| Ref No | BSUCA/JP/1/2/2 |
| Collection | John Pidgeon Collection |
| Title | Alan Davies interviewed for 'Talking Comedy' |
| Name of creator | Pidgeon, John, 1947-2016 |
| Date | 24/04/1996 |
| Duration | 1 hr. 27 min. 26 sec. |
| Extent | 1 sound cassette (DAT 94) |
| 1 audio file Broadcast WAVE Format |
| Description | Alan Davies interviewed by John Pidgeon at The Sound Company, London, for 'Talking Comedy', a BBC Radio 2 programme in which comedians talk about the people that make them laugh. This is the unedited interview, not the programme as broadcast.
[1:03] Alan Davies [AD] speaks about how TV sitcoms were comedy education and not so much stand-up comedy. Speaks about particular sitcoms such as Dad's Army, and Porridge, and mentioned that he however couldn't get into Terry and June. [2:14] 'Not the Nine O'Clock News' was a favourite when he was 12 [4:10] AD got into stand up in his last year of university [4:25] His biggest influence was Billy Connolly. Loved his rambling anecdotal mania. Went to Edinburgh and watched "An Audience With Billy Connolly" and noted his style. AD began first by writing insulting jokes about politicians then became comfortable speaking about life issues. [5:45] Named Dave Alan as his 'top hero' as he encouraged him to continue doing what he was doing. [8:28] John Pidgeon [JP] asks about 'Only Fools And Horses'. AD states that he loves the characters in the sitcom. Believes in encouraging young writers to come up in producing sitcoms. [11:35] Discovered Woody Alan in his teens. When he was 17 he went to Thaxted for a weekend away and found a book of Woody Allen which he couldn't put down. [16:00] AD mentions other influential comedians such as Richard Pryor and Bill Hicks who had different styles of comedy deliverance but were still funny in their own right. Spoke about Steven Wright who he went to see at the Dominion Theatre at Tottenham Court Road on his 27th birthday in 1993. AD describes him as 'One man using simple theatre language yet making everyone laugh'. He saw this as real talent [25:45] His first gig was with Rose and Crown in Hackney [29:00] Keith Dover - met in 1989 as contenders for City Limits magazine. Were both on 'First Exposure' [31:10] JP asks about the Comedy Festival and other festivals around the world. AD went to the Edinburgh Festival in 1994 and the Montreal Festival in 1995 where he met Norm Macdonald [Norman Gene Macdonald]]. JP asks about French and Saunders who AD admits to never seeing live but enjoyed watching them on TV. Jo Brand is another female comedian who he loved and was good friends with. [46:15] Starts listening to clips: French and Saunders in Amnesty - loved that they could do classic impressions which were still funny and enjoyed themselves. AD loves the rush of laughter i.e. pause after the punch line is let out. Mentioned that he liked how in an act there are certain comedians who are able to speak on non-conventional topics e.g. death of an animal yet make others find a comedic aspect to it. The stage seemed to be the place he felt he could do and say what he wanted. AD states he's known for the clip about 'his dad's underpants' in Esquire. Likes the tapes as he knows he can look at it in 10 years' time and still enjoy it. AD Loved Julie Walters' 'two soups' sketch. Believes that skilled comedians are able to make you pay attention to what is being said yet are still able to make you laugh. He found that there are some comics who no matter how bleak or stupid their acts are they still find them funny. [1:19:32] End Promo [1:20:54] End of Interview. |
| Notes | LPCM wave 16 bit 44.1kHz. Digital Audio Tape (DAT) captured using a PC running Windows; SPDIF connection via RME PCI card. Digitisation engineer Adrian Finn, Greatbear analogue & digital media ltd. Digital file topped and tailed. |
| Category | Audio recordings |
| Access conditions | This recording is available for consultation at the University of Kent's Special Collections & Archives reading room, Templeman Library, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NU for study/research purposes only. Access to audio-visual recordings is through digital listening copies. The University of Kent acknowledges the intellectual property rights of those named as contributors in this recording and the rights of those not identified. |
| Copyright | John Pidgeon, Alan Davies, BBC |
| Level | Item |