Keith Carter (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Keith Carter is an award winning Liverpool
-based comedian
, writer
, and actor
, best known for his comic creation Nige, a caricature
of a scallie from Merseyside
cited by Sir Jeremy Isaacs
as being instrumental in helping Liverpool's successful 2007 Capital of Culture
bid.
Carter has been described as "not just a stand-up with a dressing-up box, he makes his characters live by his bearing, his gestures and by his voice".
in clubs
in Liverpool in 2001. He has developed a number of comic characters, the most famous of which is Nige, who he claims to have based on a scouse
r queuing up in front of him in a dole queue; other characters Carter has created include Gerald Roberts, an opinionated driver, and Colin Kilkelly, who thinks he is Liverpool's answer to Enrique Iglesias
.
Carter has made a number of appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has been nominee and winner of a number of awards. His appearance in Under the Mud
was described by The Guardian
as an almost show stealing performance. In 2008 he co-wrote the play The Berserker Boys with fellow Liverpudlian comedian Stanley McHale. The play premièred at the Unity Theatre
in February 2008.
Comedy Shuffle, BBC 3 (written and performed) (2007)
It's Adam and Shelley, BBC 3 (2007)
Meet The Blogs, ITV (2008)
Scallywagga, BBC 3 (2008)
Tonightly, Channel 4 (2008)
The Gerald Roberts Radio Show, BBC Radio (2005)
How I Won The Capital of Culture by Nige, BBC Radio (2005)
Deck of Friends, BBC Radio (playwright) (2005)
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
-based comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known for his comic creation Nige, a caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
of a scallie from Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
cited by Sir Jeremy Isaacs
Jeremy Isaacs
Sir Jeremy Isaacs is a British television producer and executive, winner of many BAFTA awards and international Emmy Awards. He was also General Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden .-Early life:...
as being instrumental in helping Liverpool's successful 2007 Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
bid.
Carter has been described as "not just a stand-up with a dressing-up box, he makes his characters live by his bearing, his gestures and by his voice".
Career
Carter began his career as a stand up comedianStand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
in clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Liverpool in 2001. He has developed a number of comic characters, the most famous of which is Nige, who he claims to have based on a scouse
Scouse
Scouse is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool and the adjoining urban areas such as the boroughs of south Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral...
r queuing up in front of him in a dole queue; other characters Carter has created include Gerald Roberts, an opinionated driver, and Colin Kilkelly, who thinks he is Liverpool's answer to Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
.
Carter has made a number of appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has been nominee and winner of a number of awards. His appearance in Under the Mud
Under the Mud
Under the Mud is a 2009 comedy film directed by Solon Papadopoulos. It is set in Garston, an economically depressed area of Liverpool, UK, and follows the dramatic and eccentric happenings within one family on the day of its youngest daughter's first Holy Communion...
was described by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as an almost show stealing performance. In 2008 he co-wrote the play The Berserker Boys with fellow Liverpudlian comedian Stanley McHale. The play premièred at the Unity Theatre
Unity Theatre, Liverpool
The Unity Theatre in Liverpool, England, was formed as the Merseyside Left Theatre in the 1930s. In 1944 it became Merseyside Unity Theatre....
in February 2008.
TV Credits
Domestic, BBC 2 (2002)Comedy Shuffle, BBC 3 (written and performed) (2007)
It's Adam and Shelley, BBC 3 (2007)
Meet The Blogs, ITV (2008)
Scallywagga, BBC 3 (2008)
Tonightly, Channel 4 (2008)
Radio Credits
Loose Ends, BBC Radio (2004)The Gerald Roberts Radio Show, BBC Radio (2005)
How I Won The Capital of Culture by Nige, BBC Radio (2005)
Deck of Friends, BBC Radio (playwright) (2005)
Awards and nominations
- 2008 Daily PostLiverpool Daily PostThe Liverpool Daily Post is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Friday and is published in Merseyside, Cheshire, and North Wales editions, and is a morning paper...
Arts Award - 2003 Liverpool EchoLiverpool EchoThe Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
Comedian of the Year - 2005 North WestNorth West Comedy AwardsThe North West Comedy Awards were set up to honour and reward the comedic talents that can be found in North West England. They have been running since 2004 and in their short time have honoured Peter Kay, Rob Brydon, Johnny Vegas, Alan Carr & John Bishop. The categories not only recognize Stand Up...
Breakthrough Comedian of the Year - 2001 BBC New Comedy AwardsBBC New Comedy AwardsThe BBC New Comedy Awards first appeared in 1995 and were considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards until they were axed in 2006. It was announced in the summer of 2006 that they were being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed...
, finalist
External links
- http://www.comedy-zone.net/standup/comedian/c/carter-keith.htm Keith Carter profile at the Comedy Zone
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/stage/2003/07/keithcarter/index.shtml BBC profile of Keith Carter
- http://blogs.liverpoolecho.co.uk/carterslot/keith_carter/ Keith Carter's blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
for the Liverpool EchoLiverpool EchoThe Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...