Al Murray
An Oxford historian playing the most confidently stupid man in the pub.
1 special · 2002
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He walks out in a maroon jacket, holding a pint glass that will never leave his hand. Everything Al Murray does on stage is filtered through The Pub Landlord, an overconfident character who views the entire world as an affront to British common sense. He prowls the edge of the stage, leaning down to single out audience members. Men get addressed as “sir” or “chief” and are offered an imaginary pint, while women get a patronizing “beautiful” and a glass of white wine. He asks what people do for a living, and whatever the answer is, he has an immediate, entirely wrong dismissal ready to fire back.
Specials
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The World Comedy Tour: Melbourne 2002 with Dom Irrera, Mikey Robins & 13 more
An international lineup of working comics performing tight festival sets.
65 min
On stage
Murray has maintained this single persona for three decades. While the political landscape around him has fractured and rebuilt itself multiple times, the Landlord remains unchanged. He plays massive theaters to audiences that span the political spectrum, pulling off the trick of satirizing populist nationalism while staying beloved by the demographic he is mocking.
The engine of the act is crowd interaction. He uses the front rows as a sounding board, spinning a mumbled comment from an accountant into a sprawling, illogical rant about the collapse of modern society. He builds a worldview where France is always to blame and complex geopolitical issues can be solved by having a proper fry-up. When a routine lands perfectly, he takes a self-satisfied sip of his beer.
Under the belligerent swagger is a man who studied history at Oxford. The Landlord’s rants about global conflicts and British superiority work because the person writing them knows exactly how historically inaccurate they are.
Turning points
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Accidental Creation of The Pub Landlord
At the 1994 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show 'Pub Internationale' with Harry Hill, Murray filled in for a missing compere by adopting the persona of a barman, establishing his career-defining character.
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Perrier Comedy Award Victory
After three consecutive nominations in 1996, 1997, and 1998, Murray won the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his Pub Landlord standup show.
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2000–2002
Transfer to West End and Screen
Murray adapted his standup persona into the Sky One sitcom Time Gentlemen Please and earned an Olivier Award nomination for his West End theatre show My Gaff, My Rules.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Harry HillMurray began his early comedy career working, touring, and developing shows alongside Harry Hill, during whose 1994 Edinburgh Fringe show Murray first created The Pub Landlord.
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Stewart LeeMurray and Lee emerged from the Oxford comedy scene together in the late 1980s and collaborated on experimental London circuit projects like Cluub Zarathustra.
Podcasts
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We Have Ways of Making You Talk · co-host
A Second World War history podcast co-hosted by Al Murray and historian James Holland.
Also on screen
- Harry Hill
- 2007–2008
- Al Murray's Happy Hour
- 2014–2017
- Brian Pern
- Taskmaster
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- Time Gentlemen Please
A clip to start with
Name a country... We have defeated them.