Jasper Carrott OBE (born Robert Davies)
is an English comedian.
Born in Acocks Green, Birmingham, he started his
own folk club at 16 called "The Boggery" in
Solihull, where he would perform folk songs as well
as MC. Before long, his banter with the audience overtook
the actual songs and he became known more as a comedian
than a singer. He had a surprise UK top 5 chart hit
in 1975 with a novelty record called "Funky Moped".
The B-Side to this single was an obscene monologue
parodying the animated children's TV series The Magic
Roundabout.
His break into television was with Carrott's Lib,
a Saturday night comedy show broadcast live on the
BBC. This was followed by a string of different shows,
most notably Carrott's Commercial Breakdown, which
broadcast weird and wonderful adverts from around the
world, and the sketch and stand-up shows Carrott Confidential,
24 Carrott Gold, The Jasper Carrott Trials and Canned
Carrott, some of which also gave TV exposure to the
comedy partnership of Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis.
Canned Carrott also featured a regular police drama
spoof called The Detectives, co-starring Robert Powell,
which was spun off into its own series. He also starred
in the sitcom All About Me.
In 2004 he hosted several sell out shows at the National
Indoor Arena in Birmingham featuring classic routines
from his career.
He is part owner of the production company Celador,
which makes Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. His daughter,
Lucy Davis, is an actress best known for playing Dawn
in The Office.
He is a proud supporter and director of Birmingham
City and was made an OBE in 2002. The University of
Birmingham awarded him a honorary doctorate in 2004. |