Jimmy Carr

Jimmy Carr

Date of birth: 15-09-1972

A former marketing executive for Shell, Jimmy Carr is one of the hardest-working comedians in the UK, and DVDs of his live shows now sell more than 150,000 copies each.

His first full-length show, Bare-Faced Ambition, was nominated for the Perrier in 2002; and he was named best stand-up at the Time Out Awards in 2003, and at the Laftas in 2004. At the same awards he was named ‘funniest man’ in 2005.

He won the Royal Television Society Award for best on-screen newcomer in 2003, and soon established himself one of the main faces of Channel 4, hosting game show Distraction, the first series of The Friday Night Project, three series of panel show 8 Out Of 10 Cats, and several specials such as The Big Fat End of Year Quiz and The Comedians’ Comedian.

Carr has also made headway in the US, performing four times on NBC’s Tonight With Jay Leno and three times on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He made a half-hour stand-up special for Comedy Central, and hosted two series of Distraction USA for the same network.

He has also appeared in the films Confetti, Alien Autopsy and Stormbreaker, all released in 2006; and has hosted a weekly radio show for London’s XFM.

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© Matt Holyoak

Woman who buys ticket to offensive comedian stunned to find he's offensive

Punter slams Jimmy Carr for 'vile' joke about deafness

Few people can go to a Jimmy Carr gig unaware of his reputation for offensive jokes.

But one punter has complained to the media after the stand-up turned his harsh sense of humour onto her.

Carly Ahlen says she felt ‘absolutely insulted’ when the Cats Do Countdown how made a joke about her deafness, calling the comments ‘vile’.

The 44-year-old – who lost her hearing in the Army – said she was disappointed that the stand-up comedian used his platform to ‘put down those who have a tough life’.

Carr first teased her for wearing a beret, which she then raised to reveal her hearing aid.

‘I hoped he was at least a decent guy and would move on, knowing I was deaf,’ she told the Mirror. ‘It didn’t work. It had the opposite effect as I was like a sitting deaf duck now.’

She later caught his eye because she was using her phone to transcribe his set, joking that she might be using it to ‘call for backup from the French Resistance’.

He followed it up by joking that you can say what you want about deaf people ‘because they can’t hear you’.

That proved too much for the wildlife rescuer, who said. ‘I was shocked – this isn’t comedy. There’s a joke and then there’s absolutely insulting. It’s vile to the deaf community.’

It’s just not acceptable. He doesn’t need to do that – he’s rich enough. I’ve spent far too long feeling miserable and ashamed of my hearing loss because of the stigma attached to it.’

Ahlen bought a ticket to Carr’s show at the West Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent, despite the comedian previously making headlines for joking about gipsies, the Holocaust, people with Down’s Syndrome, 9/11 and dwarfism, among others.

He has also previously joked about deafness, quipping: ‘Deafness is getting to be quite a problem for me, and I never thought I’d hear myself say that.’

The blurb for his current tour, Laughs Funny, even includes the disclaimer: ‘Some people are repelled by Jimmy's dark brand of comedy. This show is not for them. But if it's the kind of thing you like, then this is the kind of thing you’ll like.’

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Published: 9 Mar 2024

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