| Jasper Carrott OBE | |
|---|---|
Carrott in 2006. |
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| Birth name | Robert Norman Davis |
| Born | 14 March 1945 Acocks Green, Birmingham, England, UK |
| Medium | Stand-up, television |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 1973–2005 (Singer) 1975–present (Comedian) |
| Spouse | Hazel Jackson (m. 1973–present) |
| Website | Official site |
Jasper Carrott OBE (born Robert Norman Davis on 14 March 1945) is a British comedian, actor, television presenter and personality.
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Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green (what he would later describe as sounding like the address for "the home of a professional rapist"[1]), Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks Green Primary School and Moseley Grammar School. He then worked as a trainee buyer at a city centre department store called the Beehive with schoolfriend Bev Bevan.
In February 1969 he started his own folk club, "The Boggery", in nearby Solihull with his friend Les Ward. Here, Carrott performed folk songs and did MC duties. Before long, his banter with the audience overtook the actual songs: he became known more as a comedian than a singer. He also worked as a musical agent (in partnership with John Starkey, who became his manager in 1974 until 1992), as Fingimigig, managing (among other acts) Harvey Andrews. He toured the UK, appearing in rugby clubs and the like. He independently recorded an album, financed by himself, called "Jasper Carrot – In the Club", which he sold out of the back of his car/van. It was this album that contained the original "Magic Roundabout" – see below. Released in 1973, the LP is quite rare, although it mainly consists of material later used in his first three official LPs (such as Hare Krishna, Car Insurance, Bastity Chelt, and Hava Nagila) plus the Fred Wedlock song The Folker.
He had a surprise UK Top 5 chart hit in August 1975 with the novelty record "Funky Moped", written by Chris Rohmann and produced by Jeff Lynne. The B-side of this single was a risqué monologue parodying the animated children's TV series The Magic Roundabout. This was banned by the BBC, which is widely believed to have aided its commercial success, and leading, ironically, to his appearance on the BBC's Top of the Pops.
By the late 1970s, Carrott had developed a number of anecdotal sketches which he still performs in similar form some thirty years on. Often these sketches purported to be auto-biographical; many of them celebrate Birmingham accent and culture, including his support of his beloved Birmingham City. His sketches were captured on records such as Jasper Carrott Rabbitts on and on and on... and Carrott in Notts which were recordings of live performances. Notable hits were Bastity Chelt a complete song in Spoonerism, The Football Match describing a visit to Old Trafford, The Nutter on the Bus including the well known cry of "Has anybody seen my camel?"), The Mole ("There's only one way to get rid of a mole – blow its bloody head off!") and Zits – an explanation of an American slang word for spots which brought the word into use in England.
In 1979 he published A Little Zit on the Side which purported to be a humorous auto-biography. The follow-up, Sweet and Sour Labrador, mixed sections of his stand-up routines with similar autobiographical material, much of it related to his world travels.
Jasper also was one of the comperes for the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert 1986 which featured many local bands such as ELO and the Moody Blues, with a finale that included George Harrison from the Beatles.
On 15 September 2007 he was inducted into the Birmingham Walk of Stars at a presentation as part of the Arts Fest 2007 celebrations. The award was presented by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. Carrott is the 2nd inductee, following Ozzy Osbourne.
Jasper Carrott was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the British Comedy Awards on 6 December 2008.
His first appearance on television was a half hour show for BBC Midlands in 1976, A Half Hour Mislaid with Jasper Carrott recorded at Pebble Mill. His big break came two years later when he was invited by Michael Grade to make a pilot for LWT, this was well liked by Grade and five further shows were recorded and became his first TV series An Audience with Jasper Carrott in 1978,[2] this successful partnership with LWT lasted until 1981, The Unrecorded Jasper Carrott (1979) and Beat the Carrott (1981) are the two most well known live stand up performances from his time with LWT. This was followed by a move to the BBC and Carrott's Lib – a Saturday night comedy show broadcast live – and then by a string of different BBC shows. The most notable of these were Carrott's Commercial Breakdown, which broadcast weird and wonderful adverts from around the world, and the sketch and stand-up shows Carrott Confidential, 24 Carrott Gold, The Jasper Carrott Trial and Canned Carrott, some of which also gave TV exposure to the comedy partnership of Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis.
In addition to his television work, Carrott made a foray into cinema when he played Heinrich in the 1987 British comedy Jane and the Lost City.[3]
Canned Carrott also featured a regular police drama spoof called The Detectives, co-starring Robert Powell, which was spun off into its own series. In 2002 – 2004, he starred in the sitcom All About Me.
He performed in several of the Secret Policeman's Ball charity concerts for Amnesty International, and returned to the stage in 2004 for several sell out shows at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham featuring classic routines from his career. He returned to a singing role for the musical "Go Play Up Your Own End" (written by Malcolm Stent, songs by Harvey Andrews) in 2005.[4]
In 2005, he appeared in and put on the first of "Jasper Carrott's Rock With Laughter" concerts. He appeared alongside performers such as Bill Bailey, Bonnie Tyler, Lenny Henry, Bobby Davro, the Lord of the Dance troupe and Bev Bevan. This has become a regular event at the NEC in Birmingham, usually staged in December and some times alternating with his "Jasper Carrott's Christmas Crackers" events, but there have also been a few summer shows too.
In the summer of 2007, Jasper hosted the Endemol-produced game show Golden Balls for ITV1. Promising ratings led to a recommission, and the second series began in January 2008. A third series began in April 2008, and a fourth series started in October 2008. A fifth and six series were shown in 2009.
He was the host of the Sunday night interactive national pub quiz, Cash Inn and also an investor in the company, operated by Innterplay. This company has since entered administration.
He was 20th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians show.
Jasper Carrott has written three humorous autobiographical paperbacks A Little Zit on the Side (1979), Sweet and Sour Labarador (1982) and Carrott Roots...and Other Myths (1986), he also wrote an odd novel called, 'Shop! or A Store is Born'.
Also of interest is a book by Jasper's former manager John Starkey, Jasper and Me (1993) Etsiketsi Books.
He turned his hand to business as part owner of the production company Celador, makers of the internationally successful Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. In 2006, he and wife Hazel sold their shares in the company for over £10m as part of a management buyout deal.
Carrott has been married to his wife Hazel (née Jackson) since 1973, his daughter, Lucy Davis (born 1973), is an actress best known for playing Dawn in The Office.
He is a proud supporter and former director of the football club Birmingham City. He was made an OBE in 2002. The University of Birmingham awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2004.[5] following a similar award from Aston University in 1995
He currently resides near Solihull, in Darley Green, to the south of Dorridge. Carrott was a keen runner and supported his local Knowle Fun Run through sponsorship and publicity, including 2001 where he paid out several thousand pounds based on the £10 per person who beat him to the finish line.
He is also a long time patron and fundraiser for Sunfield Children's Home, a school for children with autism and complex learning needs. The school is located in the village of Clent just outside Stourbridge.