Jasper Carrott

Early life

Born Robert Norman Davis on 14 March 1945, in Birmingham, England, Carrott was educated at Acocks Green Primary School, and Moseley Grammar School. He worked as a trainee buyer at a city centre department store the Beehive, with schoolmate and ELO member Bev Bevan, who would remain a lifelong friend.

He acquired the nickname Jasper aged nine, and added the surname Carrott when he was 17.

Career

In February 1969, Carrott started his own folk club, "The Boggery", in nearby Solihull with his friend Les Ward. Carrott performed folk songs and as an MC. His banter overtook the songs and he became more a comedian than a singer. He also worked as a musical agent (with John Starkey, who was his manager from 1974 to 1992), as Fingimigig, managing among others Harvey Andrews. He toured UK rugby clubs. He recorded an album in 1973 called Jasper Carrott – In the Club, which he sold from his van. The album contained the original "Magic Roundabout", although mainly material used in his next three LPs (such as "Hare Krishna", "Car Insurance", "Bastity Chelt", and "Hava Nagila") plus the Fred Wedlock song "The Folker".

Carrott had a UK Top 5 chart hit in August 1975 for DJM Records, with the novelty double A-side record, "Funky Moped" / "Magic Roundabout", written by Chris Rohmann and produced by Jeff Lynne, with Bev Bevan on drums and backing vocals on the former track, recorded at Grosvenor Road Studios.

By the late 1970s, Carrott had developed anecdotal sketches which he still performs. Often they purport to be autobiographical; many celebrate the Birmingham accent and culture, including his support of Birmingham City.

His live performances were recorded as Jasper Carrott Rabbitts on and on and on... and Carrott in Notts. Notable tracks were "Bastity Chelt", a song in Spoonerism, "The Football Match" describing a visit to Old Trafford, "The Nutter on the Bus" (including the cry "Has anybody seen my camel?"), "The Mole" ("There's only one way to get rid of a mole – blow its bloody head off!") and "Zits" – an explanation of American slang for spots that brought the word into use in Britain.

In 1979, he published A Little Zit on the Side, a humorous autobiography. The follow-up, Sweet and Sour Labrador, mixed sections of stand-up routines with similar autobiographical material, much of it related to his world travels.

Carrott was the compere for the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert 1986, which featured local bands such as Electric Light Orchestra and the Moody Blues, with a finale that included George Harrison.

His first appearance on television was a half-hour show for BBC Midlands on 11 August 1975, in a programme about local football called "The Golden Game". In 1976, he appeared in A Half Hour Mislaid with Jasper Carrott. He followed in 1978 with LWT's An Audience with Jasper Carrott, This partnership with LWT continued with The Unrecorded Jasper Carrott (1979), and Beat the Carrott (1981).

In 1982, Carrott moved to the BBC for Carrott's Lib (1982-1983), Carrott's Commercial Breakdown (1989-1996), which broadcast weird adverts from around the world, and the sketch and stand-up shows Carrott Confidential (1987-1989), 24 Carrott Gold (1990), The Jasper Carrott Trial (1996-1997), and Canned Carrott (1990-1991). One popular sketch involved Carrott reading out genuine, but bizarre motor insurance claim statements, such as "I drove out of my drive at 7am and drove straight into a bus. The bus was ten minutes early."

Carrott played Heinrich in the 1987 British comedy film Jane and the Lost City.

Canned Carrott also featured a spoof police drama called The Detectives, co-starring Robert Powell, which later was made into a series. From 2002 to 2004, he starred in the sitcom All About Me. In a twelve-week run in the summer of 2002 he played the part of Ko-Ko in comic opera The Mikado, written by Gilbert and Sullivan at the Savoy Theatre in London.

He performed in several of The Secret Policeman's Balls charity concerts for Amnesty International, and returned to the stage in 2004 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham featuring classic routines from his career. He returned to singing for the musical Go Play Up Your Own End (written by Malcolm Stent, songs by Harvey Andrews) in 2005.

In 2005, he staged and appeared in the first Jasper Carrott's Rock With Laughter Christmas concert at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Birmingham, supported live by Jimmy Carr, Jethro, Roy Wood, and Lenny Henry.

In summer 2007, Carrott hosted the Endemol-produced game show Golden Balls for ITV1.

On 15 September 2007, he was inducted into the Birmingham Walk of Stars at the Arts Fest 2007 celebrations. The award was presented by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. Carrott is the second inductee, following Ozzy Osbourne. Carrott was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the British Comedy Awards on 6 December 2008.

In August 2017, Carrott underwent an operation to clear a blocked artery, followed by a quadruple heart bypass. A 30-date tour was cancelled. He has since said the surgery gave him a new lease of life and he has no plans to retire, citing Ken Dodd's longevity as an example.

In 2023 Carrott played the character Sykesy in the BBC Radio 4 radio serial drama The Archers.

Literary work

Carrott has written the humorous paperbacks A Little Zit on the Side (1979), and Sweet and Sour Labrador (1982). He also wrote a novel called Shop! or a Store is Born.

Carrott's former manager, John Starkey, has written a book entitled Jasper and Me (1993; Etsiketsi Books), which included the line, "He once said, 'Ringo isn't the best drummer in the world. He isn't even the best drummer in the Beatles'." This quote was commonly credited to John Lennon until Mark Lewisohn identified, in 1983, that it was Carrott who said it. However, Lewisohn has since confirmed that the line originally came from a 1981 episode of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Radio Active, written by Geoffrey Perkins.

Business interests

Carrott was part-owner of the production company Celador, makers of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? In 2006, he and wife Hazel sold their shares for £10m when Dutch interactive television company 2waytraffic bought the group of companies behind Millionaire.

Personal life

Carrott married journalist Hazel Jackson in 1972. Their daughter is the actress Lucy Davis.

He is a supporter, and was a director, of Birmingham City Football Club; a hospitality suite at their St Andrew's ground is named after him. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2003 New Year Honours "for charitable services". The University of Birmingham awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2004, following a similar award from Aston University in 1995.

Filmography

Discography

Albums

• 1973 – In the Club (Criminal Records)
• 1975 – Rabbitts On and On and On... (DJM Records) UK No. 10
• 1976 – Carrott in Notts (DJM Records) UK No. 56
• 1977 – A Pain in the Arm (DJM Records)
• 1978 – The Best of Jasper Carrott (DJM Records) UK No. 38
• 1979 – The Un-Recorded Jasper Carrott (DJM Records) UK No. 19
• 1980 – Made in Australia (DJM/Festival (Australia))
• 1981 – Beat the Carrott (DJM Records) UK No. 13
• 1982 – Carrott's Lib (DJM Records) UK No. 80
• 1983 – The Stun (Carrott Tells All) (DJM Records) UK No. 57
• 1985 – In America (Rhino Records)
• 1986 – Cosmic Carrott (Portrait Records) UK No. 66
• 1991 – Condensed Classics (Chrysalis/Dover Records)
• 1991 – 24 Carrott Gold (EMI Records)
• 1994 – Canned Carrott for the Record (EMI Records)
• 2000 – Back to the Front volume 1 (Sound Entertainment)
• 2000 – Back to the Front volume 2 (Sound Entertainment
• 2004 – 24 Carrott Gold – The Best of Jasper Carrott (Sound Entertainment)

Singles

• 1975 – "Funky Moped" / "Magic Roundabout" (DJM Records) UK No. 5
• 1976 – "Bickenhill Rovers Skin'ead Supporters Song" (DJM Records)
• 1977 – "12 Days of Christmas" (DJM Records)

References

References

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4. (14 March 2019). "Jasper Carrott on his lifelong friendship with ELO's Bev Bevan". warringtonguardian.co.uk.
5. (19 September 2003). "Bob - sorry, Jasper - comes back to Brum". Worcester News.
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20. "The Mikado (S2026)". uktw.co.uk.
21. "Go Play Up Your Own End". BBC.
22. (12 October 2012). "Stars leave crowd rocking with laughter". birminghammail.co.uk.
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25. (7 December 2008). "Lifetime award for comic Carrott". bbc.co.uk.
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32. Lewis, Randy. (2 December 2013). "The best Beatles story of all? It may belong to Ringo Starr". [[Los Angeles Times]].
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34. Spencer, Charles. (7 January 2004). "Carrott's tops". The Telegraph.
35. (22 September 2018). "Jasper Carrott: Life's short - I only do stuff I like". Shropshire Star.
36. (16 February 2010). "Lucy Davis on Married Single Other".
37. {{London Gazette. (31 December 2002)
38. (3 June 2004). "Comic to get honorary doctorate". BBC News.
39. "JASPER CARROTT {{!}} full Official Chart History".