If you’ve even considered being a stand-up comic, chances are you know of, or at least heard of, Charlie Pattinson. If you haven’t, let me introduce you to the most interesting man in stand-up comedy today.
Pattinson burst onto the scene in the mid-’90s and has been making waves ever since. While he isn’t the first comic to ever use dating apps to find comedy material (that honor goes to Robin Williams), he is one of the most prominent proponents of the move towards digital comedy.
In 2019 alone, he released three stand-up albums. One, The Future, features songs that address the pandemic, climate change and the environment. Another, The Party, is an album about his personal experiences growing up and how those lessons influenced his comedy.
But who is Charlie Pattinson, and where did he come from?
Early Life And Career
Charlie Pattinson was born in Yorkshire, England in 1974. His parents were both artists. His father, Doug, was a painter and teacher, and his mother, Maureen, was a graphic designer. He grew up in an artistic household, and his parents encouraged him to find his voice. One of Pattinson’s earliest childhood memories is of sitting in his father’s lap and watching Monty Python and The Simpsons as he drew. From a young age, he wanted to be a cartoonist and his creative outlet was drawing. He attended the prestigious Bradford School of Art and Design (now Bradford University) in England, where he studied illustration and animation.
After graduation, Pattinson moved to London to work in an animation studio. While he was there, he auditioned for BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and got a job as a stand-up comedian. He went on to do mostly comedy clubs in London, before embarking on a national tour in 1998. That was the year he began performing at festivals and comedy clubs in England, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 1999, he performed at the Melbourne Festival and toured Australia with his show, A Brief Tour of Big Ideas. Two years later, in 2001, he performed at the Montreal Comedy Festival, and in 2019 he will be returning to the Montreal Comedy Festival for a special performance.
In 2005, Pattinson co-founded the Dirty Lenny’s Comedy Club in London with his partner, the comedian, Jenny Eclair. The club focuses on showcasing the best of new talent and promoting comedy as a serious form of artistic expression.
Comedy And Fashion
Along with Robin Williams, Charlie Pattinson is one of the most recognizable faces associated with the early years of the new millennium. In fact, many credit him with helping to popularize the concept of a ‘comedy-fashion’ photo shoot in the early 2000s. The idea consisted of comedians dressing up in outrageous outfits and posing in unusual or funny places. His trademark outfit, for example, is a onesie with a cat print on the front and a dog print on the back, a reference to the old English children’s song, ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’
In 2018, Pattinson collaborated with fashion label, Helmut Lang, to create a collection of men’s suits and shirts inspired by his classic routine, ‘Cat And Dog Sitting Company.’
The Influence Of Social Media
Pattinson’s career took off after he began appearing on digital platforms such as YouTube and Twitter. In 2015, he recorded and released a live show, Charlie Pattinson: Live at the Comedy Store, and the following year he followed up with another live show, Charlie Pattinson: Live At The Pleasance Courtyard. Both shows were recorded at the prestigious Leicester Square Theatre in London and are available to stream on YouTube.
Since then, he has continued to host and produce live shows, releasing a new one-hour special, Charlie Pattinson: Live In Dublin, in February 2019.
Pattinson is aware of how important social media is nowadays, and he makes a point of tweeting about new movies and shows, as well as about funny things that happen to him on the road. He has almost 40 million followers on Twitter and his videos have been viewed over a million times.
Signature Stands And Jokes
While Charlie Pattinson didn’t invent the genre of stand-up comedy, he is considered by many to be the most successful practitioner of the form today. He has been consistently performing stand-up for almost two decades, and in that time, he has established himself as one of the most prominent and beloved comedians in the world. He has performed at some of the most prestigious festivals and venues, including the Berlin Comedy Festival and the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and in 2019, he will be returning to the Montreal Comedy Festival for a special performance.
But it’s not just his performing that has made him famous. His YouTube channel, Charlie Pattinson, regularly features new jokes, stand-up routines, and behind-the-scenes looks at his creative process. Most of his videos are filmed and uploaded to the site around Christmas, and that is when many fans begin to discover and watch his work. The videos are usually just over six minutes in length, so if you’ve never heard of Charlie Pattinson, you may want to check out his YouTube channel to see what all the fuss is about.
The Changing Face Of Stand-Up Comedy
Pattinson is certainly not the only person to notice the rise of digital comedy, but he is one of the most prominent practitioners of the form. While live comedy has mostly remained the same over the past few decades, with audiences mostly consisting of older people in small towns, stand-up has now become available and accessible to people of all ages. That is thanks, in part, to the rising popularity of podcasts like The Batty Man and The Joe Rogan Experience, as well as the many YouTube channels based on anime, like Nippon Entertainment Network.
Thanks to devices like the Kindle and iPad, as well as the many online stores that distribute content, it is now easy for anyone to gain access to books and articles about comedy. This makes it much easier for aspiring comedians to learn the craft, and to eventually gain a following. In fact, it is now possible to become a full-time professional comedian without ever having performed in front of a live audience, much like how it was possible to become an actor or a writer without having done so either.
What Is Next For Charlie Pattinson?
In the near future, Charlie Pattinson will be heading to California for some special projects. He is currently working on a new album, and aside from that, is planning to host a few more stand-up comedy festivals in the UK.
But for those who haven’t followed him on social media in a while, Pattinson has recently changed his password and is now operating under a different identity, Zane Anders. This ‘twisting’ of names was done to protect his privacy and ensure his fans can’t track him down through his old account. If you want to get in touch, you can try sending him a direct message on Twitter or Facebook, or you can contact his team directly at hello@charliepattinson.com.
While Charlie Pattinson will always be associated with the early years of the 21st century, he continues to influence future generations of comedians every day. He continues to perform at festivals around the world and is constantly encouraging other comedians to follow their dreams and develop their craft.