Andy Ford (comedian)
| Andy Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958 (aged 57) |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, acting, singing |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 1970–Present |
| Genres |
Social satire Observational comedy one-liners |
| Website |
andyford |
Andy Ford (born 1958, Bristol, England) is an English comedian, actor and singer. He is currently rated in Stage and Television Of Today as one of the top Ten best comedians in Britain.
Career
Music and Pantomime
Andy Ford, began his career at the age of 12. Andy started out his career singing and joined his first Band at the age of 14 as the 'Cliff Brown Trio'. He was the main singer for many years until he went solo. Andy had a hit with the single "Pillow Talk" in the mid 1980s. He released his second album 'Love And Stuff' along with 'Only wanna make things right' before turning his hand to stage work. Andy moved into the Pantomime scene where he has always played the 'Simple Simon' roles such as Buttons. Andy now has the reputation of being one of the best Panto lead comics in Britain and hold the title of 'Panto Man' for over a decade. In 2015, Ford starred along side Britains Got Talent winners Ashley and Pudsey in a performance of Dick Whittington. This was the first ever pantomime to be recorded for DVD.
TV, Radio and Film
It was not until his appearance in 1997 on ITV's Big Talent Show, he became known for his comedy. His performance on the show landed him a slot on the Royal Variety Show that year. He is now one of Britain's most successful comics. In 1999 Ford became much loved by Britain's younger viewers (and their Parents) when he joined Channel 5's award winning series Havakazoo as Patrick the baker. He worked on this series for over Four years. Ford became a house hold name for his comedy with many TV interviews including slots on ITV's Today with Des and Mel. Recently, Andy took to the streets with sketches for his online show entitled 'Andy Ford on the streets'. This saw the comic talking to the public and finding out who there favorite comedians were. He would also put people on the spot by asking them to tell him a joke and if they made him laugh they would win a small gift. One of the segments included Ford tricking the public by making up facts about things according to were he was. One fact he stated was, "did you know this road was made by the Romens". All these sketches can now bee seen online. A few years back Andy starred in a short film entitled 'Loss'. The film focused on mental health issues with Ford playing the lead role. Andy also starred in the radio seres 'The Incredible Inspector Biggins'. The radio plays were also released on CD.
Live comedy
Andy's style of comedy has always been smut-free and innocent. His camp, manic style comes across highly in his routines. Ford is best known for writing poetry, which he also includes in his performances. Along with one liners and 'pun' style jokes. Fellow Comedian and star of Little Britton, Matt Lucas, describe Andy as "Just about the funniest man alive".
A show from his 2004 Live and Lovely tour was released on DVD that year. Ford started touring for his show West End Crazy in 2006, also released on DVD.
In late 2010, Ford confirmed that he would be performing a stand-up show called 'This is my day job' to mark 40 years in his professional career; also released on DVD. This is his best selling DVD to date on his website. In early 2014, Ford announced that he would be doing another stand-up tour called 'Daft as a brush'. This is his latest stand-up DVD under the title 'Live from the heart of west country'. Andy will tour with his new show 'Live and un-hinged' in the spring of 2016 for a new DVD released later this year.
Ollie The Otter
Ollie the Otter is a character created by Andy in the 1980s originally as a kids club character mascot for holiday camps; however because the songs and stories had a universal appeal Ford went on to produce radio shows for the character. Andy produced many CDs around that time featuring songs and stories from the character. He recently revived the character who has had over 30 years success.
Personal life
Ford was born in Bristol, Exeter. He attended Whipton Barton infants school and became Head Choir Boy at St Boniface Church, Whipton.
Stand-up DVDs
| Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Live and Lovely | 2004 (Live stand-up) |
| Live 2 – Weat end crazy | 2006 (Live stand-up) |
| This is my day job | 2010 (Live stand-up) |
| Comic collection | 2012 (A collection of Andy's comical creations and un-seen stand up) |
| Live from the heart of the west country | 2013 (Live stand-up) |
| Panto man | 2013 (A collection of Andy's best panto roles) |
| Stand-up for yourself | 2014 (A DVD on the art of stand-up) |
| Dick Wittington: LIVE | 2015 (Live panto starring Andy and others) |
| Live and un- hinged | 2016 (Live stand-up, to be released) |
CDs
| Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Pillow Talk | (Original album) |
| Love And Stuff | (2nd Music CD) |
| The Inredible Inspector Biggins: The Bicycle Murder | (Radio Play CD) |
| Only wanna make things right Music | (3rd Music CD) |
| Ollie the Otter Songs 2 CDs | (Music CDs, volume One and Two) |
| Ollie the Otter Stories 2 CDs | (Radio play CDs, volumes One and Two ) |
References
- ↑ "Andy Ford - Bristol Hippodrome Theatre". ATG Tickets. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- ↑ "He's behind you! Andy Ford returns to Bristol Hippodrome for his 7th consecutive panto". Bristol Post. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- ↑ Charlotte Richardson. "WIN tickets to the Hippodrome panto - Theatre". North Somerset Times. Retrieved 2016-02-15.