Jimmy Carr (other)
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James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an Irish-British comedian. He is known for his rapid-fire
deadpan Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of Comedy, comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant t ...
delivery of one-liners. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regularly appeared on television as the host of
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 ...
panel shows such as '' 8 Out of 10 Cats'', ''
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. ...
'' and ''
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year ''The Big Fat Quiz of the Year'' is an approximately annual British television programme broadcast in the last or first week of the year on Channel 4. The show is a comedy panel game in the style of a pub quiz. Three teams of two celebrities, mo ...
''.


Early life and education

James Anthony Patrick Carr was born on 15 September 1972, in
Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...
, London. He is the second of three sons born to Irish parents Nora Mary (née Lawlor; 19 September 1943 – 7 September 2001) and Patrick James "Jim" Carr (born 1945), an accountant who became the treasurer for computer company
Unisys Unisys Corporation is a global technology solutions company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. The company provides cloud, AI, digital workplace, logistics, and enterprise computing services. History Founding Unis ...
. His parents were married in 1970 and separated in 1994, never divorcing. Carr spent most of his early life in the village of
Farnham Common Farnham Common is a village in southern Buckinghamshire, England, 3 miles north of Slough and 3 miles south of Beaconsfield, on the A355 road. It adjoins the ancient woodland of Burnham Beeches, has an area of 2.5 miles and a population of arou ...
,
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
, where he attended Farnham Common School and
Burnham Grammar School Burnham Grammar School (BGS) is a co-educational grammar school in Burnham, Buckinghamshire. In October 2011 the school became an academy. It takes students aged 11–18, with approximately 1250 on roll (as of 2021/2022). In September 2004 the ...
. Carr was diagnosed with
dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...
and could not read or write at his expected level until around ten or eleven years old. He completed
sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...
at the Royal Grammar School in nearby
High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...
.Jimmy Carr, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (Mar 2017) In 2001, Carr's mother, Nora Mary, died of
pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "se ...
, at age 57. Following her death, Carr's relationship with his father became "severely strained". In 2004, his father was arrested and accused of harassing Carr and his brother Colin, but was cleared and won an apology from the Metropolitan Police. In 2021, Carr said he had not spoken to his father since 2000 and had not seen him in person, with the exception of an autograph signing after a gig in 2015, where they saw each other but did not speak. After earning four A grades at
A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
, Carr studied
social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...
and
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
at
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...
. He graduated with
first-class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant var ...
in 1994. He went on to work in the marketing department at
Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...
, but took
voluntary redundancy Voluntary redundancy (VR) is a financial incentive offered by an organisation to encourage employees to voluntarily resign, typically in downsizing or restructuring situations. The purpose is to avoid compulsory redundancies or layoffs. Reasons ...
in January 2000 as he felt "miserable" there. He performed his first paid stand-up gig later that month, having done his debut pub show unpaid only the previous December. He claimed that a course in
neuro-linguistic programming Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy that first appeared in Richard Bandler and John Grinder's book ''The Structure of Magic I'' (1975). NLP ...
helped him realize how his mind was working to hold him back from following his dreams of becoming a comedian.


Career


Television


Hosting

Carr has hosted
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 ...
game shows ''
Distraction Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: inability to pay attention; lack of i ...
'' and ''
Your Face or Mine? ''Your Face or Mine?'' is a British comedy game show that originally aired on E4 from September 2002 to May 2003, hosted by Jimmy Carr and June Sarpong. Comedy Central revived the show in 2017 with Carr and Katherine Ryan as co-hosts. The reviv ...
''. He presented the ''100s'' series of programmes for Channel 4: ''100 Worst Pop Records'', ''100 Worst Britons'', ''100 Greatest Cartoon Characters'', ''100 People Who Look Most Like Jimmy Carr'' (a spoof) and ''100 Scary Moments''. Since 2005, Carr has presented the comedy panel show ''
8 Out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' (stylised as ''8 out of 10 CATS'') is a British comedy panel show that aired from 3 June 2005 to 17 January 2021. It was first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2015, then More4 from 2016 to 2017, and finally E4 from ...
''. The show aired 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 ...
until 2016, when it moved to
More4 More4 is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel launched on 10 October 2005. Its programming mainly focuses on lifestyle and documentaries, as well as foreign dramas. Content The i ...
. It later went to E4. Since 2012, Carr has also presented over 150 episodes of ''
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. ...
'', a combination of his panel show ''
8 Out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' (stylised as ''8 out of 10 CATS'') is a British comedy panel show that aired from 3 June 2005 to 17 January 2021. It was first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2015, then More4 from 2016 to 2017, and finally E4 from ...
'' and daytime quiz show ''
Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
''. In April 2010, Carr hosted the first British version of a comedy roast show, Channel 4's ''
A Comedy Roast ''A Comedy Roast'' is a British comedy television show broadcast by Channel 4. After a series of failed attempts by various broadcasters over the years, it is the first adaptation of the American comedy institution of roasting to be produced as ...
''. On 6 May 2010, he was a co-host of Channel 4's ''Alternative Election Night'', with David Mitchell,
Lauren Laverne Lauren Cecilia Fisher (née Gofton; born 28 April 1978), known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, model, television presenter, author and singer. She was the lead singer and guitarist in the alternative rock band Kenicki ...
and
Charlie Brooker Charlton ‘Charlie’ Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English screenwriter, producer, presenter, author, cartoonist, and social critic. He first became known for creating and presenting satirical television shows that featured biting criticis ...
. He joined the three presenters again for ''
10 O'Clock Live ''10 O'Clock Live'' is a British comedy/news television programme that ran from 2011 to 2013, presented by Charlie Brooker, Jimmy Carr, Lauren Laverne and David Mitchell. The programme was commissioned following the success of ''Channel 4's ...
'', a
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 ...
comedy current-affairs show, which started airing in January 2011. In 2014 and 2015, Carr guest-presented two episodes of ''
Sunday Night at the Palladium ''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sunday ...
'' on ITV. In 2018, he presented American comedy panel show '' The Fix'' on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. From 2018 to 2020, Carr hosted the
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
series
Roast Battle ''Roast Battle'' is a British roast comedy show that is broadcast on Comedy Central. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr and features comedians facing each other in roast battles. The show was created by American comedians Jeff Ross and Brian Moses ...
. From 2021 he has hosted the Channel 4 quiz show '' I Literally Just Told You''. In March 2025, he hosted the first series of '' LOL: Last One Laughing UK'' with
Roisin Conaty Roisin Conaty ( born 1979) is an English comedian, actress, and writer. She won the Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010 for her show ''Hero, Warrior, Fireman, Liar''. She played Jo in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Man Down'' from 20 ...
.


Guest appearances

Carr contributed sketches to Channel 4 topical comedy TV programme ''The 11 O'Clock Show'' and has appeared on panel shows ''
A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Ma ...
'' and '' QI''. During a guest appearance on the BBC motoring show ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...
'', Carr set a new celebrity test track lap record on the '
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car The ''Top Gear'' test track located at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, United Kingdom was used by the BBC automotive television programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear''. The track was designed by Lotus Cars as a testing facility, with man ...
' segment. He was described as "the worst driver we've ever had" and "the luckiest man alive" by ''Top Gear'' test driver
the Stig The Stig is a character from the British motoring television show '' Top Gear''. Created by former ''Top Gear'' presenter Jeremy Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman, the character is a play on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, w ...
. Carr has appeared as a contestant on celebrity editions of ''
Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch '' Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this format is the final round (a ...
'' (won £750 for Helen & Douglas House), '' The Chase'' (won £1,000 for
Variety Club Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927. History On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...
), ''
Benchmark Benchmark may refer to: Business and economics * Benchmarking, evaluating performance within organizations * Benchmark price * Benchmark (crude oil), oil-specific practices Science and technology * Experimental benchmarking, the act of defining a ...
'' (won £1,000 for
Elton John AIDS Foundation The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care and s ...
), '' Tipping Point'' (won £7,000 for Blue Cross), ''
Catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
,'' and ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (WWTBAM) is an international television game show franchise of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (British game show), British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, cu ...
'', winning £1,000. Carr was a guest presenter for one edition of ''
Have I Got News for You ''Have I Got News for You'' (''HIGNFY'') is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990. The programme focuses on two teams, one usually captained by Ian Hislop and one ...
''; in 2007 he joined
Ian Hislop Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, and television personality. He is the editor of the satirical magazine '' Private Eye'', a position he has held since 1986. He has appeared on many radio and television pr ...
's team in the edition of the show chaired by
Ann Widdecombe Ann Noreen Widdecombe (born 4 October 1947) is a British politician and television personality who has been Reform UK's Immigration and Justice spokesperson since 2023. Originally a member of the Conservative Party, she was Member of Parliame ...
, with whom he "flirted" outrageously. Later in the episode, Widdecombe stated, "I don't think I shall return to this programme."


Radio

In January 2006, Carr made a joke on Radio 4's ''Loose Ends'', the punchline of which implied that
Gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...
women stank. The BBC issued an apology, but Carr refused to apologize and continued to use the joke. He appeared in two episodes of the radio series of ''
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 ...
'' in 2005. Carr has appeared on BBC Radio 4's
Museum of Curiosity ''The Museum of Curiosity'' is a comedy talk show on BBC Radio 4 that was first broadcast on 20 February 2008. It is hosted by John Lloyd (Professor of Ignorance at the University of Buckingham, and later at Solent University). He acts as the ...
a total of seven times since 2011. He was the Museum Curator (in his five appearances in 2012) and a guest on the 2018 Annual Stock Take Christmas special, alongside
Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
,
Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English actress, comedian, presenter and writer. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Satur ...
and Sally Philips.


Podcasts

Carr's
podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
appearances go back to at least 2010 with a one-off podcast called ''Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle: Meet the Comedians''. Carr's podcast appearances ramped up significantly during the height of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, with recent appearances during this period including ''The Betoota Advocate Podcast'', ''
You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes ''You Made It Weird'' is a weekly comedy interview podcast, hosted by Pete Holmes. It was hosted on the Nerdist network since October 25, 2011; however, as of August 2022, it is independently distributed. The show originated under the premise th ...
'', '' The Comedian's Comedian'', ''The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast'', and ''
Dane Baptiste Questions Everything Dane Baptiste (born 3 September 1981) is a British stand-up comedian, writer and presenter. He was the first Black British act to be nominated for the "Best Newcomer" award at 2014's Edinburgh Comedy Awards and his comedy series ''Sunny D'' prem ...
''.


Stand-up comedy

Carr performs stand-up tours continuously over most of the course of the year, originally taking only five weeks off between them. During his Terribly Funny Tour (which began pre COVID lockdown and ended April 2024) he wrote his next tour by trying out new material in every gig. As a result of this Jimmy Carr Laughs Funny started 17 April 2024. His first five minutes of stand-up (unpaid) was at an Islington pub, the Tut 'n' Shive, in December 1999. From 2000 to 2003, he started appearing regularly, around London, at Up The Creek, The Banana Cabaret and The Bearcat Comedy Club. He performed a revue at the Café Royal, as a part of the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe. Titled ''Rubbernecker'', it also featured
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, television producer and filmmaker. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003) ...
,
Stephen Merchant Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English comedian, writer, director, and actor. He was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003), and co-writer ...
and
Robin Ince Robin Ince (born 20 February 1969) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He is known for presenting the BBC radio show '' The Infinite Monkey Cage'' with physicist Brian Cox, creating Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, co-creatin ...
. In 2004, he threatened to sue
Jim Davidson James Cameron Davidson (born 13 December 1953) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, singer and TV presenter. He hosted the television shows '' Big Break'' and '' The Generation Game''. In 2014 he was the winner of the 13th series of ''Cel ...
for using a joke that Carr considered his own. The matter was dropped when it became apparent that the joke in question was an old one used for decades by many different comedians. He toured the country with his show ''A Public Display of Affection'', starting on 9 April 2005 at the
Gulbenkian Theatre The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a collegiate public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its royal charter on 4 January 1965 and the follo ...
in
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
and ending on 14 January 2006 at the
Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 994 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...
in London's West End. He also appeared at the EICC during the
Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...
in August 2005 with his ''Off The Telly'' show. In August 2006, he commenced the tour ''Gag Reflex'', for which he won the 2006
British Comedy Award The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
for "Best Live Stand-Up". He released his third DVD, ''Jimmy Carr: Comedian'', in November 2007. In 2003, he was listed in ''
the Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In 2007, a poll on the
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 ...
website for 100 Greatest Stand-Ups, Jimmy Carr was 12th. A national tour commenced in autumn 2007 named ''Repeat Offender'', beginning at the
Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...
. On 3 February 2007, Carr's performance in front of 50 people in London was broadcast simultaneously on the virtual platform ''
Second Life ''Second Life'' is a multiplayer virtual world that allows people to create an Avatar (computing), avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user-created content within a multi-user online environment. Developed for person ...
''. His ''Rapier Wit'' tour opened on 20 August 2009 eight shows at the Edinburgh Festival before touring the UK. He released a DVD entitled ''Jimmy Carr: Telling Jokes'' on 2 November 2009. Also on 5 and 6 July 2009, Carr was the warm up act for
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
band
the Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...
at their DVD record gigs (
Live from the Royal Albert Hall ''Live from the Royal Albert Hall'' is a live video and audio release by American rock band the Killers, released on November 9, 2009, by Island Records. The video is pulled from two nights the band performed at the Royal Albert Hall in July ...
). In October 2009, Carr received criticism from Sunday tabloid newspapers for a joke he made about British soldiers who had lost limbs in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, saying the UK would have a strong team in the
London 2012 Paralympic Games The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Sum ...
. Carr defended his own joke as "totally acceptable" in an interview with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. He had met with staff and patients at the rehabilitation centre,
Headley Court Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court (abbreviated to DMRC Headley Court, and more commonly known as Headley Court), formerly RAF Headley Court, was an United Kingdom Ministry of Defence facility in Headley, near Epsom, Surrey, Eng ...
, in March 2009. Carr's sixth Live DVD, ''Jimmy Carr: Making People Laugh'', was released on 8 November 2010. Carr's 2010–11 tour, entitled ''Laughter Therapy'', started with a run at the Edinburgh Festival before touring the UK. Carr was criticised in November 2011 for a joke about the
Variety Club Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927. History On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...
's Sunshine coaches, which offer holidays for children with Down syndrome. The charity and Down Syndrome Education International condemned the joke. Carr defended himself by saying nothing should be off limits. A ''Guardian'' profile in 2012 said: "In terms of reach and earning power... one of the nation's most popular stand-up comedians... in his ability to pull in crowds which generate millions in tour and DVD sales..." and as "the undisputed king of deadpan one-liners...". Carr released the ''Jimmy Carr: Laughing and Joking'' DVD on 18 November 2013. In June 2019, Carr was criticised for the content of his touring show ''Terribly Funny''. Among the controversial jokes were jokes about dwarves, fat women and
female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. Prevalence of female ge ...
. Carr was also criticised by charity Little People UK (co-founded by actor
Warwick Davis Warwick Ashley Davis ( ; born 3 February 1970) is an English actor and television presenter. Active within the industry since he was eleven, Davis is one of the highest grossing supporting actors of all time and has the highest average gross r ...
), accusing him of prejudice for an "offensive" abortion joke he made about people with
dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...
. On 17 April 2024, the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
recording of Carr's ''Terribly Funny 2.0'' tour was released as ''Natural Born Killer''. The one hour special attained a Top 10 spot in 29 countries. In the week 15–21 April 2024
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
listed the show as being 8th in the global Top 10 (in the category TV, English) with 2.3 million viewing hours. In September and October 2024, Carr joined Australian comedian
Jim Jefferies Geoff James Nugent (born February 1977), known professionally as Jim Jefferies, is an Australian and American comedian, actor, and writer. He created and starred in the FX sitcom ''Legit'' (2013–2014) and the Comedy Central late-night sho ...
for a number of joint gigs, slotted between dates for Jefferies's own tour, in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Their shows were billed as ''The Charm Offensive Tour''.


Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is an annual arts festival in Scotland which has been a showcase for comedians since at least the 1970s. Carr has often said how important the Fringe is to anyone that wants to get into comedy, and that he is "a performer at night but during the day I'm a punter and have conversations with people about what show they liked and what they didn't." Carr has said that he first went up to Edinburgh around 2000 to "see what it was about". Although he would eventually go on to return each year as a paid stand-up comic, he initially had to resort to trying to save money by sleeping in his car (a Rover 75) or on the floor of somewhere that other comedians had rented. The August 2001 two-week stint, with ''Rubbernecker'', was Carr's first
Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts and music * "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * Purple fri ...
appearance, with his name in the official programme and his first mention on the Comedy site
Chortle Chortle is a British comedy website launched in 2000 by Steve Bennett. The site is a major source of comedy news in the UK. It also reviews comedy shows nationwide, including extensively at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and presents the C ...
. In 2002, although this was Carr's second entry (in one of the festival's programmes) this was his first solo show: ''Bare Faced Ambition''. This was the year that he received a nomination for what was then known as the
Perrier Award Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of bottled water marketed as coming from its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier was part of the Perrier Vittel Group SA, which became Nestlé Waters France after the acqui ...
. The poster and programme billed him as "England's answer to
Emo Philips Emo Philips (born Philip Soltanec, February 7, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His stand-up comedy persona makes use of paraprosdokians spoken in a wandering falsetto tone of voice. Career The character of Emo Philips appea ...
", and he performed in the Dining Room of the
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 ...
from 2 to 26 August. By the time of 2003's Festival, the now 30-year-old Carr had built a larger fan base through touring, several appearances at Montreal's Just For Laughs and numerous TV appearances (including co-hosting
Your Face Or Mine ''Your Face or Mine?'' is a British comedy game show that originally aired on E4 (TV channel), E4 from September 2002 to May 2003, hosted by Jimmy Carr and June Sarpong. Comedy Central (UK and Ireland), Comedy Central revived the show in 2017 wi ...
).  This enabled him to move his shows to the larger venue of the Pleasance Courtyard, but the Festival's rules (on TV appearances) meant that he was judged to now be a "star" and therefore could not be nominated for the 2003
Perrier Award Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of bottled water marketed as coming from its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier was part of the Perrier Vittel Group SA, which became Nestlé Waters France after the acqui ...
. He performed for 25 nights between 30 July and 25 August 2003. On August 21 and 22nd, he participated in Comedy Gala 2003 in aid of Waverley Care. Edinburgh 2004 followed on from another hit TV show ( ''Distraction''); this tour show was called ''Public Display of Affection''. This meant another move up (in venue size) with six shows at the EICC (which had a 1,200-seat capacity at that time). 2005 was Carr's fifth Fringe and he again arrived with all-new material. This show was called ''Off The Telly'', and, returning to the EICC, he performed eight shows. Material for the new tour, named Gag Reflex, had been tried out at a WIP (Work in progress) gig at the Hen and Chickens on August 5, 2006. Trial of the new material continued in Edinburgh across six nights, from August 17, at the EICC. Carr only managed to fit in a brief appearance at the 2007 Fringe on August 21. Held at the
Edinburgh Festival Theatre The Edinburgh Festival Theatre (originally Empire Palace Theatre and later shortened to Empire Theatre) is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, lar ...
, it was a regular Fringe fund raiser, headed by
Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster, and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeo ...
, for Waverley Care. He was still writing material for his planned ''Repeat Offender'' tour, as evidenced by him using a clipboard on stage. Previously,
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
had been reasonably positive in relation to reviews of comedians headlining at the Fringe; however, articles from 2007 declared that "household names were drowning out more pioneering art". The 2008 Edinburgh programme never listed dates or a venue for Carr's shows this year; this was possibly because his attendance was confirmed after printing. His presence (and the unveiling of his ''Joke Technician'' tour) was, however, mentioned in ''The Independent'' and also Chortle. Edinburgh 2009 saw Carr return for what is billed as his "eighth solo show", thereby confirming his seventh attendance in 2008. He returned to the EICC with his new show, ''Rapier Wit'', for eight nights spanning 20 to 30 August. He also attended the
Edinburgh International Television Festival The Edinburgh International Television Festival is an annual media event held in Edinburgh, Scotland, each August that brings together delegates from the television and digital world to debate the major issues facing the industry. The Festi ...
to be a Judge on a
Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...
spoof (called TV's Got Talent) alongside
Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...
and
Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan (singer), Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s an ...
. Edinburgh 2010 sees Carr debut his new show, ''Laughter Therapy'', a few days after the end of his ''Rapier Wit'' tour. He was back at the EICC for eight nights. Although he performed a number of gigs in Scotland, during 2011, Carr never made it to that year's Festival. At Edinburgh 2012, he was back to perform his new show, ''Gagging Order'', with six nights at the EICC. 2014 saw Carr return for his 11th solo Edinburgh show, called ''Funny Business''. Based once again at the EICC he played four nights in what would appear to be his last Fringe appearance (with a comedy show). In August 2017, Carr returned for a different kind of Edinburgh Festival: the
Edinburgh International Television Festival The Edinburgh International Television Festival is an annual media event held in Edinburgh, Scotland, each August that brings together delegates from the television and digital world to debate the major issues facing the industry. The Festi ...
. He interviewed
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
President,
Kent Alterman Kent Alterman is an American film director and producer. He made his directorial debut in 2008 with '' Semi-Pro'' starring Will Ferrell. Early life and career Alterman graduated in 1981 from the University of Oregon. He was president of Comed ...
, in an on-stage Q&A session in front of industry staff. After a 10-year absence Carr returned for his 12th solo show (''Laughs Funny''), in August 2024. He described the
Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
as being "''where it all began''" and performed 5 shows, across 3 nights, at the
Edinburgh Playhouse Edinburgh Playhouse is a theatre in Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of For ...
.


America

In the final months of his Terribly Funny 2.0 tour, Carr made several trips to the
USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
. Each trip consisted of around a week, criss-crossing the country. 2023 saw these mini tours in October, November and December. He also toured in March and April 2024; this last trip ended up consisting of new material, under the tour name ''Laughs Funny''.


= American TV

= Early support was shown by
Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...
, and Carr appeared on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
'' twice in 2002, twice in 2006, and then again in 2007, 2008 and 2009 (that last appearance being on the renamed ''
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fifth installment of ''The Tonight Show'', hosted by Conan O'Brien. It aired from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, succeeding ''The ...
''). Appearances on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...
'' were 2003 and 2005; ''
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
'' was 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2024; and there was an additional appearance on ''
The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known simply as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show that aired on CBS from 2015 to 2023. It is the fourth and final iteration of '' The Late Late Show'', and aired in the United Sta ...
'' in 2016. His first venture into making TV shows in the US was '' The Strategic Humour Initiative'' (hosted by
Sir David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was an English television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...
) back in 2003. It was a joint UK–USA–Canada production, and Carr was chosen to be the UK comedian. Only 1 episode was made. 2005 saw Carr hosting 12 episodes of the American version of the shock gameshow ''
Distraction Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: inability to pay attention; lack of i ...
'' (which he had hosted in the UK). A second US series (14 episodes) was commissioned in 2006.
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
(US) made two episodes of '' Comedy Central Presents: Jimmy Carr'' in 2005 and 2009.
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
produced 10 episodes of '' The Fix'' in 2018, hosted by Carr. It was an attempt to export the UK panel show format to America, and, although still available on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
, no further episodes have been made. Carr was the first British comedian to get a
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
stand-up special, with his show ''Funny Business'' (March 2016).


American stand-up

Because of the frequency of his trips, Carr collaborates with American comedians in various ways.
Neal Brennan Neal Brennan (born October 19, 1973) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, and podcaster. He is best known for co-creating and co-writing the Comedy Central series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006) with Dave Chappelle and for his N ...
credits him with the idea for his ''Blocks'' podcast, and Jeffery Ross frequently invites him to be part of his Roast events (including The Roast of Rob Lowe). Across two nights of the 2022 Netflix is a Joke Festival. Carr was a support act for
Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle ...
at the
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...
(30 April and 3 May 2022, the show where Chappelle was attacked on stage). During this festival, Carr slotted in one of his own tour gigs, at the Palace Theatre, and also performed at the
Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater (building), theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and ...
as a part of the line-up for Bill Burr Presents Friends Who Kill, which was filmed for another
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
Special. As a member of the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
comedy roster, he was also invited to a celebratory brunch at the home of
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
co-CEO, Ted Sanderos.
The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...
opened in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in 1972 and has been a popular venue for stand-up comedians ever since. Carr has been performing there for many years and is one of a small number of British comedians that are listed as alumni and, in 2018, was given the honour of having his name painted on one of the club's walls. Since 2015, Carr has made several appearances on the US live comedy show
Kill Tony ''Kill Tony'' is an American live podcast stand-up comedy variety show created and hosted by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe and produced and co-hosted by Brian Redban. The show premiered on June 3, 2013, and has released a new episode every Monday ni ...
. 2024 once again saw
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
host ''Netflix is a Joke Fest'', in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
(2–12 May). Carr posted (on X) that he had performed two gigs in the UK on 3 May and then performed at the ''Outside Joke'' event, at the
Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater (building), theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, on 4 May. On 5 May, Carr attended the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
special live stream of the Roast of Tom Brady.


American charities

Carr is a supporter of the Bob Woodruff Foundation (a non-profit that supports post-9/11-impacted service members, veterans, and their families). On 5 November 2018, he was on the bill of the 12th Annual Stand Up for Heroes event at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
s and again, for the 17th event, on 6 November 2023, at the
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5  ...
. Carr was one of the British comics supporting
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
at the 2012 Secret Policeman's Ball in New York.


Books

In 2006, the book ''The Naked Jape: Uncovering the Hidden World of Jokes'', on the history and theory of joke-telling, by Carr and Lucy Greeves, was published by
Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
. ''Before & Laughter'', a memoir and self-help book authored by Carr, was published by
Quercus An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
in December 2021.


Controversies


2011 Amputee joke

At the
Manchester Apollo The O2 Apollo Manchester (known locally as The Apollo and formerly Manchester Apollo and ABC Ardwick) is a concert venue in Ardwick Green, Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 (2,514 standing, 986 seats ...
in 2011, Carr joked that war injuries had a positive side. "You can say what you like about these servicemen amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan," he said, "but we're going to have a fucking good Paralympics team in 2012." The Prime Minister's office condemned the joke. Newspapers and radio stations phoned the mothers of soldiers maimed in battle, recited the joke, then reported their outraged reactions. Carr contended that it was a good joke.


2012 Tax avoidance

In June 2012, Carr's involvement in an alleged K2
tax avoidance Tax avoidance is the legal usage of the tax regime in a single territory to one's own advantage to reduce the amount of tax that is payable. A tax shelter is one type of tax avoidance, and tax havens are jurisdictions that facilitate reduced taxe ...
scheme came to light after an investigation by ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
''. The scheme is understood to involve UK earners "quitting" their job and signing new employment contracts with offshore
shell companies A shell corporation is a company or corporation with no significant assets or operations often formed to obtain financing before beginning business. Shell companies were primarily vehicles for lawfully hiding the identity of their beneficial ...
based in the low-tax jurisdiction of
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
. Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
said: "People work hard, they pay their taxes, they save up to go to one of his shows. They buy the tickets. He is taking the money from those tickets and he, as far as I can see, is putting all of that into some very dodgy tax-avoiding schemes." Carr subsequently pulled out of the scheme, apologising for "a terrible error of judgement". Viewing figures of the episode of his topical show ''8 out of 10 Cats'', recorded on the day of his apology and broadcast the following day, almost doubled compared with the previous week. Earlier in 2012, during the second series of Channel 4's satirical news programme ''
10 O'Clock Live ''10 O'Clock Live'' is a British comedy/news television programme that ran from 2011 to 2013, presented by Charlie Brooker, Jimmy Carr, Lauren Laverne and David Mitchell. The programme was commissioned following the success of ''Channel 4's ...
'', Carr had lampooned people who avoid paying their taxes. A sketch from the show, in which he poked fun at the 1% tax rate of
Barclays Bank Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services ...
and described tax lawyers as being "aggressive" and "amoral", was regarded as having "come back to haunt him". In February 2018, Carr appeared on ''
Room 101 The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are the four ministries of the government of Oceania in the 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', by George Orwell. The use of contradictor ...
'', where he talked about the controversy. Though he admitted that what he did was wrong, he said there was some level of hypocrisy in the comments that Cameron had made about him in 2012, stating that members of Cameron's family and
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
had subsequently been mentioned in the
Panama Papers The Panama Papers () are 11.5 million leaked documents (or 2.6 terabytes of data) published beginning April 3, 2016. The papers detail financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities. These document ...
and
Paradise Papers The Paradise Papers are a set of over 13.4 million confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investments that were leaked to the German reporters Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer, from the newspaper'' Süddeutsche Z ...
tax evasion scandals. Carr said that the law should become clearer by eliminating any
loophole A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow vertic ...
s, instead of leaving it up to individuals to decide what is morally right. Carr continues to reference the scandal in his performances and public appearances and takes heckles on the subject with good humour, including responding to a heckle on the subject by saying: "There's two shows: One at 7, one at 9:30. One for me, one for them.


2021 Holocaust joke

In a stand-up comedy performance released as a Christmas 2021
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
special titled ''His Dark Material'', Carr joked: During the show, Carr defended his joke, saying that it had the educational value of raising awareness about groups who suffered genocide in the Holocaust. The joke later received widespread attention the following February after a clip was posted and shared online. He was condemned by the
Auschwitz Memorial The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum () is a museum on the site of the Nazi German Auschwitz concentration camp in Oświęcim, Poland. The site includes the main concentration camp at Auschwitz I and the remains of the concentration and exte ...
,
Hope not Hate Hope not Hate (stylised as HOPE not hate) is an advocacy group based in the United Kingdom which campaigns against racism and fascism. It has also mounted campaigns against Islamic extremism and antisemitism. It is self-described as a "non-pa ...
and The Traveller Movement, who called
anti-Romani prejudice Anti-Romani sentiment (also called antigypsyism, anti-Romanyism, antiziganism, ziganophobia, or Romaphobia) is an ideology which consists of hostility, prejudice, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia which is specifically directed at Romani ...
the "last acceptable form of racism" in the UK. He also faced criticism from British politicians, including Prime Minister
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
and
Nadine Dorries Nadine Vanessa Dorries (' Bargery; born 21 May 1957) is a British author and a former politician who served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2021 to 2022. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Bedfordshire ...
, the culture secretary. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust said they were "absolutely appalled" and "horrified", and they described Carr's joke as "abhorrent". Despite the criticism, Carr stood by the joke.


2025 Israel event at British Museum

In May 2025, Carr attended an event celebrating Israel's
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
. This event was held during the
Israel–Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
and was criticised by pro-Palestine activists, who urge a a boycott of Israeli events.


Personal life

In 1998, Carr was 26 years old and had what he calls "an early midlife crisis" during which he lost his
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
faith. He has since made comments critical of
organised religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established, typically by an official doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leader ...
. In 2015, he said: "As for being a Christian, yes, it seems ridiculous now, but I genuinely believed there was a big man in the sky who could grant wishes. Writers like
Christopher Hitchens Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British and American author and journalist. He was the author of Christopher Hitchens bibliography, 18 books on faith, religion, culture, politics, and literature. He was born ...
and
Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biology, evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator and author. He is an Oxford fellow, emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Simonyi Professor for the Publ ...
helped change my view, but I don't go on stage banging on about being an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
... I'm just a guy who tells jokes." He has stated that he underwent a lot of therapy (specifically
neuro-linguistic programming Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy that first appeared in Richard Bandler and John Grinder's book ''The Structure of Magic I'' (1975). NLP ...
, a pseudoscientific psychological therapy) at the time of his crisis in order to help him cope with his loss of faith, and that he is qualified as a therapist. Carr has dual British and Irish citizenship, and travels on an Irish passport. He has spoken of his pride in having Irish ancestry and was presented in 2013 with a certificate of Irish heritage in his parents' home city of
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
by the city's mayor. Carr lives in
North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...
with his Canadian partner Karoline Copping, a
commissioning editor In book publishing, a commissioning editor is essentially a buyer. It is the job of the commissioning editor to advise the publishing house on which books to publish. Usually the actual decision of whether to contract a book is taken by a senior m ...
for Channel 5, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2001. Their son was born in 2019.


Awards

* Time Out Award: Best Stand Up (2002) *
Perrier Award Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of bottled water marketed as coming from its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier was part of the Perrier Vittel Group SA, which became Nestlé Waters France after the acqui ...
Nomination (2002) *
Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
Award: Best On-Screen Newcomer (2003) * Lafta Award: Best Stand Up (2004) * Rose D'Or Nomination: Best Presenter, ''Distraction'' (2004) * Lafta Award: Funniest Man (2005) *
British Comedy Award The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
: Best Live Stand Up (2006) * Lafta Award: Funniest Man (2007) * Lafta Award: Best Stand Up (2008) * Lafta Award: Loaded Legend (2011)


Stand-up shows


DVD releases / Netflix specials


Filmography


Film


Television


Guest appearances

*'' QI'' (2003–2022) *''
A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Ma ...
'' (2010–2017) *''
Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch '' Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this format is the final round (a ...
'' (2012) *'' Was it Something I Said?'' (2013) *''
Through the Keyhole ''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by David Frost, Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter explores celebrities' h ...
'' (2014, 2015, 2017) *''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...
'' (2004, 2006, 2013) *''
Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on ITV2 between 24 September 2008 and 15 December 2022. The show was written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon. The format for th ...
'' (2014–2019) *'' Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled'' (2015, 2017) *''
Celebrity Squares ''Celebrity Squares'' is a British comedy game show based on the American comedy game show ''Hollywood Squares''. It first ran on ITV from 20 July 1975 to 7 July 1979 and was hosted by Bob Monkhouse, then—also hosted by Monkhouse— ...
'' (2015) *'' Celebrity Benchmark'' (2015) *''
Crackanory ''Crackanory'' is a storytelling television series aimed at adults and inspired by the popular children's series ''Jackanory''. It is broadcast on the UKTV channel Dave. Each episode features tales narrated by contemporary comedians and actors, co ...
'' (2015) *''
Virtually Famous ''Virtually Famous'' is a British comedy panel game show most recently presented by Chris Ramsey. In each episode, two teams of three panelists compete. The teams were, in the final series, captained by Vicky Pattison and Seann Walsh. The que ...
'' (2016, 2017) *''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...
'' (2016) *''
@midnight ''@midnight with Chris Hardwick'' (shortened to and formerly exclusively titled ''@midnight'') is an American late night Internet-themed panel game show, hosted by Chris Hardwick, that aired Monday through Thursday nights between October 21, ...
'' (2016) *'' Chelsea'' (2016) *'' The Chase: Celebrity Special'' (2012, 2019) *'' Tipping Point: Lucky Stars'' (2016) *''
The Grand Tour ''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and Andy Wilman, for Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November 2016. The programme was devised in the wake of the depar ...
'' (2016) *''
Play to the Whistle ''Play to the Whistle'' is a British sports comedy panel game show that aired on ITV from 11 April 2015 to 4 April 2017. With similarities to Sky's A League of Their Own, each episode saw two teams of three compete in sports knowledge rounds a ...
'' (2017) *'' Catchphrase: Celebrity Special'' (2018) *''
Room 101 The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are the four ministries of the government of Oceania in the 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', by George Orwell. The use of contradictor ...
'' (2018) *''This Is My House'' (2021) *'' Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Celebrity Special'' (2021)


Books

* 2004, ''Distraction Quiz Book'' (foreword) * 2006, with Lucy Greeves, ''The Naked Jape: Uncovering the Hidden World of Jokes'' (UK), or ''Only Joking: What's So Funny About Making People Laugh'' (USA) * 2020, Dear NHS: 100 Stories to Say Thank You, edited by Adam Kay (Carr contributed a story) *2021, ''Before & Laughter: A Life-Changing Book''


Discography

* '' ='' (
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
, 2021) –
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
on "
Visiting Hours Visiting Hours may refer to: * ''Visiting Hours'' (film), a 1982 Canadian horror film starring Michael Ironside * "Visiting Hours" (song), by Ed Sheeran, 2021 * "Visiting Hours" (''Slow Horses''), a 2022 television episode * "Visiting Hours", a ...
"


References


External links

* * *
''BBC Radio 4 – Jimmy Carr, Desert Island Discs'', March 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Jimmy 1972 births Living people 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English comedians 21st-century English male actors Actors from the London Borough of Hounslow Actors from Slough Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge English atheists English game show hosts English male comedians English male film actors English people of Irish descent English stand-up comedians Comedians from Berkshire Comedians from Buckinghamshire Comedians from the London Borough of Hounslow British critics of religions Former Roman Catholics Male actors from Berkshire Male actors from Buckinghamshire Male actors from London People educated at Burnham Grammar School People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe People from Hounslow Television personalities from the London Borough of Hounslow