Rich Hall (Comedy Tour)

RICH HALL & OTIS LEE CRENSHAW

Star of BBC’s ‘Rich Hall’s Cattle Drive’ & ‘Rich Hall’s Fishing Show’ the Edinburgh fringe favourite and Perrier Award winner returns with his alto ego the redneck, jailbird character Otis Lee Crenshaw. Rich will perform in his usual style as the grouchy, deadpan comic genius and Otis will be let out of jail for the 2nd half of the show.

"A craftsman completely at ease - one of the UK's favourite US comedians" The Scotsman

"Stand up for grown-ups that is as thought-provoking as it is rib-pokingly funny" Metro

"Exudes a sense of bewilderment to which audiences instantly warm - expect the unexpected" The Independent

“Intelligent, passionate and angry comedy” The Evening Standard

"Breathtaking social jibes as well as hilarious Country & Western pastiche" Mojo Magazine

TV 'Rich Hall's Cattle Drive' is due to be broadcast on BBC4 during Autumn 2005 Q.I. (BBC2) 2003 Rich Hall's Fishing Show (BBC4) 2003 Rich Hall's Badly Funded Think Tank (BBC Choice) Host Otis Lee Crenshaw - London Not Tennessee (BBC2) Friday Night With Jonathan Ross (BBC1) Room 101 (BBC2) Have I Got News for You (BBC1) Never Mind the Buzzcocks (BBC2) It's Only TV But I Like It (BBC1) Clarkson (BBC2) Jack Dee's Sunday Service (BBC1) Edinburgh Nights (BBC2)

In the USA The David Letterman Show (CBS) Saturday Night Live (NBC) The Conan O'Brien Show (NBC)

RADIO Jonathan Ross Show (BBC Radio 2)

AWARDS Grand Jury Prize winner, Apsen Comedy Festival 2002 Perrier Award winner 2000 Time Out Comedy Award winner 2000 British Comedy Award nominee 1999/2000 Adelaide Festival Fringe Award winner 2000 2 Emmy awards for writing for The David Letterman Show

In 1998, Rich Hall created the character Otis Lee Crenshaw, a redneck jailbird from Tennessee, who has been married seven times, all to women named Brenda. A singer-songwriter, Otis writes bourbon-soaked, Tom Waitsian tunes and blends this with audience banter, producing a perfect fusion of music and comedy.

Since 1998, Otis Lee Crenshaw has been charming sell-out audiences each year at the Edinburgh Festival, throughout the UK (on tour), at several festivals in Australia including Adelaide and Melbourne and at London’s famous Comedy Store, where he had a monthly slot for six months.

At the Edinburgh Festival 2000, ‘Rich Hall as Otis Lee Crenshaw’ won the highly prestigious Perrier Award – the Oscars for Comedy in Britain, the Time Out Comedy Award in 2000, The Adelaide Fringe Award in 2000 and the Grand Jury Prize at the Aspen Comedy Festival in 2002. Rich has also won an Emmy for his writing and appearances on The David Letterman Show in the USA. His third book ‘Things Snowball’ was published in December 2002 by Abacus - to great critical acclaim.

In the United States Rich has had numerous appearances on The David Letterman Show, The Conan O’Brian Show and Saturday Night Live. In the UK, Rich has appeared on Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, They Think Its All Over, Room 101 and Jack Dee’s Sunday Service to name but few.

In 2001 Otis Lee Crenshaw and The Black Liars released a DVD/Video and album recorded live at London’s Comedy Store entitled ‘London Not Tennessee’ Mojo magazine rated the album as one of the best 40 of the year.

In October 2002 Otis Lee Crenshaw and The Black Liars played a sell out run in New York to much critical acclaim and recorded a special live concert for Comedy Central.

Rich is currently working on a new show for the BBC with award winning Canadian comic Mike Wilmot ‘Rich Hall’s Fishing Show’ (working title) due to be broadcast in August 2003.

‘Anecdotal, observational, inspirational, confrontational, apoplectic. Aggressive, vitriolic comedy’ MELODY MAKER