Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Ben Elton
Born 3 May 1959 (1959-05-03) (age 49)
Flag of England Catford, London, England
Occupation comedian, writer and director
Spouse Sophie Gare
Children Three children
Parents Father: Physicist and educational researcher Lewis Elton

Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, writer and director. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Catford is a town in London located at the heart of the London Borough of Lewisham, England London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms A television director directs the activities involved in making a Television Episode. Lewis R B Elton (born 25 March 1923) is a German -born British physicist and researcher into education specialising in Higher education Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms A television director directs the activities involved in making a Television Episode. He became a stand-up comedian and comedy writer shortly after leaving university in 1980, and was a central figure in the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s. Stand-up comedy is a style of comedy where the performer speaks directly to the audience with the absence of the theatrical " Fourth wall " Alternative comedy is a style of Comedy that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and 1980s which would eventually go on to become mainstream in the More recently he has achieved success writing lyrics for and producing musicals, and as an author.

Contents

Personal life

Elton was born in Catford, London, the son of an English teacher mother and the physicist and educational researcher Lewis Elton. Catford is a town in London located at the heart of the London Borough of Lewisham, England London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Lewis R B Elton (born 25 March 1923) is a German -born British physicist and researcher into education specialising in Higher education He is the nephew of the historian Sir G R Elton. Sir Geoffrey Rudolph Elton ( 17 August 1921 &ndash 3 December 1994) was a British Historian of the Tudor period. Elton's father is of German Jewish descent and his mother is of English background. [1][2] He studied at Stillness Junior School and Godalming Grammar School in Surrey, and the University of Manchester. Godalming Grammar School was a state-funded selective Grammar School taking both boys and girls situated in Tuesley Lane Godalming, England. Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The Victoria University of Manchester (commonly known as the University of Manchester) was a University in Manchester, England. Elton is married and has three children. He lives in London and Fremantle, Western Australia. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Fremantle (commonly known as Freo is a Port City in Western Australia, located southwest of Perth, the state capital at the mouth of Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Elton has had dual citizenship with Australia since 2004. [3]

Work

Television

His first television appearance was a stand-up performance on the BBC2 youth and music programme The Oxford Roadshow. His first TV success though was at the age of 23 as co-writer of the television sitcom The Young Ones, in which he occasionally appeared. The Young Ones was a popular British sitcom, first seen in 1982, on BBC2.

In 1983/84 he wrote and appeared in Granada Television's sketch show Alfresco, which was also notable for early appearances by Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane. Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. Alfresco was a British Television series starring Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957 is an English Humorist, Writer, Wit, Actor, Novelist, filmmaker James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born June 11, 1959) is an English Actor, Comedian, Writer and Musician Emma Thompson (born April 15 1959 is an Academy Award - Emmy Award - BAFTA Award - and Golden Globe -winning Anglo-Scottish Actress Robbie Coltrane, OBE (born 30 March 1950) is a Scottish Actor, comedian and author In 1985, Elton produced his first solo script for the BBC with his comedy-drama series Happy Families, starring Jennifer Saunders and Adrian Edmondson. This article is about the 1985 comedy series written by Ben Elton Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958 is a BAFTA and Emmy Award -winning English Comedian, Screenwriter and actress Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson (born 24 January 1957 is an English Actor, Comedian, director and Writer Elton appeared in the fifth episode as a liberal prison governor. Shortly afterwards, he reunited Mayall and Edmondson with their Young Ones co-star Nigel Planer for the showbiz send-up sitcom Filthy Rich and Catflap. Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953 in London) is an English Actor, Novelist and Playwright. Filthy Rich & Catflap is a BBC Sitcom produced in 1986 and broadcast early the next year

In 1985 Elton began his successful writing partnership with Richard Curtis. For the former state representative from Washington State see Richard Curtis (politician Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis, CBE (born Together they wrote Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth. Blackadder II is the second series of the BBC Situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Blackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC Situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth and final series of the BBC Situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis Blackadder, starring Rowan Atkinson, was a worldwide hit, winning four BAFTAs and an Emmy. Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments Rowan Atkinson (born 6 January 1955 is an English Comedian, actor and writer famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation Elton and Curtis were inspired to write Blackadder Goes Forth upon finding the First World War to be a particularly apt subject for a situation comedy. Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth and final series of the BBC Situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All This series, which dealt with greater, darker themes than prior Blackadder episodes, was widely praised for Curtis's and Elton's scripts, in particular the final episode. " Goodbyeee " is the title of the final episode of the BBC One sitcom Blackadder Goes Forth and was originally the final episode of Before writing the series, the pair read a number of books about the war and found that

“ Actually, all the lead up to the first world war was very funny, all the people coming from communities where they'd never bumped into posh people. . . and all being so gung ho and optimistic. . . the first hundred pages of any book about the world war are hilarious, then of course everybody dies. [4] ”

Elton and Curtis also wrote Atkinson's 1986 hit stage show, The New Review, and Mr Bean's famous "exam" episode.

Elton became a stand-up comedian primarily to showcase his own writing, but became one of Britain's biggest selling live acts. [5] After a regular slot on Saturday Live — later moved and renamed Friday Night Live — which was seen as a UK version of the USA's Saturday Night Live, he became the host of the programme. Saturday Live was an innovative Television Comedy and Music show broadcast in the UK by Channel 4 from 1985 to 1987 Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City

In 1990 he starred in his own stand-up comedy and sketch series entitled The Man from Auntie, which had a second series in 1994. (The title plays on The Man from UNCLE; "Auntie" is a nickname for the BBC). A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. In 1991 Ben won the Royal Television Society Writers' Award.

The Ben Elton Show (1998) followed a format similar to that of The Man from Auntie and featured (somewhat incongruously) Ronnie Corbett, a comedian of the "old-guard" that the "alternative comedians" of the 1980s were the direct alternative to, as a regular guest. Ronald Balfour "Ronnie" Corbett, OBE (born 4 December 1930) is a British Actor and Comedian, born in Scotland Alternative comedy is a style of Comedy that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and 1980s which would eventually go on to become mainstream in the It was his last high-profile network programme in the UK as a stand-up comedian. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

In April 2007, Get a Grip, a new show, began broadcasting on ITV1. Get A Grip is a Television series shown on ITV in the United Kingdom. This article deals with the ITV1 brand name as it is broadcast at present Featuring a combination of "comic sketches" (similar to those seen on The Ben Elton Show) and staged studio discussion between Elton and 23-year-old Alexa Chung, the show's aim was to, "contrast Elton's middle-aged viewpoint with Chung's younger perspective," (although Elton is wholly responsible for the script). Alexa Chung (born 5 November 1983 is a British TV presenter and former fashion model

In a 2008 interview with Third Way Magazine, Elton accused the BBC of allowing jokes about vicars, but not imams. Third Way Magazine is a UK current-affairs magazine written from a Christian perspective "And I believe that part of it is due to the genuine fear that the authorities and the communities have about provoking the radical elements of Islam. "[6]

Behind the camera

Elton also wrote and produced The Thin Blue Line, a studio-based sitcom set in a police station, also starring Rowan Atkinson, which ran for two series (in 1995 and 1996). A prime-time family show lacking the edge of his earlier work, its traditional format and characters won it the 1995 British Comedy Award and both the public and professional Jury Awards at Reims. Prime Time is the major News analysis current affairs and Politics programme broadcast on Radio Telefís Éireann in Ireland

He also wrote the six-part sitcom Blessed, starring Ardal O'Hanlon, which aired on BBC1 in 2005. Blessed was a BBC television Sitcom written by Ben Elton and starring Ardal O'Hanlon as Gary a record producer who is struggling Ardal O'Hanlon (born 8 October 1965) is an Irish Comedian and Actor, best known for his roles in television sitcoms as

Radio

Elton co-starred with Adrian Edmondson on a sitcom based on the song "Teenage Kicks" for BBC Radio 2. Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson (born 24 January 1957 is an English Actor, Comedian, director and Writer " Teenage Kicks " is a 1978 song originally recorded by Northern Ireland Punk rock group The Undertones. A television version of Teenage Kicks for ITV has been made, Elton appeared in the pilot but was replaced in the by Mark Arden when it went to series production. Teenage Kicks is a British sitcom starring Adrian Edmondson, Ed Coleman and Laura Aikman, filmed at Teddington Studios Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Mark Arden (born July 31 1956 in Newbury Berkshire) is an English Comedian and Actor, best known for being one half of

Novels

He has published eleven novels since 1989 (all published by Black Swan (an imprint of Transworld), which are listed below (added: except Stark isn't in this list so the number of novels he's written should actually stand at TWELVE). His first novel, Stark, was made into an Australian TV film in 1993 in which Elton starred. Stark was the first novel written by British comedian Ben Elton.

Films

Ben Elton had appeared in amateur dramatic productions as a youth, notably as The Artful Dodger in the musical Oliver!. Gridlock is a 1991 novel by Ben Elton. Plot summary The novel depicts a near-future London in which traffic congestion This Other Eden is a satirical novel written by Ben Elton. Plot introduction The novel is set in the reasonably near future Popcorn is a 1996 novel and play by the British writer Ben Elton. Blast from the Past is a 1998 novel by Ben Elton, published by Bantam Press and later adapted into a stage performance by the West Yorkshire Playhouse Inconceivable is a 1999 novel by Ben Elton, following a childless couple's efforts to conceive Dead Famous is a comedy/ Whodunit novel by Ben Elton in which ratings for a reality TV show, very similar to Big Brother High Society is a novel by the British author Ben Elton. It follows the course of Peter Paget who is a Labour MP who is attempting to legalise Past Mortem is a detective novel by Ben Elton first published in 2004. The First Casualty is a novel by the British author Ben Elton. Chart Throb is a 2006 novel by the author/comedian/director Ben Elton. Blind Faith is an English Dystopian novel by Writer and Comedian Ben Elton, published in 2007. The Artful Dodger is a character in the Charles Dickens Novel Oliver Twist. Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. [7]

While previously appearing in bit parts in his own TV series, he began his professional film acting career when he starred as CD in Stark, the Australian/BBC TV film adaptation of his novel, released in 1993. Stark is a 1993 British - Australian television Miniseries, based on the bestselling novel Stark by comedian Ben This ABC co-production was directed by Nadia Tass and filmed in Australia. Nadia Tass (born 1956 is a Film director and producer, originally from Macedonia, northern Greece, who moved to Australia in the

He played Verges to Michael Keaton's Dogberry in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. Michael John Douglas (born September 9 1951 better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American Actor, known for his early comedic roles in Kenneth Charles Branagh (born 10 December 1960) is an Emmy Award -winning Academy Award -nominated Northern Irish Actor Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare. First published in 1600 it is likely to have been first performed in the autumn or winter

Behind the camera

Elton wrote and directed the film adaptation of his novel Inconceivable, which was released under the title Maybe Baby (2000) starring Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson. Maybe Baby is a 2000 British film, written and directed by Ben Elton based upon his novel Inconceivable James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born June 11, 1959) is an English Actor, Comedian, Writer and Musician Joely Kim Richardson (born January 9, 1965) is an English[[ actress]] It was a moderate UK success and was distributed globally. [8] The film was also nominated for a prize at Germany's Emden Film Festival.

Musicals

Elton collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on The Beautiful Game in 2000, writing the book and lyrics (Lloyd Webber wrote the music). Andrew Lloyd Webber Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948 is a British Composer of Musical theatre, the elder son of William Lloyd Webber "The Beautiful Game" is also a term used to describe the sport of football. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Beautiful Game won the London Critics Circle Award for best new musical. Elton went on to write a number of compilation shows featuring popular songs taken from the back catalogues of pop/rock artists. The first of these was the musical We Will Rock You with music by the rock band Queen. We Will Rock You (abbreviated as WWRY) is a Jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist This was successful in London and won the 2003 Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best New Musical. It has since opened in the US, Australia, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Canada. Tonight's the Night based on the songs of Rod Stewart opened in November 2003. Tonight's The Night is a "compilation musical " by comedian Ben Elton, based on the music of Rod Stewart. Roderick "Rod" David Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945 is a Singer and Songwriter born and raised in London England and currently

Stage

Elton studied Drama at the University of Manchester and has written three West End plays. The Victoria University of Manchester (commonly known as the University of Manchester) was a University in Manchester, England.

Stand-up comedy

In 1981, when his live act took off, Elton was hired by The Comedy Store in London as its compère.

In 2005 Elton did his first stand-up tour since 1997, touring the UK with "Get a Grip". He toured Australia and New Zealand with the same show in 2006.

Awards

In 2007, Ben Elton was awarded an Honorary Rose for lifetime achievement at the Rose d'Or festival. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. He was also made a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, in recognition of the work that he has carried out with students. The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts ( LIPA) is a School in the English city of Liverpool that offers training in Acting,

Criticism

Anne Robinson put Ben Elton into Room 101 in protest at his hosting the Royal Variety Performance. Anne Josephine Robinson (born September 26 1944 is an English Television presenter and former Journalist, known for her assertive views and style Room 101 is a BBC comedy Television series based on the radio series of the same name, in which celebrities are invited to discuss their The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, normally She argued that he should be sent to the room "for being a total and utter hypocrite and going back on everything he stood for in the 80s and 90s". He was put in for a second time (the only person ever to experience this dishonour) in 2007 by comedian Mark Steel. Mark Steel (born 4 July 1960 is a British Socialist, Columnist, Author and Comedian. [9] In his 2005 show Stand-up Comedian, comic Stewart Lee remarked upon the fact that Ben Elton is more widely despised than Osama Bin Laden due to the fact that the latter has "at least lived his life according to a consistent set of ethical principles". Career to 2000 While studying English at St Edmund Hall Oxford in the 1980s he wrote and performed comedy in a revue group called "The Seven Raymonds Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March

Toby Young summarises similar criticisms when he writes:

“ Ben Elton. Toby Daniel Moorsom Young (born 1963 is a British Journalist and the author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, the tale of his Do you know this guy? He started out as an "alternative" comedian, railing against Thatcherism and the like, and now earns a fortune writing the librettos for truly awful West End musicals. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" I mean, his name has become a byword for shameless hackery. He's the biggest sell-out of his generation. [10] ”

Earlier, Young had said that criticism aimed at Elton is "down to sour grapes", and that "he may not be everyone's cup of tea, but Britain would surely be a poorer place without him. "[11]

Elton has also been criticised for writing a musical with Conservative Party supporter Andrew Lloyd Webber. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. In his defence, Elton has said "if I were to refuse to talk to Tories, I would narrow my social and professional scope considerably. If you judge all your relationships on a person's voting intentions, I think you miss out on the varieties of life. "[12]

Elton has also been criticised for co-writing a song that was performed at the inauguration of US President George W. Bush. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. When questioned on this, Elton remarked that he did not see it as a celebration of Bush, more a celebration of the presidency of the United States, and said that whilst he "despises" some of Bush's policies, he was "not sufficiently right-wing to invoke a South African-style boycott. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by "[13]

References

  1. ^ Elton sees stupid future - Entertainment news, gossip & music, movie & book reviews on Stuff.co.nz
  2. ^ no need. | Asia Africa Intelligence Wire (, 2004)
  3. ^ http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Media/Media+Releases/Latest+Media+Releases/Ben+Elton+to+showcase+Western+Australia.htm
  4. ^ I Have a Cunning Plan - 20th Anniversary of Blackadder, BBC Radio 4 documentary broadcast 23rd August 2003. Excerpts available at bbc.co.uk/comedy/blackadder/interviews/
  5. ^ Brisbane - Ben Elton - Queensland Performing Arts Centre - ourbrisbane.com
  6. ^ Telegraph: Ben Elton: BBC scared of Islam jokes
  7. ^ Guardian Unlimited Books - Mystery Man
  8. ^ IMDb: Maybe Baby
  9. ^ thisislancashire.co.uk: Mark Steel
  10. ^ The Sound of No Hands Clapping, Toby Young, Da Capo Press 2006, p. 212
  11. ^ Toby Young - Ben Elton profile
  12. ^ Ben Elton live on our talkboards | | guardian.co.uk Film
  13. ^ BBC News: Ben Elton denies Bush reports

External links

Persondata
NAME
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
itvcom is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's biggest commercial Television broadcaster which operates 12 regions of the ITV network under the ITV1 Brand
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic