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From his Barrel of Fun DVD

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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.

Gregg Jevin Memorial Concert
Live Review

Farewell Gregg Jevin, we hardly knew ye. ‘Legendary’ is a term used far too liberally in comedy, but never has that adjective been more apt than in his case.

He was a character of his time. Were it not for  Twitter, news of his death a fortnight ago, would never have spread so fast. After his passing was announced by comic Michael Legge, the news was picked up across the blogosphere, becoming a trending topic and being relayed by the likes of Charlie Brooker, BBC World Chris Addison, the Radio Times and Sarah Millican. Surely only a cynic would suggest these luminaries never really knew Jevin at all.

Then, through the spirit of community that binds comedians, this memorial gig was hastily arranged, attracting an impressive bill of comics all lining up to pay tribute to The Jevster. The man. The myth,

Legge had apparently been offered the Royal Albert Hall for the show – an ambitious potential booking considering it didn’t quite sell out the wonderfully intimate downstairs room of the Soho Theatre. But then in his all-too-brief time with us, Jevin was never of the mainstream.

Many of the comics tonight had personal memories of him that they put together especially for the show. A remarkably high number of them seemed to have been intimate with the man – a fact skilfully brought to attention by Shappi Khorasandi, when she frankly admitted her embarrassment that she had had the same idea for her witty eulogy as so many others on the bill.  Rachel Parris, for example, put her erotic memories to music, performing elegant comedy about inelegant topics, while her stand-up sections demonstrated perfect timing of wryly funny lines.

More memories came from Ian Rankin. Yes, that one. ‘He’s someone with better things to do,’ Legge stated in amazement before reading what the the bestselling novelist had written about his  memories of Jevin, and how he got on so famously with one Detective Inspector John Rebus.

Nick Doody shared some intelligent one-liners about the phenomenon tat was Jevin before his impressively sharp stand-up set; while Mitch Benn was the Elton John of the gig, literally singing Jevin’s praises in an emotional ballad. Elsewhere Al Murray’s desperate beer-fuelled grief added an appealing layer of pathos to his usually boorish Pub Landlord, though he was still as commandeering as ever.

It was not only memories of Jevin that took Murray back. He also reprised his largely forgotten role from the mid-Nineties as drummer with the world’s first Jewish heavy metal band, Guns N Moses, alongside Dave Cohen, aka Ax’l Rosenberg.

Not everyone shared personal memories, some just did their act by way of tribute. Simon Evans sneered at the Welsh in his archly supercilious way, while Tony Law was delightfully bonkers in the opening slot, making no bones about his lack of so-called ‘material’, hilarious through his honesty.

But if that seemed insane, it was nothing as to Bridget Christie in her new guise of Louise Mensch, the Tory MP for East Norhamptonshire, complete with ridiculous mask, vividly bright wig, wartime tin hat, Richard III stoop and coal-eating baby. ‘Underplayed’ clearly isn’t in her vocabulary. The destruction of the politician’s supposed feminist ideals was as complete as it was shambolic – though that, Christie is eager to assure us, is entirely planned.

The rasping pensioner Barry From Watford is a character in roughly the same mould, and though his ancient gags fell on stony ground, his take on the creepily rubbish ventriloquist act is a delight. Soon afterwards, in just two imaginative, brilliantly executed skits, The Trap reminded us why they are one of the funniest and most inventive sketch groups ever. Broadcasters should hang their head in shame not to have them on air.

Among all the veterans, Twitter wit Moose Allain made his stand-up debut – and although his nerves were obvious as he read his tribute, the writing, honed by the discipline of sticking to a 140-character limit, was impressive, full of unexpectedly twisting punchlines and sharp turns of phrase.

This is the sort of night – more normally found at the Edinburgh Fringe – that showcases the best stand-up can be – an inventive, playful one-off, taking a simple gag stupidly far, but with creative flair. The only misstep, really, was The Beatles – a booking that must have been made for the gag of having that name on the bill. But playing five or six cover versions, perfectly straight, meant this tribute act outstayed their welcome on a comedy bill, as the increasingly apathetic call-and-response sections attested.

But that was the only hiccup in a fantastic, never-to-be-repeated night. To paraphrase a joke of Doody’s, had Jevin been here, he would surely have been made up.

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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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