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Re: The New Breed of JAM Performers - Paul Merton

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Paul WimsettJun 2, 2008
 

 
It's wierd that we think of him as member of the new breed-his first
time on the show was in 1989!

--- In just-a-minute@..., "Miriam" <delmelza@...> wrote:
>
> -If it wasn't so late here I would gladly spend an hr talking about
> Paul Merton-I am a Huge fan- have almost every video ( just need
the
> pantos) and have 2 dvds from amazon uk on order that are Paul
Merton.
>
> The Paul Merton Collection DVD will be released this week! (And
> Someday they Will release the Paul In China travel dvd I've had on
> Preorder for over 3 months now!)
>
> Not to mention the books ( waiting for the silent comedy to go
> paperback), the cassettes and cds ( JAM/ Clue /
mastersons's/reading
> his book/ jacknory/HIGNFY etc.
> The last time I was in London ( I live in Seattle USA) my
> friends took me to see Paul do the Improv stuff at the Comedy Store
> for my birthday. I waited in line in the rain for Front Center
seats.
> I was in Heaven!--- Ok I really need to get to bed but I shall
return
> to sing more Praises to Mr Merton LOL. Miriam
>
> -- In just-a-minute@..., "Robert L. Torres"
> <bobbyshaddoe3004@> wrote:
> >
> > I'd like to take this time to begin a series of discussions
> regarding
> > the new generation of performers who have come on JAM and become
a
> > core cast of regular performers much in a similar vein to the
> > Original Foursome.
> >
> > Who better to start off with than the man who could be seen as
the
> > one responsible for revitalizing the series after the death of
> > Kenneth Williams: Paul Merton.
> >
> > Paul Merton was brought onto the show for two episodes in the
1989
> > season which came following the death of Kenneth Williams. His
> early
> > appearances had a more reserved Paul Merton trying his best to
> > contribute well amongst the more seasoned veterans, but he did
> manage
> > to display the very talents which have made him something of an
> icon
> > in British comedy.
> >
> > I remember on one of his first appearances, he had been given the
> > subject of 'Bottle' and in spite of several slip ups, the subject
> > wasn't taken away from him. In addition, it was one of the first
> > examples of his off-the-cuff improv style when he talked about
> > someone jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, trying to
> get
> > back up to the plane, but didn't make it because he fell to the
> > ground at such speed, he was flattened as a pancake by the time
he
> > hit the ground. And then says, 'And his wife later called his
> > condition as very satisfactory'. He then gets challenged by
Derek
> > for deviation, saying 'What has this got to do with bottle?' and
> > Peter springs to Paul's defense, saying 'Well, it certainly takes
> > bottle to tell a story like that.'
> >
> > Paul's style was unique and very different amongst those who had
> been
> > associated with JAM in the past, although Paul would occasionally
> > tell anecdotes about his life now and then, more often than not
his
> > material was simply stuff he would think up off the top of his
> head,
> > which definitely showcased the depth of his intelligence and
> > creativity. Not to mention he became very adept at picking up on
> > other people's material and mining the comedy gold for all its
> > worth.
> >
> > Very often the best stuff from Paul would come from his journey
> into
> > the surreal, and would very often be allowed to go off in this
> veing
> > well past the minute mark.
> >
> > Paul eventually helped open the door for many of his
contemporaries
> > to appear on the show, people like Tony Hawks, Graham Norton,
Jenny
> > Eclair, Linda Smith, Julian Clary, and so on.
> >
> > He was pretty much able to breathe much needed life into the
> series,
> > which by the time of Kenneth Williams' death, had begun to sound
a
> > bit stale, in that some of the panelists tended be of an older
> > variety, and there didn't seem to be any attempt on Ed Taylor's
> part
> > to appeal to a younger audience.
> >
> > With Paul in, Ed Taylor was soon out, and in came Sarah Smith,
and
> > then Claire Jones, who would steer the show through the 90's on a
> > crest of comedy the likes of which no other radio panel show
would
> > exhibit.
> >
> > Amongst my other favorite bits of Paul's humor is the way he took
> up
> > the banner of making fun of Nicholas' age, and soon came up with
> all
> > sorts of things to use as ammunition: such as the notion of
> Nicholas
> > liking to dress up in women's clothing and go around the streets
of
> > London like a prostitute, or the fact that Nicholas seems to have
> had
> > certain sexual dalliances with certain barnyard animals, or the
> idea
> > that Nicholas has had sexual dalliances with women three times
> > younger than he is.
> >
> > Case in point I believe was during one particular show, I think
the
> > whistle blower at the time was Elaine Wiggley. Anyway, Nicholas
> > stopped the show for a moment because Elaine was telling him
> > something, and just before Nicholas could start the next round,
> Paul
> > picks up on this and creates this idea that what Elaine was
trying
> to
> > tell Nicholas was that she was pregnant, which remains one of my
> > favorite Paul Merton moments.
> >
> > The first time I ever saw Paul Merton or even became aware of who
> he
> > was, was during his appearances on the original 'Whose Line is it
> > Anyway?'
> >
> > He was excellent on that series, and displayed his improv skills
> > exceptionally well.
> >
> > Amongst his other accomplishments that I am aware of include 'The
> > Masterson Inheritance' (perhaps one of the funniest shows, and an
> > excellent example of Paul's brand of comedy), and 'Have I Got
News
> > For You'.
> >
> > I seem to recall one of the funniest moments on the series came
> about
> > when both Paul and Ian spent most of the show making fun of Angus
> > Deayton for the tabloid reports of him being caught in some hotel
> > with drugs and prostitutes or something like that.
> >
> > Paul has also appeared on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, although
I'm
> > not sure what else he's done.
> >
> > I'd like to open the floor now to anyone else who wishes to
discuss
> > this exceptionally talented and funny individual.
> >
>

 
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