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{{cite web
{{cite web
|url=http://living.scotsman.com/comedy/Comedy-review-Roy-39Chubby39-Brown.4259007.jp
|url=http://living.scotsman.com/comedy/Comedy-review-Roy-39Chubby39-Brown.4259007.jp
|title=Comedy review: Roy 'Chubby' Brown&nbsp;— Scotsman.com Living |publisher=living.scotsman.com |date= 4 July 2008 |accessdate=29 July 2008 |last=Brown |first=Malcolm }}</ref> whilst also being described as "the most important comedian of the past 25 years".<ref>{{cite news

|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/nov/06/highereducationprofile.academicexperts
|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/nov/06/highereducationprofile.academicexperts
|title=A gay academic applauds the work of Roy "Chubby" Brown&nbsp;— Education&nbsp;— The Guardian |publisher=guardian.co.uk |accessdate=29 July 2008 |date = 6 November 2007 |last=Arnot |first=Chris | location=London}}</ref>
|title=A gay academic applauds the work of Roy "Chubby" Brown&nbsp;— Education&nbsp;— The Guardian |publisher=guardian.co.uk |accessdate=29 July 2008 |date = 6 November 2007 |last=Arnot |first=Chris | location=London}}</ref>

Revision as of 09:27, 20 August 2014

Roy 'Chubby' Brown
Birth nameRoyston Vasey
Born3 February 1945 (1945-02-03) (age 79)[1]
Grangetown, North Riding of Yorkshire,
England, UK
NationalityBritish
Years active1960s–present
GenresBlue comedy
Subject(s)Sex, British politics, Racism, Celebrities, Culture, One liners
Notable works and rolesSee below
WebsiteOfficial site

Roy "Chubby" Brown (born Royston Vasey, 3 February 1945)[1] is an English stand-up comedian, famous for his sarcastic blue humour. The controversial nature of his act means he rarely appears on major television channels,[2] and Brown has attracted accusations that his comedy style is outdated[3] whilst also being described as "the most important comedian of the past 25 years".[4]

Early life and career

Brown was born in Grangetown in the North Riding of Yorkshire. He has a sister named Barbara. He left home at the age of fourteen, spent time living rough and moved from job to job and at one point joined the Merchant Navy. He served time in a young offenders' institution colloquially named borstal and also prison.[5] He later found work as an entertainer in working men's clubs during the 1960s, first as a drummer and later as a comedy act under the name "Alcock & Brown".[2] Brown appeared on the UK television talent show New Faces in the 1970s, coming second to a country and western band. He failed the audition for another television talent show Opportunity Knocks after saying the word 'arse' during his interview.[citation needed]

Success as a comedian

Brown's image is characterised by a clown-like stage costume consisting of a flying helmet and goggles, a multicoloured patchwork jacket and trousers, a white shirt, a red bow tie and moccasin slippers. A typical stand-up show starts with the audience repeatedly shouting "You fat bastard!", to which he dances. Brown then approaches the microphone and says "Fuck off!" or "How Did You Know It Was Fucking Me!" This heckling occasionally continues during his act.

During his long career, he has caused offence by mocking various groups and individuals, including ethnic minorities, women, the Queen Mother (whose death occurred hours before the recording of his show Standing Room Only) and himself, yet he maintains a loyal fan base. Brown's live shows are rarely seen on television, as some of his jokes are deemed either sexist or racist, and he relies on strong language, especially the words "fuck" and "cunt".[2] However, a programme about Brown's comedy, called "Roy Chubby Brown: Britain's Rudest Comedian" was broadcast on Channel 4 on 8 May 2007.

Film

In 1993 Brown released a film called U.F.O. starring himself and Roger Lloyd Pack; in it he is abducted by aliens while staying in a hotel in Blackpool during his live shows. In 2012, Brown was set to appear as a talking lamppost in Robin Sheppard's film adaptation of Richard Milward's book, Apples.

Music

One of his best known songs is "Living Next Door to Alice (Who the Fuck is Alice?)" — a cover version of "Living Next Door to Alice" recorded with Smokie. The record spent 19 weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 3.[6] He released a solo single in the winter of 1996 called "A Rocking Good Christmas", written by Ray Hedges; this reached number 51.[7] Brown has also released two albums, Take Fat and Party (1995) and Fat Out of Hell (1996); they achieved positions 29 and 67 in the UK Albums Chart respectively.[7]

Cultural references

His real name, Royston Vasey, was used as the name for the fictional town in the comedy television show The League of Gentlemen. He also made several cameo appearances as the foulmouthed mayor of the town.

Personal life

Brown is married to third wife Helen, with whom he has children. He has homes in Middlesbrough and Lincolnshire.

In 2003, Brown was fined £200 in Blackpool for assaulting a fan who had sworn at him. Of the incident, Brown said, "I have traditional values and I wanted the man to stop swearing in front of women and children who were on the pier."[8]

Brown was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002,[9] and had a vocal cord removed.[5]

In 2006 he released an autobiography, Common as Muck: The Autobiography of Roy 'Chubby' Brown.

He is co-owner of the racehorse "Rasaman".[10]

On 8 April 2009 Brown's son, Martin Reilly, 36, of Stillington, County Durham, was jailed for four years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and for the possession of heroin and cannabis,[11] having admitted offences dating from a November 2008 arrest.[12][13] Brown was understood to have little contact with his son.[12]

On 12 December 2009, it was announced that Brown was facing a charge of common assault on a woman, after an incident in a car park in Middlesbrough on 2 September 2009.[14] At Teesside Magistrates' Court on 5 January 2010, Brown denied the charges via his solicitor.[15] He was acquitted on 16 March 2010.[16]

In December 2011, he self-published a collection of memoirs from his life and career with Fast-Print Publishing called It's Funny Being Me.[17]

He is a supporter of Middlesbrough F.C..[18]

Stand up releases

While Brown has been performing for over 30 years, his live shows have been released around Christmas time since 1990. They have been released by Channel 5 (1990), PolyGram (1991–1998) and Universal (1999–present) Between 1990 and 1999 they were released only on VHS, between 2000 and 2004 they were released on VHS and DVD, between 2005 and 2009 they were released only on DVD and from 2010 they were released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The release due for November 2011 was delayed until 2012 due to venue, technical and timing issues.

Releases

  • From Inside the Helmet (1990)
  • The Helmet Rides Again (1991)
  • The Helmet's Last Stand (1992)
  • Roy Chubby Brown: Exposed (1993)
  • U.F.O. (1993)
  • Jingle Bx@!cks (1994)
  • Clitoris Allsorts (1995)
  • Saturday Night Beaver (1996)
  • Obscene And Not Heard (1997)
  • You Fat Bastard! (1999)
  • Thunder Bollocks (2000)
  • Stocking Filler! (2001)
  • Standing Room Only (2002)
  • Bad Taste (2003)
  • Giggling Lips (2004)
  • King Thong (2005)
  • Kick-Arse Chubbs (2006)
  • The Good, the Bad & the Fat Bastard (2007)
  • Dirty Weekend in Blackpool, He Came A Thousand Times! (2008)
  • Too Fat to be Gay (2009)
  • Pussy and Meatballs (2010)
  • Front Page Boobs (2012)
  • Who Ate All The Pies? (2013)

References

  1. ^ a b Researcha.co.uk - UK Company and Company Director Reports. Web.researcha.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-04.
  2. ^ a b c "Tees Stage — Interview with Chubby Brown". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  3. ^ Brown, Malcolm (4 July 2008). "Comedy review: Roy 'Chubby' Brown — Scotsman.com Living". living.scotsman.com. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  4. ^ Arnot, Chris (6 November 2007). "A gay academic applauds the work of Roy "Chubby" Brown — Education — The Guardian". London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  5. ^ a b "Roy Chubby Brown: Britain's Rudest Comedian (Channel 4)". 7 February 2008. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  6. ^ Template:UKChartHits
  7. ^ a b Template:UKChartHits
  8. ^ "icTeesside — 'Chubby' couldn't stomach swearing". icteesside.icnetwork.co.uk. 7 August 2003. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  9. ^ "'Chubby' Brown: I've got throat cancer". Lancashire Evening Telegraph. 26 April 2002. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  10. ^ "Horse racing: Tattenham corner — Sport — The Observer". London: guardian.co.uk. 20 April 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  11. ^ BBC Look North, 8 April 2009
  12. ^ a b "Comic Brown's son on drugs charge". BBC News. 19 November 2008. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
  13. ^ "Chubby son awaits fate". Evening Gazette. trinity Mirror (Gazette Media Company Ltd). 21 February 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2009. {{cite news}}: External link in |publisher= and |work= (help)
  14. ^ "BBC website". bbc.co.uk. 12 December 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  15. ^ "Roy 'Chubby' Brown denies assault". BBC News. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  16. ^ "Chubby Brown cleared of assault". BBC News. 16 March 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  17. ^ "Book Shop | It's Funny Being Me". Fast Print. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  18. ^ Famous Football Fans. The-football-club.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-04.

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