Paul Kerensa - Comedian & Writer

I'm looked after by Nick at Noel Gay Artists for writing, acting, presenting, voiceover etc, and by Hannah Brown at Mirth Control (07912 355475) for live stand-up, so if you'd like to throw some work my way, please get in touch with Nick for writing etc, and Hannah for any live stand-uppery.

I'm on twitter, facebook, I blog seldom (you can see it on the left bar now), and I've got a podcast. Do listen if you have a passing interest in films or humorous chat. It's called Movie Banter, and you can find the latest episode by clicking here, or finding us on itunes. It's me and Jon Sandys from moviemistakes.com and The Big Breakfast (remember that?), spouting on about the latest films we like/hate, and largely disagreeing. Please do spread the word about it, as we're only wee. You can review us on itunes too, or email me via the contact page here with ideas/feedback/fanmail/stalkermail. All welcome.

I'm always touring solo shows, so if you'd like to book me for your theatre, pub, church, arts centre or any other venue with 4 walls, a roof, and a proximity to a kebab shop, then do let me know. Tis a fun show, with projectors, laptops, multimedia and the like (if I can get my ZX Spectrum to do all that).

I'm meanwhile spending much of my time writing for Not Going Out, Miranda, and various other shows. Here's what I've been up to lately:

- Co-writing Not Going Out for BBC1. Back with us for a new series soon.
- Working on scripts for BBC's British Comedy Award-winning Miranda.
- Script-editing various TV comedy scripts for BBC.
- Potentially working on 'Joyride: The Roxette Musical'. Come on join the joyride.
- Writing up a book of The Movie Timeline. - Co-writing a sitcom pilot. Or several. - Writing about a word a month of a children's book I've been trying to find time to write for years.
- Changing nappies. I have a baby, see.

I must give credit to my good pals Jon and Russ for making and feeding this site, and while I'm here let me reciprocate by plugging moviemistakes.com's Movie Trailers section, for trailers of upcoming and classic films.

Have a look at my other trivia site too - The Movie Timeline. It's a timeline of every event in every film ever. I didn't do it all myself, but I did have the idea and set it up, so I feel no guilt at claiming the advertising revenue for myself.

Thanks for visiting the site. You are now free to wander round. Don't touch the exhibits.

Here's a bit of a cv. A much better, fuller, and nicely laid out one is here, at Noel Gay's website.

STAND-UP COMEDY -
UK clubs (Comedy Store, The Glee, Komedia, Jongleurs, Highlight, etc)
Montreal Comedy Festival
Monte Carlo
Cannes
Berlin
Cologne
Edinburgh Festival (solo shows 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)
Support for Milton Jones' and Men In Coats' theatrical tours

TELEVISION -
Miranda (2 series) - co-writer (BBC2)
Not Going Out (5 series) - co-writer (BBC1)
Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford - associate producer (ITV1)
Lee Mack's All Star Cast - co-writer (BBC1)
Taking The Flak - additional material (BBC2)
After You've Gone - additional material (BBC1)
The Wrong Door - script editor (BBC3) Lunch Monkeys - script editor (BBC3) Headcases - additional material (ITV1) Trexx 'n' Flipside - script editor/additional material (BBC3 pilot)
News Doggs Pilot - actor (Tiger Aspect, MTV)
Comedy Cuts - performer (ITV2)
Take The Mike - performer/winner (ITV1)
London Comedy Festival - performer (ITV1)
BBC New Comedy Awards - performer (BBC1 and BBC Choice - now BBC3)
Bargain Hunt - Comedians' Special (BBC1)
The Weakest Link - Comedians' Special (BBC1)
Weapons of Mass Distraction - performer (ITV1)
Hollywood Secrets Revealed: Movie Flubs - writer (VH1)
Just For Laughs - performer (CBC, Canada)

RADIO -
The Now Show (6 series) - writer (Radio 4)
The News Quiz (6 series) - writer (Radio 4)
28 Acts in 28 Minutes - performer (Radio 4 - forthcoming)
BBC Radio Entertainment Contract Writer Bursary for 2004-05
Dead Ringers (3 series) - writer (Radio 4)
The Hudson & Pepperdine Show - writer of episode 4, series 3 (Radio 4)
Parsons & Naylor's Pull-out Sections (6 series) - writer (Radio 2)
Bearded Ladies - writer/script editor (Radio 4)
The Day That Music Died - writer (Radio 2)
The Lee Mack Show (2 series) - writer (Radio 2)
The News Huddlines - writer (Radio 2)
Snakes & Bladders - writer/actor
Spanking New on 7 - writer/performer (BBC7)
Leading Edge - interview guest/writer/performer (Radio 4)
What's On - presenter (URN Nottingham)
Stage & Screen - presenter (Radio Wey)
Montreal Just For Laughs - guest (CJAD, Canada)

AWARDS -
British Comedy Awards 2010, Best New Comedy - Winner (Miranda)
BAFTA 2010, Best Scripted Comedy - Nominee (Miranda)
Royal Television Society Award 2010, Best Scripted Comedy / Best Writing - Nominee (Miranda)
Royal Television Society Award 2007, Sitcom Breakthrough - Winner (Not Going Out)
British Comedy Awards 2007, Best New Sitcom - Nominee (Not Going Out)
Rose d'Or 2007, Best Sitcom - Winner (Not Going Out)
ITV1's Take The Mike 2002 - Winner
Daily Telegraph Open Mic Awards 2002 - Finalist
BBC New Comedy Awards 2002 - Finalist
Wilkinson Sword Cutting Edge of Comedy 2002 - Finalist
So You Think You're Funny 2002 - Non-entrant

STAGE -
Trained at Guildford School of Acting
Inspector Dart (Twice Nightly) - dir Tom Kirkham, Guildford Reunion Theatre
Torvald (A Doll's House) - dir Peter Thomson, GSA
Flute (A Midsummer Night's Dream) - dir Louise Jameson, GSA
Sidney (Absurd Person Singular) - dir Katie Daubney, GSA
Orin the Dentist (Little Shop of Horrors) - dir Tom Kirkham, Nottingham New Theatre
Juror No 10 - the very angry one (12 Angry Men) - dir Mike Sanders, Nottingham New Theatre
Squire Western (Tom Jones) - dir Jo Bloom, Nottingham New Theatre
Banquo (Macbeth) - dir Mike Paterson, Great Hall Theatre
Schrank (West Side Story) - dir Mike Paterson, Great Hall Theatre
Three Edinburgh plays - writer/producer/actor... **** The Scotsman, sell-out runs (see Reviews)

ALSO -
Corporate presentation writing-commissions
Corporate management training acting & improv
Celebrity voicemail commissions for mobile phones
D of E Award - Bronze (cheated a little - took a bus)

AND FINALLY - SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE MOUTHS I'VE PUT WORDS IN (ie. WRITTEN FOR) -
Brian Blessed, Miranda Hart, Timothy West, Celia Imrie, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Suggs, Jon Culshaw, Punt & Dennis, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Roy Hudd, Bobby Ball, Ray Brooks (Mr Benn/King Rollo), Tony Hadley, Toyah Wilcox, Tom Robinson, Hudson & Pepperdine, Parsons & Naylor, Jan Ravens, Lee Mack

- The writer of the first joke on the last episode of the longest-running topical sketch show of all time...!

Ok. The News Huddlines on BBC Radio 2 is the longest-running topical sketch show of all time. Till it stopped, as soon as I joined. But on its last episode - the 2001 Christmas special - the first joke was mine. Hence, record validated.

- The writer/director of the most successful show in University of Nottingham's 100 yr history...!

Ok. I wrote a spoof musical called Lenton Boulevard, named after the main street in Nottingham where all the students live. Exactly. Bit of an in-joke, but hey, we couldn't perform it anywhere else, cos the show involved pilfering famous songs from musicals, and bastardising them. For 6 glorious nights though, Nottingham students came in their droves. And since it was just before seating regulations were altered, we shoved them in everywhere - hanging from the ceiling, sitting on the stage, piggybacked at the back. Thus revenue was up, expenses were down, and it made more money than any other show. Hence, record validated.

- The only bellybuttonless comedian in the world!

Ok. I have no navel. Neither did Alfred Hitchcock. Neither did Adam. Long story. So that's for another day. As far as I'm aware, no either stand-up comic in the world lacks a bellybutton. A navelless maths comedian. I've found my niche. Hence, record validated.

- The first person in 20 years to beat the gong at London's Comedy Store!

Ok. The Comedy Store was one of only 2 clubs I ever went to as a comedy punter, so I thought it would be cool to play there, say, within my first 100 gigs. It was gig no.99 - the revival of the infamous Gong Show, previously banned because of its detrimental effect on comedy. Still, it's a good way of seeing lots of new acts at once, no matter how shit they are. There was about 40 of us on that first night in January 2002... I was on about 15th. So the audience had had some blood, seen some dross and were ready to be tickled. Five minutes of quick-gags/no-long-build-ups later - job done. Hence, record validated.

- The best comedian in an entire country!

Ok. In June 2003 I joined 3 other comics in taking some shows to the South of France. Tough job, but someone's got to do it. We took in Antibes, Nice and Monte Carlo. We could find no other reference of any stand-up comedy being done in these places - bear in mind the French do not do stand-up, having no word for "ahahaha". So from what I gather then, the principality of Monaco has never had stand-up comedy. I like to think I went down best at that gig, which I reckon must mean that I went down best of anyone ever to perform in the "country" that is Monaco. Oh, and we outsold Chris De Burgh. Ha ha. Hence, record just about validated. Kinda.

if you know your UK live comedians, click on the Comedy Tube Map to see a selection of the best, laid out as you'd never thought anyone would bother trying to before. Click on it and it'll make sense. Maybe.

If you are reading this as a booker, producer or anyone else who would like to throw some work my way, there are agent details at the top of the page, or contact me directly here:

CLICK HERE FOR E-MAIL CONTACT FORM

(in no particular order)

Emo Phillips... Addy Van Der Borgh... Phil Nichol... Andy Nyman... Jeremy Dyson... Terry Jones... Morecombe & Wise... Jerry Seinfeld... Larry David... Charlie Brooker... Jimmy Carr... Jason Manford... Milton Jones... Lee Mack... Patrick Monahan... George Egg... Michael Legge... Chris Addison... Gary Delaney... Tim Vine... John Oliver... Miranda Hart... Jo Enright... Paul Sinha... John Archer...

Nuff said.