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• Michael-McIntyre

Michael McIntyre is a relatively new comedian on the scene, but his career has been growing at a dizzying pace. He has been selling out venues throughout Great Britain and abroad, and his DVDs are flying off the shelves. Some recent reviewers have had the following to say about his comedic talents.

- “He has wonderful, original material that hones in on those nuances of modern life that we all know but rarely identify.” – Dominic Maxwell, The Times.

- “He turns everyday encounters into masterclasses of anthropological exasperation.” - Bruce Dessau, London Evening Standard

- “The breath of his material is impressive; there’s nothing that happens in the theatre, from a nose-blowing to a latecomer revealing they’d come from Ireland, that can’t be used a segueway into some highly polished routine..” - Steve Bennett, Chortle – The UK Comedy Guide

- “If comedy is supposedly going to err torwards the risk-adverse in the post-Brand/post-Ross BBC era: the cometh the hour, cometh Michael McIntyre.” - Jillian Hall, The Independent

So, who is Michael McIntyre?

The Early Years

Michael McIntyre was born in 1976 in the London Borough of Merton. His parents were both involved in the entertainment industry. His father, Ray Cameron, was originally from Canada, and dreamed of becoming a stand-up comic. He later worked as a television producer, writer and director. He was in his late 30’s when he met his wife Kati. At the time she was only 19, and worked as a professional dancer until they were married.

Michael was raised in Hampstead with his younger sister, Lucy. His parents divorced when he was seven years old. He attended a private, all boys school for his primary education. He then attended a state secondary school, but felt like he didn’t fit in there because it was so different from his private school upbringing. However, it was there he started to discover the magic of comedy. He realized he was good at getting laughs, and would always have an audience at the ready when he’d start making cheeky comments.

After his parents divorced, his father moved to the United States. Michael would fly out to visit him one week out of the year. Sadly, his father died from a heart attack when Michael was only seventeen years old. Michael had planned to move to the US and live with his father upon graduation from secondary school, so this changed all his long-term plans. Losing his father was a huge blow. He remarked, “It was as if a huge part of my future had just been wiped out. My day-to-day life didn’t change: I still went to the same school and had the same home, but I really missed our weekly phone call, and all my plans to get to know him had suddenly imploded.”

So instead of moving to the US, he enrolled at Edinburgh University. He jokes that he cannot remember whether he was majoring in biology or chemistry, only that there was a white coat involved.

Evidently he was not too interested in his studies, because he dropped out after attending only one year. He found a part-time job working in a bar, but that was short-lived as well. He was fired for eating a few of his customer’s chips. It was then he decided he wanted to make a career out of being funny.

Around this time he met his future wife Kitty. Michael’s sister Lucy introduced them, because Kitty was Lucy’s new boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, and she wanted to make sure Kitty was occupied elsewhere! It was love at first sight – for Michael – but they wouldn’t become an official couple for another two years.

Once Michael finally convinced Kitty to begin dating, they became inseparable. She provided a great deal of moral support while he was trying to build his career in comedy. They dated for five years, and finally tied the knot in 2003. Kitty currently works as an aromatherapist, which employs the use of essential oils in a form of alternative medicine. Their marriage has produced two sons: Lucas was born in 2005, and Oscar came along in 2008. They currently reside in Muswell Hill.

Hitting the Mainstream

Michael’s first major television appearance was on Royal Variety Performance in 2006. Part of his gig included a series of comical walks. Much to his surprise, he was recognized the very next day by a taxi-cab driver, who offered him a discounted fare if he’d do one of his funny walks. Michael reminisced, “It was the first time I’d been recognized – and it felt wonderful.” He was hooked. The same year he made his debuts at the Kilkenny Comedy Festival and the Brighton Comedy Festival, and also performed at the Garrick Theatre in London. His career continued to grow, and he began to develop a loyal fan base.

The following year was a busy one for Michael. He returned to the Edinburgh Festival, along with the Kilkenny Comedy Festival. He went to Canada and performed at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival. He also debuted at the Soho Theatre & Lyric Theatre, both in London. And he kicked off his first national tour. His career was growing exponentially. His natural talents and hard work were really beginning to pay off.

With the number of shows continuing to increase, 2008 turned out to be a weird and wonderful year for Michael. He was the fastest selling comedian at the Edinburgh Festival, now performing for the fourth time at that venue. He also performed to a sold out crowd for five nights at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. He was nominated for the Best Live Stand-up at the 2008 British Comedy Awards. At the time he joked, “I’m always on the long list. You get a long list and then a short list. People only ever hear about the short list. I’ve been on the long list for everything.”

In October, Michael was doing a show at Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall. He had delivered another great performance and was running back on stage for an encore when he fell and dislocated his shoulder. The audience of course thought it was part of the act, and started to laugh at him. His manager had to come on stage and explain that it was a sincere accident, and he was taken away by ambulance. It was a rather tragicomic end to the show!

In December, his DVD “Live and Laughing” was the fastest-selling comedy debut, with more than 450,000 copies sold. He jokingly attributes the success of the DVD on his many visits to local DVD shops. “I go to shops and get all my DVDs and strap them along the front of the till. Sometimes I just hand them out to people, sometimes I just put them in people’s baskets, so they buy it by accident.”

This year is gearing up to be another fantastic year for Michael. He served as the presenter for the Travel Weekly Globe Awards. He also made two appearances on “Let’s Dance for Comic Relief”, first as a guest judge, and again on the show’s finale. He performed at the Prince’s Trust Comedy Gala at the New Wimbledon Theatre. This event was performed in the presence of TRH The Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Corwall, and was also televised. Please see below for his upcoming tour dates and television appearance schedule.

Fun facts about Michael McIntyre

- Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne purchased his childhood home in Hampstead (at the time, someone told him a bat-eating man was buying it)

- He was injured playing hockey while in school, and continues to have problems with floating cartilage in his knee as a result

- He once auctioned off some of his jokes and was able to raise £600 for charity

- Official Web Site: http://www.michaelmcintyre.co.uk/

Nominations & Awards

In Michael’s short career to date, he has already been nominated and recognized for his talents by his peers several times. In light of his comedic talents, one would expect this list to grow exponentially in the coming years.

- 2003: Nominated for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

- 2007: Nominated for the Chortle Award for best headliner

- 2008: Nominated for the Best Live Stand-up at the 2008 British Comedy Awards

- 2008: Won the Chortle Award for best headliner

- 2009: Nominated for the South Bank Show Awards for Best Comedy

Beginning on 6 June, Michael will be hosting a BBC show called, “Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.” It will run for six weeks, airing every Saturday night at 9:30pm. The series starts in Edinburgh and works its way through Birmingham, Swansea, Belfast and Brighton. It will feature talent acts including Sean Lock, Al Murray, Jason Manford and Rhod Gilbert.

Michael has one DVD Release planned for 2009. “Hello Wembley” is scheduled to be released on 16 November. You can preorder your copy from his web site.

You can enjoy Michael’s live act for yourself at scores of venues this year. Here is a list of confirmed dates so far in Great Britain and abroad. Tickets are on sale now.

- 15 June – Trinity Theatre (Kent)

- 9 July – Black Box (Galway)

- 18 July – Carlisle Sands Centre (Carlisle)

- 6 September – Bulmers Comedy Festival, Olympia Theatre (Dublin)

- 21-24 September – Cardiff International Arena (Cardiff)

- 25-27 September – Trent FM Arena (Nottingham)

- 1-4 October – Wembley Arena (Middlesex)

- 8-9 October – NIA Birmingham (Birmingham)

- 11-15 October – Bournemouth International Centre (Bournemouth)

- 17-18 October – Sheffield Arena (Sheffield)

- 20-21 October – MEN Arena (Manchester)

- 23-25 October – SECC (Glasgow)

- 26 October – Aberdeen Exhibition Centre (Aberdeen)

- 27-28 October – Metro Radio Arena (Newcastle Upon Tyne)

- 31 October – Odyssey Arena (Belfast)

- 2-3 November – The O2 Arena (London)

- 4-5 and 7-9 November – The Brighton Centre (Brighton)

- 17 November – The O2 Arena (London)

Michael McIntyre Videos