Interaction with the audience is a big part of Carr's stand-up, and the basis of the interaction is that Carr is quicker and wittier than the audience members. People who go to his show deliberately heckle him just to see him tear them to shreds. That part of Carr's on-stage persona is very much the sort of wise-cracking "my-knob-is-bigger-than-yours" thing that Fry attributes to American comedy.

I also don't think the self-deprecating "hapless loser" style of comedy is a new thing in America. Self-deprecation has always been a big part of Jewish comedy (Woody Allen is a good example), which has been central to the American comic tradition. Besides that, I already mentioned Lucille Ball, who certainly isn't a recent phenomenon. You can add the Three Stooges to that list. Also Phyllis Diller and (more recently) Chris Farley.

It might be true that self-deprecating humor is more common in British comedy, but it has been a big enough part of American comedy that I find it a little misleading to characterize it as a specifically British trait.

I don't think that. I think that he is spot on, but out of date and talking in general terms. The things that make those American comics great is how they are so much different from what American comics used to be and how they used to be appreciated. And by the way, as an English person, I too think Louis CK is the best out there. Also, I really don't know how you categorise Jimmy Carr in that way, would you care to explain?

I don't know about this... Think about the best American comic right now, Louis CK. His on-stage (and on-screen) persona almost exactly fits what Fry describes as the British archetype. And he's not alone: think about Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm, George Costanza in Seinfeld, Homer Simpson, even Lucille Ball.

On the flip side, British comedians like Russell Brand, Jimmy Carr and Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder (except for the first season) are more like Fry's description of American comedy. It seems to me that what Fry has done here is come up with a nice neat story about differing national character based on broad stereotypes rather than acute observation, turned that into a theory of comedy, and then cherry-picked examples that fit his theory without mentioning exceptions. It all sounds very impressive given his amazing facility with language and rhetoric, but it's not very good analysis.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'jimmy carr, alan davies, stephen fry, sphinchter, bladder, camera' to 'jimmy carr, alan davies, stephen fry, sphincter, bladder, camera' - edited by bareboards2

If Jimmy Carr says, "This may not be an appropriate story", you can take that to the bank.

Although honestly, he really did try to keep it appropriate. I don't think I've seen him quite that restrained before.

>> ^rasch187:

promote. You can make a playlist and embed that, AC


I don't know how to any more... and thanks

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From Wikipedia:

In June 2012, Carr's involvement in an alleged K2 tax avoidance scheme came to light after an investigation by The Times newspaper. The scheme is understood to involve UK earners "quitting" their job and signing new employment contracts with offshore shell companies based in the tax haven of Jersey.

Earlier in 2012 Carr had lampooned people who avoid tax during the second series of Channel 4's satirical news programme 10 O'Clock Live. A sketch from the show, in which he poked fun at the 1 per cent tax rate of Barclays Bank has now "come back to haunt him".

^Upvoted^
Have a creepy screengrab at the 5:00 mark

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Stephen Fry, Alan Davis, Bill Bailey, Jimmy Carr, Jo Brand, phones, QI' to 'Stephen Fry, Alan Davis, Bill Bailey, Jimmy Carr, Jo Brand, phones, QI, ahoy oi' - edited by messenger

But he never called Carr, personally, morally anything, just his behaviour. Anyway, the story here is the hypocrisy, not the words he chose (or didn't).>> ^alien_concept:

>> ^messenger:
Except he never said "morally repugnant". The interviewer tried to get him to say that, and he refused.

I know However, "morally wrong" he did stretch to. He just admitted he had to be careful what words he used.

>> ^messenger:

Except he never said "morally repugnant". The interviewer tried to get him to say that, and he refused.


I know However, "morally wrong" he did stretch to. He just admitted he had to be careful what words he used.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'jimmy carr, mask, fucking feaking incident' to 'jimmy carr, mask, fucking freaky incident' - edited by RhesusMonk

Tags for this video have been changed from 'jimmy, carr, mask' to 'jimmy carr, mask, fucking feaking incident' - edited by xxovercastxx

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