Rarely giving interviews, character comedian and actor Kevin Eldon is a bit of a mystery. He's appeared in some excellent British comedies over the last two decades but what else do we really know about him? Emma McAlpine grabs the opportunity to find out more...
If you like your TV comedies black, original or a little bit nutty, it's likely you'll be a fan of Kevin Eldon. Having appeared in pretty much every good British comedy since the late '90s including Big Train, Brass Eye, I'm Alan Partridge, Jam, Nighty Night and Black Books he has one of the most enviable CVs in the industry.
After three years in drama school, or as he puts it the "ludicrously womb-like confines of pampered ponciness" and five years hunting for jobs ("I couldn't stand any more queuing up for jobs that were absolutely terrible along with all the other desperados"), Eldon started performing on the comedy circuit in the early '90s. First trying his hand at political stand-up: "I think I was doing some sub-Ben Elton schtick", he settled into character comedy, playing the likes of filthy anorak-wearer Kevin Boyle and the pretentious poet Paul Hamilton. You can still catch Eldon performing as Hamilton occasionally, reading dramatic poetry teetering enough on the edge of realistic to be comically tongue-in-cheek.
On the circuit, he met Stewart Lee, who invited him to star in Lee and Herring's Fist of Fun radio show for BBC1. Commissioned for a BBC2 TV series in 1995, it became a cult hit and is still regarded as a pioneering '90s sketch show with some inspired character creations. Eldon himself played some of the best roles from Simon Quinlank the geeky 'king of hobbies' to the squeaky-voiced jelly fanatic Rod Hull.
More TV and radio projects followed like the satirical Brass Eye documentaries, the surreal Blue Jam and more sinister TV offshoot Jam. Eldon and many of his co-stars during the late '90s like Julia Davis, Mark Heap and Amelia Bullmore frequently turned up in interesting, innovative comedies written by the same team of people (Chris Morris, Graham Linehan, Peter Baynham and Arthur Mathews to name a few). While some have been a success; others like Sean Lock's 15 Storeys High, Simon Munnery's Attention Scum! and Julia Davis and Jessica Hynes' Lizzie and Sarah, never got the showcase they deserved - either being transmitted far too late or getting cancelled after one episode. Did he find this frustrating?
"Commissions are largely done by committees swayed by financial considerations and ratings figures. This is not the ideal criteria for exciting original comedy. The screening time used to matter a lot but these days people can always catch up with something if it's on at an odd time. I don't think the BBC liked Lizzie and Sarah so it was sent to the naughty slot."
While Eldon undoubtedly has the advantage of being in the company of such talented writers, there's also the fact that he is a fine actor, with a knack for sculpting himself into a multitude of different comedic roles, from the creepy cleaner (Black Books), to a manic depressive (Saxondale) or down-trodden husband (Nighty Night). He's also extremely picky; you certainly won’t be spotting him popping up in My Family any time soon:
"I do read a lot of scripts and think, no not for me. I can't get involved with something I think is comedically poor. I mean I actually physically can't. It's like chewing glass. I just love stuff that breaks through formulae and has a fresh take on things. You see a lot of clichéd stuff and its laziness is a rather dispiriting experience I think. So if anything comes along that is originally funny and I'm offered a bit of it I'm most chuffed.”
You couldn't really typecast Eldon or say there is one character that he is most recognised for, you just know him as that bloke in every good comedy show from the '90s to the present day. It seems like roles are fairly transient for him and he struggles to name a favourite: "I don't recall any one particular role I've enjoyed the most. I've just played Ringo Starr in the next Harry and Paul series. Seeing as I'm a massive Beatles fan that was a blast."
So what’s next? Apart from popping up in the occasional charity gig with standard ridiculously good line-up, he is taking the plunge and performing his first ever solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe this year doing “a mish mash of this and that, these and those. A bit of stand-up, some characters, songs, origami.”
Having admitted in the past to getting “the jitters” before going on stage it seems he’s not ready to be pigeonholed into the role of comedy actor just yet: “I decided at the beginning of this year I'd have a bit of a shake up and do some scary things I've always shied away from. So I've been lowering myself into polar bear enclosures in zoos. Doing a solo show in Edinburgh is even scarier. But you got to face the fear innit.”
Kevin Eldon will be at The Stand in Edinburgh from 5th-30th August.
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