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Desert Island Discs

Jimmy Carr

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.413.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2017

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kirsty Young's castaway is the comedian and television presenter Jimmy Carr. He is the son of Irish immigrant parents and grew up in Berkshire. Despite being dyslexic, he got good enough A levels to study at Cambridge University. After graduating with a degree in Political Science, and working for a major multinational company in London, Jimmy had what he calls an 'early midlife crisis', during which he lost his Catholic faith and was generally unhappy. He attended lots of therapy courses in an attempt to find out what would make him happier and eventually set out on the road to becoming a comedian. He quickly got a reputation for his fierce work ethic, heading up annually to the Edinburgh Fringe, touring with a new show virtually every year, and hosting many a Channel 4 panel show including 8 Out of 10 Cats and the Big Fat Quiz of the Year. He has also made a name for himself by becoming what he has called "the king of the inappropriate", drawing criticism for making jokes about sensitive subjects. Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the BBC.

0:26.0

My Acastoe this week is the comedian Jimmy Carr.

0:29.0

His default approach to life is swimming against the tide.

0:32.0

In an era of relentlessly observational comedy,

0:36.0

he tells tightly crafted jokes with proper punchlines.

0:40.0

At a time when hoodies and trainers are standard fashion issue,

0:43.0

he favors bespoke Savile Row tailoring.

0:46.0

And as the modern media increasingly preoccupies itself

0:50.0

tiptoeing around the sensibilities of society,

0:53.0

he positively revels in the inappropriate.

0:56.0

With his gigs punctuated not just by audience laughter,

0:59.0

but sharp intakes of breath too.

1:02.0

His work ethic is extraordinary.

1:04.0

Around 250 live gigs a year plus a lot of TV.

1:08.0

Comedy came into his life as Catholicism exited.

1:12.0

The son of Irish immigrants, he was brought up in Berkshire,

1:15.0

going on to study at Cambridge.

1:17.0

But by his mid-twenties, he'd experienced something

1:19.0

of an early mid-life crisis.

1:21.0

Throwing in his marketing job at Shell and giving up on religion too.

1:25.0

He is clearly a thinker, but says there is no lesson to be learned

1:29.0

from my shows, no takeaway, aha moment.

...

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