Paul Merton
Paul Merton
Paul James Martin, known professionally as Paul Mertonis an English writer, actor, comedian, radio and television presenter...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionComedian
Date of Birth9 July 1957
buster came keaton laughed magical
There's something magical about film, it's the ultimate for me, because it's kind of permanent - inasmuch as anything is. When I went to see Buster Keaton when I was about 14 and I came out of the cinema having really laughed at this film which had been made 50 years before, I thought: That's immortality. It's fantastic.
cash crossed exploiting life private sold
I have never sold my story, done 'Hello!' magazine, any of that stuff. I'm not guilty of exploiting my private life for cash and then saying, 'Oh, I don't want to talk about my private life.' I've never crossed that line.
anyone eric ken selling teeth turned
I never give anyone advice: it can backfire horribly. In the 1950s, Eric Morecambe told Ken Dodd to get his teeth fixed. But those teeth turned out to be one of Dodd's big selling points.
found impression initial maybe people rather teacher whatever
I was never one to go up to someone as a five- or six-year-old and say, 'Hello, my name's Paul, will you be my friend?' But I found if I did an impression of the PE teacher or whatever and people laughed, then they did like me, and so then they started talking to me, rather than me making the initial overture and then maybe being rebuffed.
monday morning thinking
When I wake up on a Monday morning and I realise I don't have to go and work at the civil service, I really think I've won.
funny humorous air
I'm always amazed to hear of air crash victims so badly mutilated that they have to be identified by their dental records. What I can't understand is, if they don't know who you are, how do they know who your dentist is?
couple men comedian
In 1987, I was in Edinburgh doing my first one-man show. I took part in a kickabout with some fellow comedians and tripped over my trousers and heard this cracking sound in my leg. A couple of days later I went into a coma and was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism.
lonely real loneliness
It was a bizarre existence I led in my early twenties - that cliche of the comedian who goes out and entertains a roomful of people and then goes home to a lonely bedsit was unbelievably poignant for me because that was exactly what I was doing. I had periods of real loneliness.
laughing people connections
It seems like a contradiction, but the shy person who is a performer actually does make sense, because in a way, when you're young and shy, making people laugh is a good way to make friends. It's an instant connection.
cheating laughter people
If you became a comedian in the '80s, you had to work the circuit and make people laugh. Canned laughter is cheating.
laughing stereotype shyness
And like the old stereotype, I overcame my shyness by making my friends laugh.
oysters guy festivals
When I used to do the Edinburgh Festival, there was a bunch of guys selling fresh oysters and I'd eat ten daily - marvellous.
noel jockeys talent
All disc jockeys are without talent. Noel Edmonds - I can't stand Noel Edmonds.
buster chaplin gag keaton pursuit tunnel worked
I read every book about Buster Keaton and Chaplin to see how they worked - it's all about dedication, tunnel vision, pursuit of perfection, getting the gag right.