Andy Ford
| Andy Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrew Mogford 1957 Bristol, England |
| 💼 Occupation | Stand-up comedian, television presenter, actor, singer |
| 📆 Years active | 1970–present |
| www | |
Andy Ford (born 1957 in Exeter, England) is an award-winning English comedian, actor, writer, and singer. He has regularly performed in pantomime since the mid-1980s, making him one of the tallest pantomime performers in Britain. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the 2017 panto archive. [1]
Career
Music and pantomime Ford began his career at the age of 12. He started by singing and joined his first band, the Cliff Brown Trio, at 14. He was the lead singer for many years before going solo, recording the single "Pillow Talk" in the mid-1980s. He released his second album, "Love and Stuff", along with the single "Only Wanna Make Things Right", before turning to stage work. He transitioned to pantomime, where he has frequently played roles such as Buttons. Ford regularly appears as lead characters in pantomimes [2] and has held the title of "Panto Man" for over a decade. In 2015, Ford starred alongside Britain's Got Talent winners Ashley and Pudsey in a performance of Dick Whittington. This performance was Ford's first to be recorded for DVD. In mid-2018, Andy released a new single titled "Dad Dancing".
Television, radio, and film
Ford performed a comedy routine on ITV's Big Talent Show in 1997, which led to an appearance on the Royal Variety Show that same year. In 1999, Ford joined Channel 5's Havakazoo as Patrick the baker, working on the series for over four years. [3] Ford appeared on ITV's Today with Des and Mel, and later took to the streets with sketches for his online show, Andy Ford on the Streets. This show involved interacting with the public, asking about their favourite comedians, and having them tell jokes. Successful joke tellers would win small gifts. One segment included Ford misleading the public by creating fabricated facts, such as claiming a particular road was built by the Romans.
A few years ago, Ford starred in a short film titled Loss, focusing on mental health issues. He also starred in the radio series The Incredible Inspector Biggins.
Live comedy
Ford's comedy style is consistently clean and innocent, with a camp and manic approach. He is known for writing poetry, incorporating it into his performances, along with one-liners and puns.
A show from his 2004 Live and Lovely tour was released on DVD that year. [4]Ford toured for his show West End Crazy in 2006, also released on DVD. In late 2010, Ford performed a stand-up show called "This is My Day Job" to mark 40 years in his professional career; also released on DVD. In early 2014, Ford toured with "Daft as a Brush", released on DVD as "Live from the Heart of West Country". His 2016 tour was titled "Live and Un-hinged". Ford's latest tour is titled 'LIVE and Gert-lush'. Released on DVD in July 2017.
Ford runs comedy workshops and, in 2016, launched an online programme titled "Confidence Thought Comedy", a platform to help people become more confident in public speaking using comedy techniques.
Ollie the Otter
Ollie the Otter is a character created by Ford in the 1980s, originally as a mascot for kids' club holiday camps. Ford went on to produce radio shows and CDs featuring songs and stories from the character. He recently revived the character.
Personal life
Ford was born in Bristol. He attended Whipton Barton Infants School in Exeter and became Head Choir Boy at St Boniface Church, Whipton.
Awards
In 2017, he was inducted into the panto archive's Hall of Fame. He is ranked among the top ten best comics in Britain by the Stage Newspaper and won Best Stand-up Show at the Lost Review Comedy Awards in 2017. [5]
Stand-up DVDs
- Live and Lovely – 2004 (Live stand-up)
- Live 2 – West End Crazy – 2006 (Live stand-up)
- This is My Day Job – 2010 (Live stand-up)
- Comic Collection – 2012 (A collection of Andy's comical creations and unseen stand-up)
- Live from the Heart of the West Country – 2014 (Live stand-up)
- Panto Man – 2013 (A collection of Andy's best panto roles)
- Stand-up for Yourself – 2014 (A DVD on the art of stand-up)
- Dick Whittington: LIVE – 2015 (Live panto starring Andy and others)
- Live and Gert-Lush – 2017 (Live stand-up)
- 50 Years And Counting – 2018 (A look back at the life of Andy Ford)
- The Best Of Andy Ford – 2018 (A collection of Andy's best bits)
References
- ↑ http://www.42553.mrsite.com/page2.htm
- ↑ https://www.pantoarchive.com/andyford
- ↑ http:/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205119//
- ↑ ://www.andyfordcomedian.com/product-page/live-and-lovely
- ↑ https://www.bcmentertainments.co.uk/comedy-andy-ford.php
