Archibald Henderson-Cleland, better known by his stage name and persona Jazz Emu, is an English comedian, musician, and writer known for his eccentric performances.

Early life

Henderson was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He attended

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, where his comedy career started in 2015 with sketch and stand-up shows as a member of the

Footlights The Cambridge Footlights, commonly referred to simply as Footlights, is a student sketch comedy troupe located in Cambridge, England. Footlights was founded in 1883, and is one of Britain's oldest student sketch comedy troupes. The comedy so ...

and at the

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

. His inspirations include

Flanders and Swann Flanders and Swann were a British comedy duo and musicians. Michael Flanders (1922–1975) was a lyricist, actor, and singer. He collaborated with Donald Swann (1923–1994), a composer and pianist, in writing and performing comedy music, comic ...

Bill Bailey Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' (2000–2004), and for his regula ...

Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's c ...

, and

Victor Borge Børge Rosenbaum (; 3 January 1909 – 23 December 2000), known professionally as Victor Borge ( ), was a Danish and American actor, comedian, and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in both North America and Europe. Hi ...

Career

Early work

In 2016, Henderson formed the comedy trio Two Plus Ones with fellow Footlights alumni Luke Sumner and Josh Chana. Their comedic endeavours included performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, contributions to

Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

, and sketches for the children's show ''So Beano!'' on

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

, where the group performed under the pseudonym All the Same. They won Best Newcomers at the 2017 Musical Comedy Awards. Henderson's stand-up comedy career included participation in events like the London BBC New Comedy Awards 2018, Heat 1. He also had a solo show ''NOW That's Who I Call Archie Henderson'' that was performed at the Brighton Fringe in 2018, winning him the IYAF Best of Brighton Fringe Comedy award. In 2019, he gained recognition alongside comedian Adrian Gray for a comedic

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

thread tracing music charts back to 14,000 BC and playfully answering the question, "What happened to the first four versions of

Mambo No. 5 "Mambo No. 5" is an instrumental mambo and jazz dance song originally composed and recorded by Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949 and released the next year. German singer Lou Bega sampled the original for a new song released under the s ...

?" He made cameo appearances in various television programs, such as ''

Late Night Mash ''The Mash Report'' is a British satirical comedy show originally broadcast on BBC Two and hosted by Nish Kumar. It features an array of comedians satirising the week's news. The show later continued on Dave as ''Late Night Mash'', hosted by Kum ...

'' and the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

pilot ''Britney''.

Jazz Emu

In 2018, Henderson introduced his stand-up show ''Archie Henderson: Jazz Emu''. The name originally referred to his act rather than a distinct character. The choice of "Jazz" alluded to the musical aspect of his comedy, while "Emu" reflected his own physical appearance, which he described as resembling an

emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

. Performances continued into 2019 at venues such as the

Brighton Fringe Brighton Fringe is an open-access arts festival held annually in Brighton, England. It is the largest annual arts festival in England and one of the largest fringe festivals in the world. The programme of 2018 included 1008 events at over 166 v ...

, Buxton Fringe, and Edinburgh Fringe. Unable to perform live due to

COVID-19 lockdowns During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology), non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar socie ...

in 2020, Henderson adapted by creating comedy songs and sketches on both his personal and Jazz Emu

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channels and social media accounts. This led to his breakthrough as Jazz Emu, with his song "How to Socialise" being featured on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

by presenter

Greg James Gregory James Alan Milward (born 17 December 1985) is an English broadcaster and author. He has been a presenter on BBC Radio 1 since 2007, hosting shows including his old drive-time show and the station's flagship breakfast show. Since 201 ...

, who described him as "a very funny man". The character of Jazz Emu has a unique persona and backstory, often characterised as a "global sensation", "1970s lothario", or "unlicensed sex therapist". He adopts a low and smooth voice, an exaggerated pronunciation of words, and a 1970s fashion sense which includes

bell-bottoms Bell-bottoms (or flares) are a style of trousers that become wider from the knees downward, forming a bell-like shape of the trouser leg. History Naval origins In the early 19th century, when standardised uniforms for British ratings in the ...

and

platform shoe Platform shoes are shoes, boots, or Sandal (footwear), sandals with a thick sole, usually in the range of . Platform shoes may also be high heels, in which case the heel is raised significantly higher than the ball of the foot. Extreme heights ...

s as well as spectacles with oversized frames. The character's backstory delves into a strained relationship with his father, explored extensively in his full-length show ''You Shouldn't Have''. Henderson rarely conducts press interviews as Jazz Emu, instead opting to discuss the character in the third person; when Jazz Emu does participate in interviews, the responses tend to be whimsical, obscure, and bizarre. In 2022, Henderson wrote and starred in a 7-and-a-half-minute pilot titled ''Jazz Emu'', produced in collaboration with Blink Industries. This pilot garnered a Discovery Award in the Comedy Shorts Category at the LOCO London Film Festival in May 2023. Comedian

Phil Wang Philip Nathaniel Wang Sin Goi (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Vòng Hîn-kùi''; born 22 January 1990) is a British-Malaysian stand-up comedian and comedy writer who is a member of the sketch comedy group Daphne, and co-creator of their BBC Radio 4 ser ...

played the character Crimpsy Dimpson in the show. Jazz Emu has also made appearances in musical comedy skits on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's ''The Now Show'', including playing the last song on the show's final episode. Henderson appeared as a guest on ''

Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast ''Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast'' (or ''RHLSTP'' ()) and ''Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast'' are two related comedy podcasts, created and hosted by United Kingdom, British comedian Richard Herring. Hosted on The B ...

'' in 2023. That year, he won the

Chortle Awards The Chortle Awards were set up in 2002 by the comedy website Chortle to honour the best of established stand-up comics currently working in the UK. A panel of reviewers draw up a shortlist, which is presented for public vote at the Chortle webs ...

for Best Social Media and Best Variety or Character. He also collaborated with television channel

Dave Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...

to write an "unofficial entry for the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

" called "We Also Wrote a Song" featuring

Rachel Parris Rachel Sarah Parris (born 1984) is an English comedian, musician, actress and presenter. She hosted the satirical news show '' Late Night Mash'' (formerly ''The Mash Report''). Early life Parris attended Loughborough High School. She holds an ...

, a parody of

Mae Muller Holly Mae Muller (born 26 August 1997) is an English singer. She rose to prominence in 2021 after releasing the single "Better Days (Neiked, Mae Muller and Polo G song), Better Days", a collaboration with Swedish music collective Neiked and Ame ...

's official 2023 UK entry " I Wrote a Song". In February 2024, Jazz Emu hosted four episodes of a

show entitled ''Jazz Emu: The Sound of US'', which Henderson co-wrote with Adrian Gray. He appeared as Jazz Emu on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

's ''

8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' is a British comedy panel show on Channel 4. The show follows the game of '' Countdown'', but presented in a comedy panel show format seen on ''8 Out of 10 Cats'', with the show being a crossover of the two. ...

'' on 2 February. In June, he appeared on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

's '' Loose Ends''.

Themes & Images

Henderson refers to his work as a musical smorgasbord, which include a few crow impressions. The themes in the majority of Jazz Emu performances revolve around an overly confident, oblivious musician who refers to himself as a sex therapist. His lyrics frequently cite modern trends, technology, and social dynamics. His character dons a retro-aesthetic, drawing inspiration from the 1970s. His costumes often feature orange, brown and grey colours, wide lapels, aviator sunglasses, which adds to the character’s braggadocious persona. Live performances usually incorporate the music videos, and has plenty of video effects that he interacts with as part of the performance.

Jazz Emu shows

*2018 – ''Archie Henderson – Jazz Emu'' *2019 – ''Archie Henderson – Jazz Emu'' including a run at

Gilded Balloon Gilded Balloon is a producer and promoter of live entertainment events, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and best known as one of the Big Four venue operators at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each August. The company has its origins in a venue kno ...

*2022 – ''You Shouldn't Have'' including a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe and a run at London's

Soho Theatre Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, and Soho Theatre Walthamstow in north-east London. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three pe ...

*2024 –2025 ''Knight Fever'' including a run at

The Pleasance The Pleasance is a theatre, bar, sports and recreation complex in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated on a street of the same name. It is owned by the University of Edinburgh, and for nine months of the year it serves the Edinburgh University Stu ...

, Edinburgh Fringe, and a UK Tour (February-March 2025). *2025 - ''Jazz Emu: The Pleasure Is All Yours (previously known as Perfect: Work In Progress)''

Discography

Since 2020, Henderson has released six full-length, self-produced albums and singles as Jazz Emu.

Albums

Stand Alone Singles

Awards and recognition

In August 2023 Jazz Emu ranked 26th in the Daily Telegraph's ''50 Funniest Comedians of the 21st Century.'' , - , 2017 , ,

So You Think You're Funny So You Think You're Funny? (SYTYF?) is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 in the United Kingdom. The finals are held every August at The Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Past ...

, , - , rowspan="3", 2018 , ,

BBC New Comedy Award The BBC New Comedy Award first took place in 1995, and it is considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards. It was axed in 2006, being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed perfor ...

, , - , Best of Brighton Fringe Comedy , IYAF , , - , Judges Vote , Musical Comedy Awards , , - , rowspan="2", 2019 , Comedy Reserve , The Pleasance , , - , People's Choice Award , Amused Moose Award , , - , 2021 , Legends of Lockdown , rowspan="4",

, , - , 2022 , Best Variety Act , , - , rowspan="3", 2023 , Variety or Character Act , , - , Social Media Award , , - , Best Ensemble , LOCO London Comedy Film Festival , , - , rowspan="3", 2024 , Best Radio Sitcom 2024 , Comedy.co.uk Awards ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Archie Living people English comedy musicians 21st-century English male musicians English male comedians Year of birth missing (living people)