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

Jimmy Carr: Comedy should be taught in schools

'It's more valuable than learning piano'

Jimmy Carr says comedy should be taught in schools as a vital communication skill.

He said it is a more valuable skill than learning a musical instrument, explaining: ‘You will write down and order your thoughts. You’ll learn to communicate them and you will speak in your own authentic voice. Is that not more valuable than grade three on the piano? 

‘I think it is because that’s a transferable skill no matter whether you do stand-up or not. Being able to present to a group and have a little bit of humour and that will help your relationships and help your job and help your presentations and everything else.’

Carr, 54, also said comedy was a ‘teachable skill’ rather an an ‘innate ability’

‘Are you born funny? I don’t think so,’ he told the High Performance podcast. ‘I think it’s like saying you’re born able to play the piano. Yeah, people have musical ability, people might be drawn to it or have a talent for it, but I think it is something that can be taught.’

It’s not the first time he has made such a call, saying this in an interview this summer:

Carr’s book about the mechanics of comedy, On Jokes (or, why everything you know about comedy is wrong), was published last week.

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Published: 26 Oct 2026

Closing the Box

The Jimmy Carr-fronted comedy format  Battle In…
26/03/2025

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