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: Compete For The Meat
Live Review

Forget the enormo-domes; this is Al Murray as he should be experienced, up close and personal. Very personal.

Hosting his own pub quiz in the intimate confines of the Ace Dome, the Pub Landlord spares no quarter from his superluminally-quick, haranguing banter, sharp as a tequila shot but as inoffensive as a pint of mild. In this lunchtime session he instigated a fantastic running joke about a man so devoid of presence he couldn’t be seen, with an obvious spontaneity that made even Murray himself laugh.

The aim of this show is simple. ‘We’re not here to break taboos,’ the Guv’nor insists. ‘We’re here to hand out chicken.’ For top prize is some frozen poultry – with a bonus prize of the salmonella bacteria that must surely be multiplying under the sweltering lights. It’s 23 per cetn pork sausages for the runners-up.

This is serious stuff, with contestants vocal in their yearning for the meat; while the pub quiz itself is entirely genuine. Sure, Murray has added some twists of his own, and not just in the lovely comic flourishes in the wording of many questions. There’s the Dave round, all about famous Daves; an elimination system for the team deemed, free of political correctness ‘thick and slow’; and a snack-based playoff which ultimately cost the critics’ team a coveted top-two placement.

Impressively, Murray promises a different set of questions every day; though as this run long sold out – understandably at just a fiver – we’ll have to take his word for that. But whatever the knowledge put to the test, this is simply brilliant knockabout fun. No question.

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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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