast in the CITV slot. While many of his previous characters including Stouffer and Garry Hill (Hill's fictional layabout son from his first marriage) remained, it also showcased several new characters including Speed Camera Boy, about an outsider who is half-boy half-speed camera, and Evelynne Hussey and her amazing instruments. While the show featured a game show element, Help the Aged, it was very similar in structure to 'The Harry Hill Show.
In 2006 in Children's Party At The Palace for Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday. On the 14th October 2006 he appeared on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway alongside Al Murray and on the 8th November 2006 he appeared on The New Paul O'Grady Show.
[edit] Standup
Harry Hill has established a tight and successful standup structure in which he employs the comedic process of 'reincorporation' to a uniquely obsessive degree. He sets up a number of running themes and slips in and out of each thread without warning. Harry is one of the comedians set on his way by Malcolm Hardee.
His routines are usually smut-free and he seldom employs harsh language. There is often a sexual undertone to his work but his humour appears grounded in petty 'old time' attitudes and conservatism.
Occasionally, such as in his 1997 Man Alive show he employs video footage. In this case, a short movie featuring himself and Matt Bradstock called The boy with the big face was presented at the beginning of the show.
Stouffer the cat usually appears in his standup; in later shows, riding on the success of his TV series, Burt Kwouk and other characters from the TV show would also show up.
Harry has also developed many catchphrases over the years including "what are the chances of that happening?" after a bizarre routine and "pork and lamb: they're the main two" in relation to chops.
Chops, Savlon, puppets, discussion of TV soaps and failed celebrities are all Harry Hill signatures.
Harry Hill appeared on the We Know Where You Live! video along with Eddie Izzard and Paul Whitehouse.
There are five Harry Hill standup comedy videos on general release in the UK.
He has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman seven times with Letterman saying about Harry," I like that guy, there is something wrong with him". He also at one point held the record for the British comedian with the most appearances on Letterman, as of 2005. [1]
[edit] Books
In 2003 Harry Hill's first novel was published. It is called Flight from Deathrow, which is made up of the hilarious antics of celebrities as seen through the eyes of the storyteller, whilst in and out of a coma.
He publishes his second book in October 2006, Tim the Tiny Horse and is embarking on a short UK stand up tour to promote it. See his website for details.
Also available is the Harry Hill funbook: a Christmas cash-in and spin-off from the TV show published at the height of its popularity.
[edit] Quotes
- "I knew I was going bald when it was taking longer and longer to wash my face."
- "The trouble with heroin is... it's very moreish."
- "Apparently you can tell a lot about people from what they're like."
- "I have a really nice stepladder. Sadly, I never knew my real ladder."
- "If you drop a Bible on a field mouse, it'll kill it. So maybe the Bible's not all good?"
- "Is it just me, or does anyone else get the amount you're allowed to drink when you're driving mixed up with the amount you're allowed to take through customs?"
- "What is it about people that repair shoes that makes them so good at cutting keys? Try going in there with a shoe shaped like a key and see how confused they get."
- "My dad used to say - Always fight fire with fire. Which is probably why he was thrown out of the fire brigade."
- "My nan has a picture of the United Kingdom tattooed all over her body. You can say what you like about my nan, but at least you know where you are with her."
- "What is it with chimpanzees and that middle parting? It's so 1920's."
- "Remember the shouts of SCAB! During the great dermatologists strike... Don't pickit!"
- "Last night I had a lovely quattro formaggi pizza. Bit cheesy ."
- "My auntie used to say - What you can't see can't hurt you. She died of radiation poisoning a few months back."
- "I don't wear a watch. I want my arms to weigh the same."
- "Hitler was a bad man. Winston Churchill was a good man. But if you were in a balloon with Hitler and Churchill, and you were losing altitude..."
- "Isn't it embarrassing when you cough up a hairball and it isn't your colour?"
(At the 2006 BAFTA Comedy Awards, after announcing the nominations for best comedy) "They're all good but which ones the winner? There's only one way to find out...FIGHT!"
[edit] Other
In 2003, a trio of MP3s appeared on Hill's official website, entitled This is Paul Scott. They formed a 15-minute mock-documentary covering a day in the life of Paul Scott, a man with a computer-synthesized voice and dreams of being a famous entertainer.
Harry's instantly recognisable voice often lands him in voice-over roles on television commercials. For example, he starred in Christmas adverts for Boots in 2004.
Harry can sing How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? backwards.
[edit] External links
- Harry-Hill.tv - official website
- sharkinfestedcustard.tv - Shark Infested Custard official website
- Avalon.co.uk - Promotional website
- TV Recordings Free tickets to Harry Hill's TV shows
