Keeper Of The Pint Cosmic

From his 1998 show, reprised

More Al Murray videos

Murray's grandfather Sir Ralph Murray was a diplomat, working at the Political
Warfare Establishment propaganda unit. And his great-great-great-grandfather was William Makepeace Thackeray.

Al was a boarder at Bedford School and went on to read modern history at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he started performing comedy.

His break came in 1994, when he was invited compere in Harry Hill's Edinburgh show Pub Internationale, and created the pub landlord character.

Nominated for the Perrier more often than anyone else, Murray was ruled out the running in 1999 for being 'too popular', until organisers relented.

Al Murray: The Pub Landlord - Fringe 2009
Live Review

Al Murray’s Edinburgh show is full of old material. But then, that’s the point. In an fascinating experiment, he’s decided to recreate all of his Perrier-nominated shows over five lunchtimes. ‘Maybe I’ll remember it, maybe I won’t,’ he warns from the outset.

Today, we’re going to chuckle like it’s 1996 – the year of Spice Girls, Prince Charles’s divorce, mad cow disease and The Pub Landlord’s first solo show. How accurate the reconstruction is, it’s impossible to tell for those of us who weren’t here 13 years ago – but if it is faithful, it’s amazing how fully-formed the character was. There’s little difference between this act and the one that filled the O2 this year, other than being a little more muted – none of the hugely exaggerated gestures we’ve come to expect.

Of course, Murray has a lot more bantering experience under his belt now, and the interaction with his audience is as fluid and quick-witted as we’ve come to expect from the Guv’nor. Again, we cannot tell if he was this sharp all that time ago.

The running jokes that have sustained his career are nearly all here. The Australians are bred for bar work, the French should be pitied, not mocked, ‘it’s been a year…’ A gag about Michael Portillo being defence secretary and the rickety Eurostar service on the British side of the Channel Tunnel are the only real indicators of the show’s vintage.

Most the material bears up remarkably well. The idea that the gospels are like four hungover men trying to piece together the events of the previous night is especially strong, while his ill-advised first aid tips and suggestion that English is the brain’s natural language are nicely witty.

But the main attraction here is seeing Murray close-up. His greatest talent is his interaction with the audience, and a room like this, where he can get in among us, is where that can be experienced in full effect. And with none of the feeling that it’s more of a rally than a gig that can dog his recent Enormodome performances.

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I went to see Al in Edinburgh for the 1st time and it was fantastic. I loved how he involves the audience and encourages them to take part in his act. Two hours of non stop comedy... brilliant. Can't wait till he comes back to Scotland.

Lynne, January 2011

Murray is a one-trick pony. His one idea has become a millstone around his neck but he seems content to plough the same, dull furrow. There is a hazy, ill-defined line between irony and the real thing. Most of the time it's hard to tell. As with Alf Garnett, he was saying things that people were already thinking.

Riera, March 2010

When is Al Murray going to open for Jim Davidson, or Roy 'Chubby' Brown? You can call 'The Pub Landlord' an ironic character all you want, but at the end of the day there is nothing between these comedians, they're all lazy bigots playing up prejudice.

Andrew, January 2010

Hmm, methinks John (posting here in April 2008) is being ironic and pretending not to realise that Al Murray's Pub Landlord character is, er, a character. You might just as well "hate" actors for the soap opera characters they portray. That said, I've heard that some do sometimes receive abuse from nitwits who cannot separate fantasy from reality. Sigh.

Ben, August 2008

Al Murray is a fat English lout, a thug and he isn't funny, at all.

John, April 2008

Al Murray is rubbish.

Sophie Walker, April 2007

I have seen Al live six times now and each time he was fantastic. He is a comic genius and the best comedian in modern times. He is not racist he is funny. The whole point of his character is that he is completely out of touch with reality! We've all met someone like him at the pub and disagree with all the rubbish that they spout! That is what the pub landlord is all about. We are not supposed to agree with him, we're supposed to laugh at him. It's called comedy!

Dave Terry, September 2006

What can you say? Al Murray - finger on the pulse of the nation. Urban poet. A veritable font of modern wisdom. True genius. The best thing since sliced bread - another great British invention, I might hasten to add. Laahrvely!

Karim, July 2006

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