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What Alan Carr regrets about his comedy

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 BOB LATCHFOF

Credit: Jay Brooks / The Guardian

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'People are getting cancelled for all kinds of things, but the truth is some stuff simply doesn’t age'

There was a moment during my interview with Alan Carr when he asked me where I thought his accent was from, London or the north. I froze – was this a trick question? What would be the penalty for getting it wrong? Alan Carr can be a little – how shall I put this – harsh in the face of weakness. But, he explained, “My mum’s cockney, my dad’s geordie. Then there’s Northampton and Dorset in the mix.” So yes, he wants to know. In truth, Carr’s accent is unplaceable. Moreover, he occasionally drops into a quite deep voice which sounds, dare I say, like every other west Londoner in television (sorry, Alan). I wonder if that’s the voice he uses when he’s alone, just chatting to the dog.

As we grew up in the same era, I jump on common ground. Carr loved Wonder Woman – “I mean, I wrote to Jim’ll Fix It asking to meet her and I still had to come out to my mum”– so I tell him that one of my brothers was also a big Wonder Woman devotee. “Oh, riiiight,” Carr says, nodding knowingly. He used to kiss the screen when she came on, I say. “Oh.” He looks shocked, then appalled. “I never used to do that.”

He “absolutely loved” Agatha Christie, although acknowledges she had questionable views. “Sometimes you’re reading and you think, Oh, that’s a bit mean and not very nice.” Also, many of our 70s and 80s favourites have us raising an eyebrow today. “I used to watch The Golden Girls. So good. But some of the [episodes] are a bit problematic.” He frowns. “Some of it you just couldn’t say these days.”

We talk about his regrets in comedy, and he returns to the subject a few times. Comedy is especially fraught, he believes, because of the specific need to riff off contemporary events. “You’re in a catch-22 because if you’re a good comedian, then you will do topical material. But topical stuff is like writing during an earthquake. The tectonic plates” – he demonstrates the friction between his hands. “For example, when I grew up George Michael was seen as some pervert who hung around toilets. Now he’s this wonderful philanthropist; salt of the earth, what a legend! But if you’re working with the zeitgeist, you haven’t got that hindsight on how things change. You haven’t got a crystal ball. People are getting cancelled for all kinds of things, but the truth is some stuff simply doesn’t age. That affectionate joke about Rolf Harris? It’s going to seem ‘Oh my god!’ today. That’s the price you pay for topicality.”

He says he always feels sorry for celebrities who have had pictures taken with people like Jimmy Savile or Gary Glitter. “But you have to understand, it’s just a photo.” He chuckles. A thought has just occurred. “You should see the people at stage door I’ve had my photo with. They could be serial killers for all I know.”

Charlotte Edwardes

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Editor’s pick

AR T R A R R L

In the UK, there are around 1,000 people who remain unidentified after their death. The Wembley Point Woman is one such person. In October 2004, she took the lift to the 21st floor of an office block in north-west London, bought a coffee in its cafe, smoked a cigarette – then opened a window and jumped out.

Who was the woman, and why did she jump? Almost twenty years later, a team of volunteers are attempting to find out. Samira Shackle reports.

Joe Stone, commissioning editor

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Email Template Skip to main content The Guardian   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌ Inside Saturday Powered by readers, open to all. Support us   How we wrote BOB LATCHFOF Credit: Jay Brooks / The Guardian Features 'PEOPLE ARE GETTING CANCELLED FOR ALL KINDS OF THINGS, BUT THE TRUTH IS SOME STUFF SIMPLY DOESN’T AGE' There was a moment during my interview with Alan Carr when he asked me where I thought his accent was from, London or the north. I froze – was this a trick question? What would be the penalty for getting it wrong? Alan Carr can be a little – how shall I put this – harsh in the face of weakness. But, he explained, “My mum’s cockney, my dad’s geordie. Then there’s Northampton and Dorset in the mix.” So yes, he wants to know. In truth, Carr’s accent is unplaceable. Moreover, he occasionally drops into a quite deep voice which sounds, dare I say, like every other west Londoner in television (sorry, Alan). I wonder if that’s the voice he uses when he’s alone, just chatting to the dog. As we grew up in the same era, I jump on common ground. Carr loved Wonder Woman – “I mean, I wrote to Jim’ll Fix It asking to meet her and I still had to come out to my mum”– so I tell him that one of my brothers was also a big Wonder Woman devotee. “Oh, riiiight,” Carr says, nodding knowingly. He used to kiss the screen when she came on, I say. “Oh.” He looks shocked, then appalled. “I never used to do that.” He “absolutely loved” Agatha Christie, although acknowledges she had questionable views. “Sometimes you’re reading and you think, Oh, that’s a bit mean and not very nice.” Also, many of our 70s and 80s favourites have us raising an eyebrow today. “I used to watch The Golden Girls. So good. But some of the [episodes] are a bit problematic.” He frowns. “Some of it you just couldn’t say these days.” We talk about his regrets in comedy, and he returns to the subject a few times. Comedy is especially fraught, he believes, because of the specific need to riff off contemporary events. “You’re in a catch-22 because if you’re a good comedian, then you will do topical material. But topical stuff is like writing during an earthquake. The tectonic plates” – he demonstrates the friction between his hands. “For example, when I grew up George Michael was seen as some pervert who hung around toilets. Now he’s this wonderful philanthropist; salt of the earth, what a legend! But if you’re working with the zeitgeist, you haven’t got that hindsight on how things change. You haven’t got a crystal ball. People are getting cancelled for all kinds of things, but the truth is some stuff simply doesn’t age. That affectionate joke about Rolf Harris? It’s going to seem ‘Oh my god!’ today. That’s the price you pay for topicality.” He says he always feels sorry for celebrities who have had pictures taken with people like Jimmy Savile or Gary Glitter. “But you have to understand, it’s just a photo.” He chuckles. A thought has just occurred. “You should see the people at stage door I’ve had my photo with. They could be serial killers for all I know.” CHARLOTTE EDWARDES Spacer Image EDITH PRITCHETT'S WEEK IN VENN DIAGRAMS Keir When Starmer oyour friend oh Brexit 9ets a bad haircut Unconvincingly pretending it was a good idea, until enough time has passed for honesty PLUS, INSIDE Articles Image A disorder, or an excuse? MY CHEATING BOYFRIEND TOLD ME HE WAS A SEX ADDICT When I found out my partner had been lying for years, my world shattered. Did calling it an addiction mean I had to forgive him? Articles Image Shop slow, buy less THE GUIDE TO ESSENTIALS THAT STAND THE TEST OF TIME From trainers that never go out of style to the umbrella that won’t blow inside out, we pick 12 everyday items that really last Articles Image Books to change the world DUA LIPA, SADIQ KHAN, SEBASTIAN BARRY AND MORE SHARE THEIR PICKS As writers, artists and campaigners gather at this year’s Hay festival, we ask them to pick titles that inspire new ways of thinking Articles Image ‘I thought: this boy's gone’ THE TRAGEDY AND BEAUTY OF NICK DRAKE, BY THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM Three extracts from an exhaustive new biography offer the most nuanced portrait to date of the 70s singer-songwriter EDITOR’S PICK AR T R A R R L In the UK, there are around 1,000 people who remain unidentified after their death. The Wembley Point Woman is one such person. In October 2004, she took the lift to the 21st floor of an office block in north-west London, bought a coffee in its cafe, smoked a cigarette – then opened a window and jumped out. Who was the woman, and why did she jump? Almost twenty years later, a team of volunteers are attempting to find out. Samira Shackle reports. Joe Stone, commissioning editor LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Bullet The big idea: why you should embrace your inner fan Bullet Polly Toynbee: what my privileged start in life taught me about the British class system Bullet 50 years of Pacha and the Ibiza club scene Bullet Why a happy ending doesn’t have to mean marriage Bullet ‘She sets a timer for sex and my job is just to enjoy what she’s doing to me’ Advertisement The Guardian Gl?%lian Manage your emails | You are receiving this email because you are a subscriber to Inside Saturday. Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396
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