The Wee Man (comedian)
Neil Bratchpiece,[1] (born 24 October 1983) better known by his pseudonym The Wee Man, is a Scottish comedian, actor and writer. He has appeared in character in several popular YouTube videos.
Biography
Early life
Bratchpiece was born in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire on October 24, 1983 into a family of Jewish descent[2] and attended Dalziel High School. His father Mark and brother David were both stand-up comedians. Bratchpiece started becoming involved in comedy during school and while studying at the University of Glasgow.[3]
YouTube videos
The Wee Man character first rose to prominence in 2007 when he appeared in the viral YouTube video "Here You (That'll Be Right)" by NEDS Kru.[4] The video garnered over 3.5 million views[5] and featured the character fulfilling the role of a stereotypical Scottish "ned", drinking Buckfast Tonic Wine.
Since then, he has released other videos, including "Manky Xmas",[6] "Da Fleeto",[7] "Parliamo Glasgow", "Banter"[8] and rap battle sketches featuring Scottish rappers. Cameos in subsequent videos have included Robert Florence, Tom Urie, Colin McCredie, Des McLean, Raymond Mearns, Gavin Mitchell, Janey Godley, Mark Dallas, Drew Galloway and the wrestlers Grado and Rhino.
Bratchpiece continues to tour as a stand-up, having done at least one show every year for the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, including starting 'Comedian Rap Battles', which gained praise at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[9] He has performed support slots for Jackass star Steve-O and English comedian Lee Nelson. He most recently took inspiration from Nelson's own act by stage invading his 2015 Fringe show.[10]
Insane Championship Wrestling
Since 2010, The Wee Man character has appeared as a manager and occasional commentator for Insane Championship Wrestling, a Scottish-based Professional wrestling promotion.[11] In ICW, he managed a tag team called 'The Bucky Boys', consisting of Davey Boy and Stevie Boy, using a ned gimmick for the stable. The team were featured prominently in a documentary produced by Vice (magazine) called 'The British Wrestler'.[12] The company has since risen to prominence through the BBC Scotland documentary Insane Fight Club.
Other work
Bratchpiece has made several television appearances, including BBC Scotland sitcom Scot Squad (programme) Episode #1.5 (TV Episode 2014), retrieved 2015-09-11 and Channel 4 show 'Scotland in a Day'. He has also performed on radio, most notably as part of sketch group Endemic on BBC Radio 4 show Sketchorama.
References
- ↑ "Profile - The Wee Man", The List (magazine) Retrieved 2015-09-11
- ↑ "Chortle - Wee Man".
- ↑ "Meet The Wee Man | DamoWords Blog". blog.damowords.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-11
- ↑ "Happy Birthday YouTube" The Sun (United Kingdom) Retrieved 2016-01-29
- ↑ "Video" on YouTube, retrieved 2015-09-11
- ↑ "Wee Man's Christmas track", The Sun (United Kingdom) Retrieved 2016-01-29
- ↑ "Interned sensation", The Sun (United Kingdom) Retrieved 2016-01-29
- ↑ "People think being in my videos will ruin their careers" The Sun (United Kingdom) Retrieved 2016-01-29
- ↑ "Rap Battles @ Bannermans | Comedy Review | The Skinny". The Skinny (magazine) Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ↑ "Comedian Hilariously Gives Lee Nelson A Taste Of His Own Medicine". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ↑ Wee Daddy, The Sun (United Kingdom) Retrieved 2016-01-29
- ↑ "The British Wrestler | VICE | United Kingdom", Vice (magazine) Retrieved 2015-09-11.