Almost every comedy show has at least some of its content/humour about class. Whether it's the people or predjeces etc. In Dad's Army there's clearly conflicts and stories arising from their different classes and backgrounds and in all mayjor sitcoms at least one character has come from a more working class background and usually another one from a more upper class.
Quote: raul415 @ December 10 2011, 4:35 PM GMTIt seems that so many of the most famous comedy performers, and writers all seem to come out of Cambridge and other public schools. From John Cleese to Richard Ayoade, it seems that making connections at these school (if you're talented) puts you in a very good position for success. This in itself is not surprising, most of the business world works the same way.
What I am curious about is whether there is a perception that having a public school education confers on one a sort of superior comic intelligence, or is it more of an all boys club. You went to school with the guy who now works for the BBC...sort of thing.
I know that there are successful comedians in Britain who did not go to these schools but it seems that the vast majority did and do.
In America there are writers and comedians who have the same sort of educational background as the public school crowd, but for the vast majority of folks the most important thing being making industry contacts, getting an agent etc..
It does seem to be a bit of a comedy class elite situation in Britain (though it seems to be changing) and I'd appreciate any insight.
Cheers!
In case no-one has mentioned it, Cambridge is not a school, it is a University; and it is at University, primarily Cambridge, that the connections are made. But having said that the students at Cambridge are disproportionately from public schools, and the purpose of public schools is less to impart academic education than to instil confidence and self-belief, which makes forging connections rather easier.
There have always been comedians out of the Cambridge review tradition (Fred Emery was an unlikely Footlights alumnus) but the trickle became a flood with Beyond the Fringe and Python generations. In part this was down to the decline of variety and the rise of television, which removed quite a lot of the graft and hard knocks on the road to success, making comedy a more attractive middle-class career option. Difficult to imagine anyone giving up a career in law or medicine for ten years at the foot of the bill at the Glasgow Empire.
Add to this that in the last quarter of a century social mobility in the UK has reverted to pre-war levels, and it is easy to see why top end comedy has followed the trend and become increasingly dominated by public school boys. (And I would be very surprised if the reality is not much the same in the States.)
There is an older, grimier tradition that still persists, particularly in the North, where the Phoenix Nights ethos persists allowing working class comics to hone their craft before being discovered by the telly.
When I read that I thought it said Fred Emney !
Quote: Martin Caine @ March 3 2012, 12:53 AM GMTRegardless of whatever class you feel you are in, if you are born with funny bones you will make people laugh no matter what your social status happens to be judged at. Australia doesn't seem to have this class problem which is great when you can stand at a bar with a tramp on one side, a millionaire on the other and all be on the same wavelength in a conversation about nothing.
It is starting to change a little now but class doesn't seem to be as much of an issue here. We certainly have very rich and very poor but I think perhaps we have don't have so much of a distinction in the middle. Also there still seems to be an attitude in Australia that you aren't better than someone just because you have money.
As far as your background goes it probably depends more on where you grew up. Most of our shows come out of Sydney or Melbourne so if you grew up or live in or close to either of those cities you are more likely to have the opportunity to get into media.
As I said the class system is starting to change a little now, but I think for the moment at least we still have the attitude of what is important is how you treat people.
Quote: Oldrocker @ April 8 2012, 1:21 PM BSTWhen I read that I thought it said Fred Emney !
Curiously I think that is who I did mean; I am not quite sure how I got that idea in my head! 
Anyway footlighters of the pre-Beyond the Fringe era included Jimmy Edwards and Richard Murdoch. Wikipedia has a list of famous footlighters:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footlights
and without thinking too hard I could add a fair few more. There is no doubt that in the past half century footlighters have increasingly gained a strangehold on the comedy industry.
without going through all 5 pages more .. Armstrong and Miller .