The purpose of the question being?
Does one need to go to Oxbridge to stand a chance Page 6
Well as you haven't worked in the industry I wondered if you had any experience of the other the side of the question from the OP?
In what, wasting my time or being a pleb?
Ok so no there too. Have you ever applied for a job of any kind in the industry?
Indeed. And no. And yes I did, but not Oxbridge. Which is all pretty irrelevant to the general knowledge of Oxbridge and BBC's very strong links, which almost everyone has heard about.
Did you get the job, what did you go for?
That's the 'and no' bit.
Fair enough
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ October 6 2012, 2:01 PM BSTThere must be a preference given to the Oxbridge crowd for first time TV work or how else can one explain the point the poster made, that non elite uni type people who want a career in comedy usually have to start in stand up?
There has been quite a lot of discussion around that point, and I think you are rather oversimplifying the answer.
Quote: Micheal Jacob @ October 6 2012, 11:20 AM BSTTalent will lead to a career, not educational background.
Fank fuk.
A website called Such Small Portions did a survey of who they think are the top 100 people in comedy - performers, executives, producers, agents...
These are their university rankings (which actually total more than 100):
London 24 (Universities within the M25 rather than London University)
Cambridge 15
Oxford 11
Manchester 10
Bristol 7
Edinburgh 5
Brighton 4
Coventry 4
Birmingham 3
Sheffield 2
Dublin 2
Aberdeen 1
Bretton Hall, Yorkshire 1
Cardiff 1
Cork 1
Glasgow 1
Liverpool 1
Los Angeles 1
Leicester 1
Norwich 1
Newcastle 1
Perth, Australia 1
Southampton 1
York 1
No university 9
Unknown 14
Quite a lot of stand ups on that list,
http://www.suchsmallportions.com/feature/top-100-most-influential-people-comedy
but it is a fair point that if you take the comedy industry in the round Oxbridge dominates less than the number of high profile ex-Footlights types might cause you to think; though I guess you could argue that if you are looking at the very top then you might expect initial advantage to count for less...
Anyway, Kipper will no doubt argue that all those who did not go to Oxbridge are jews or gay...
Quote: Micheal Jacob @ October 6 2012, 9:31 PM BSTA website called Such Small Portions did a survey of who they think are the top 100 people in comedy - performers, executives, producers, agents...
These are their university rankings (which actually total more than 100):
London 24 (Universities within the M25 rather than London University)
Cambridge 15
Oxford 11
Manchester 10
Bristol 7
Edinburgh 5
Brighton 4
Coventry 4
Birmingham 3
Sheffield 2
Dublin 2
Aberdeen 1
Bretton Hall, Yorkshire 1
Cardiff 1
Cork 1
Glasgow 1
Liverpool 1
Los Angeles 1
Leicester 1
Norwich 1
Newcastle 1
Perth, Australia 1
Southampton 1
York 1No university 9
Unknown 14
Am I the one from Norwich now?
Ok I didn't go to UEA
Quote: Trinder @ October 5 2012, 6:57 AM BSThttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/200812/the-tears-clown
So, according to science, comedians tend to be above average intelligence or, you know, 'quite bright.' (also, a bit messed up but that's for another thread)
As for whether Oxbridge contains people of above average intelligence. Seriously, it's not full of dimwits. I know that George Osbourne went there but he's the exception that proves the rule.
I know it gives comfort to us proles to think that it's a hotbed of graft and privilege, but really, it's full of normal, pleasant people who are just smarter than me. I've no problem with them being smarter than me, I'm quite smart myself.
So, most comedians tend to be quite smart. Smart people go to Oxbridge. QEFD.
You claim to be smart but I already answered this question several rounds ago:
"That would only follow if you had to be of high intelligence to be a comedian (which you don't), Oxbridge only took people with ten litre brains (which they don't) and everyone in the country had tried to get into Oxbridge."
I couldn't get your link to work but I strongly dispute your notion that comedians 'tend to be above average intelligence', but even if I accept it for the sake of argument your point can only stand if there are no 'above average intelligence' people who didn't go to Oxbridge who want to be comedians.
Quote: Micheal Jacob @ October 6 2012, 11:20 AM BSTA lot of this discussion hinges on whether or not people in broadcasting who commission scripts or cast shows - scripted or sketch - read CVs and judge talent accordingly. They don't. Talent will lead to a career, not educational background. For all the people who went to Oxford or Cambridge or RADA and who have become successful there are many many more who sought a career and failed. Contacts open doors, but the doors slam shut if the people concerned aren't up to it.
I didn't think we were discussing untalented people getting on because of their Oxbridge connections so much as talented people from Oxbridge taking the places in advance of talented people who are less well connected.
I went to artschool rather than university and one guy from my year is now very famous and very successful. I wasn't close to him but I spoke to him a bit and he really had nothing about him. But even then he was well connected - with famous friends and parents in the entertainment industry. His performance in group 'crits' and final degree show would have consigned him to oblivion otherwise.
A squint at his internet profile reveals none of this. You would think he swam to Britain from the 19th Century and crawled through a hundred storey sewage pipe on a diet of pro-plus and flickering ambition.
I'm not begrudging of his success - however mediocre he is - and his output now is more mediocre than it was then, but rather the place he has taken over a more talented but less well-connected individual.