Merseyside Mirth Makers - Keith Carter

 

Keith Carter is a Liverpool comedian, writer and actor born on the 3rd of February, 1969 in Toxteth, Liverpool and who began his career as a comedian in the clubs in Liverpool in 2001. Keith began his stand up career in Liverpool's Orgasmic Comedy Club after consuming far too much alcohol, and a packet of crisps (flavour unrecorded). Although he was booed off, he soon returned with the idea that the audience would like his gags better if told by someone else. And so, Nige was born. He has developed a number of comic characters but the most famous is Nige, a caricature of a Merseyside 'scallie' who he claims to have based on someone queuing up in front of him in a dole queue. Other characters Keith has created include Gerald Roberts, an opinionated driver, and Colin Kilkelly, who thinks he is Liverpool's answer to Enrique Iglesias. He says that what got him into comedy were the Liverpool poets – Roger McGough, Brian Patten and the late Adrian Henri and he still always quote s them and he's also a massive fan of 'The Beatles'.

'Nige'

Now this failed singer/musician, seemingly doomed to a life of temping, is a professional character comedian, actor and writer. His seventh comedy gig was as a finalist for the BBC New Comedy Awards in 2001and as a versatile character actor with absolutely no training in the acting profession apart from sheer experience and has appeared in several TV, radio and film productions, from lowly extra in 'Coronation Street' in 2000 to his first lead role in the BBC 2 drama, 'Domestic' in 2002. Since then he has travelled throughout the world, supporting many top comics such as Ricky Gervais and Johnny Vegas and has won several awards including Liverpool Echo Comedian of the Year in 2003 and North West Breakthrough Comedian of the Year in 2005. He has made a number of appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has been nominee and winner of a number of awards. His appearance in 'Underr the Mud' was described by The Guardian as an almost show stealing performance. In 2008 he co-wrote the play 'The Berserker Boys' with fellow Liverpudlian comedian Stanley McHale which premièred at the Unity Theatre in February 2008. Capital of Culture judge, Sir Jeremy Isaacs was quoted in the news as saying, 'He helped Liverpool win the bid,' after seeing Kevin's comic creation and Liverpool cult hero, 'Nige' perform at the cultural bid show for the judges. Keith said: "I felt very proud and then, the next day, I got a summons for non-payment of my council tax – and I’d paid it!" He may look like any ordinary scally but beneath his shell-suit lies a wealth of intelligent gags and stories. Watch open mouthed as he explains how superheroes should make their money, hold back a tear as he explains his father’s drug-related death (a box of Lemsips fell on him) and reel back with amazement as he travels through time before your very eyes.

On stage in 2014

After a critically successful one man show at the Edinburgh Festival, he was asked to write a TV series around Nige for BBC 3, a guide to Liverpool's capital of Culture for BBC 4 and in 2007 Radio 4 also broadcast his new comedy series entitled The Shift, loosely based around life on the production line at Ford’s Halewood as experienced by his dad, Phil Carter.In late 2011. It started off as a half hour one-off but was thought of as so good it was extended into a series by BBC bosses. "I had to edit some of the stuff because I wouldn't have been able to use half the stories my dad told me about," said Keith, who had received full parental approval for the project, which followed a father and son relationship about the dad who despairs when his boy gives up his university studies to find out what real life is all about on the factory floor. Keith then finished filming a TV pilot, which chronicled the daily events and encounters of his character Nige, the aptly entitled, 'The State Of Nige'. With the likes of Johnny Vegas and Jon Richardson as fans of his work, his contemporaries like him so much that Steve Coogan’s company, Baby Cow paid for his one man show Edinburgh run in 2012 and Craig Cash’s company, Jelly Legs paid to make a half hour teaser pilot to be shown at the BBC of one of Carter’s characters. For a comic that is not a TV celebrity, Carter still managed to perform a multi character one man show to a sell-out crowd in Liverpool’s Neptune Theatre in 2014 and turned it into a successful selling DVD.

The two highlights of his showbiz career are having his one and only single played by John Peel and accidentally knocking George Martin into an ice sculpture whilst drunk. Keith Carter is proficient on guitar, harmonica and piano and can't believe he is getting away with not having a proper job. He is currently waiting for someone to tap him on the shoulder to tell him it's all over. He has been described as "not just a stand-up with a dressing-up box, he makes his characters live by his bearing, his gestures and by his voice."

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/05/merseyside-mirth-makers-john-bishop.html