Jamie Demetriou
Sweaty, gangly character comedy rooted in deep masculine panic.
1 special · 2023
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Jamie Demetriou throws his whole body into looking uncomfortable. He plays characters who are entirely out of their depth, trying to bluff their way through social interactions with marble-mouthed bravado and visible flop sweat. Watch him play a best man failing to run a stag do, and the scene turns into a frantic ordeal of clattering limbs. He uses his gangly frame to look like he doesn’t know what to do with his own arms. Just when a bit settles into a tense conversation, he will break into an earnest, weirdly specific 90s R&B slow jam to explain his feelings.
Specials
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A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou
A surreal sketch show tracking the agonizing stages of human life.
Netflix · 53 min
On stage
He holds a distinct spot in British comedy. After his sitcom Stath Lets Flats hit big, he became the guy Hollywood casting directors bring in to make a scene much weirder. He is a center of gravity for the UK sketch scene, throwing himself around a set with a level of physical energy that makes the actors next to him look totally stationary.
His sketches usually build around guys who are failing to be men. He plays fathers and husbands who think they are supposed to act tough but are actively crumbling under the pressure. He pushes an awkward interaction past the point where a normal bit would end, letting the silence stretch out until the other person in the scene just has to stare at him. You never catch him winking at the audience. He stays right there in the panic.
Turning points
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Edinburgh Fringe Acclaim for People Day
His solo multi-character show People Day broke out as a critical hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, earning widespread comparisons to Steve Coogan.
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Triple BAFTA Win for Stath Lets Flats
Demetriou earned three BAFTAs in a single year for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme, Best Writer: Comedy, and Best Scripted Comedy.
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First UK Comedian Netflix Sketch Special
Demetriou released A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou, making history as the first British comedian to launch a Netflix sketch comedy special.
At a glance
Also on screen
- Fleabag
- Paddington 2
- 2018–2021
- Stath Lets Flats
- Miracle Workers
- 2022–2023
- The Afterparty
A clip to start with
Jamie Demetriou as Andy