Malcolm Hardee
- English
- Actor, comedian and venue manager
Press clippings Page 2
Malcolm Hardee remembered by Matthew Hardy
In yesterday's blog, Australian performer Matthew Hardy remembered British comedian Sean Lock, who died earlier this week. Matthew also mentioned the late comedian Malcolm Hardee - oft called 'the godfather of British alternative comedy' - as "the most outrageous individual I've ever known". Eight days after Malcolm's death by drowning in 2005, Matthew Hardy shared this memory. Stories about Malcolm Hardee are plentiful but, to my mind, this one from Matthew may be the definitive one...
Matthew Hardy, John Fleming's Blog, 20th August 2021Sean Lock remembered by Aussie performer Matthew Hardee
The British comedian Sean Lock died of cancer on Monday, aged 58. I remember him in the 1990s as highly intelligent, a very very funny stand-up and, most of all, a kind man unspoilt by any discernible ego. I don't think he changed when he became successful. Here, Australian performer Matthew Hardy pays tribute to Sean...
Matthew Hardy, John Fleming's Blog, 19th August 2021Malcolm Hardee stole Freedie Mercury's cake - version 2
On 5th August 1996 (timed to coincide with that year's Edinburgh Fringe) Fourth Estate published I Stole Freddie Mercury's Birthday Cake, the autobiography of comedian, club-owner and anarchic bon viveur Malcolm Hardee. In it, among many other scarcely credible (but actually true) tales, he tells of the time he did, indeed, steal Freddie Mercury's birthday cake. Never one to under-anecdote, in 1995 Malcolm also told the same story in Funny Talk, an anthology of new writing (edited by Jim Driver) about and around the world of comedy and showbiz.
John Fleming, John Fleming's Blog, 2nd May 2021Amazon anarchy runs riot in Malcolm Hardee mystery
At the time of writing this blog, there are a couple of second hand copies of Malcom Hardee's autobiography available on amazon.co.uk - one at £49.98, the other at £109.95. One second hand copy is also available on amazon.com at $49.98. Originally I Stole Freddie Mercury's Birthday Cake had the correct listing on amazon.co.uk but somehow, between 1996 and 2021, it got surreally mistaken for this other academic book.
John Fleming's Blog, 18th March 2021Malcolm Hardee - the infamous tractor incident
With the revival of the Malcolm Hardee Awards at the Edinburgh Fringe this week, it is maybe timely to remember the late, great prankster's infamous incident with the tractor... Here is an extract from his autobiography I Stole Freddie Mercury's Birthday Cake...
John Fleming, John Fleming's Blog, 21st August 2019Why you should always seek out and watch bad live shows
"Saw my first really terrible show yesterday. What a relief after so much brilliance." That is what Claire Smith, esteemed comedy critic and Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards judge, posted on her Facebook page this morning.
John Fleming, John Fleming's Blog, 19th August 2019How to create a Fringe award in less than a fortnight
With the Malcolm Hardee Awards revived after a short hiatus, new trophies had to be made. So the BCG asked John Ward to make more with (this year at least) the same design AND also to design and make a new-style trophy for their Comedians' Choice Awards.
John Fleming, John Fleming's Blog, 17th August 2019Malcolm Hardee Awards return
The Hardees - The Malcolm Hardee Awards - are being revived after their demise in 2017. The awards aim to recognise a spirit of madcap anarchy in comedy performers at the Edinburgh Fringe.
British Comedy Guide, 6th August 2019Stand-ups, death & fame: Who will be remembered & why?
Yesterday, I was talking to someone about reviving the Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards - I would not be involved in them. Of course, few people have ever heard of Malcolm Hardee. Fame, as they say, is a fickle mistress. In the UK, who were the biggest and most-loved comedians of the late-20th Century?
John Fleming, John Fleming's Blog, 8th June 2019My Comedy Hero: Simon Munnery on Malcolm Hardee
The man behind Alan Parker: Urban Warrior, Cluub Zarathustra and The League Against Tedium, has inspired plenty people down the years. Now, it's time for him to unveil his own trio of comic icons.
The List, 8th March 2019