Maker () is a village between Cawsand and Rame Head, situated on the Rame Peninsula, in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

The name means ''a ruin'' in Cornish, but another Celtic name is Egloshayle, (not to be confused with Egloshayle on the River Camel) which means, ''the church on the estuary'', a very apt description of the church's location.

The village and its neighbour Rame are in the civil parish of Maker with Rame and the parliamentray consituency of South East Cornwall.

History

In their western advance across England, the Anglo-Saxons halted at the Tamar, but in 705, King Geraint of Cornwall gave the promontory on the Cornish side of the mouth of the Tamar to Sherborne Abbey, to keep control of the Tamar mouth in Saxon hands. This was royal land, and remained in Devon until 1844.The Normans installed the Valletorts as tenants of most of the land controlling the Tamar. From them, Maker passed by marriage to the Durnford family and then to the Edgcumbe family.

Parish church

The church of St Julian is a typical 15th century Cornish church. It was a time of rebuilding throughout the country and churches were designed for preaching the word rather than stressing the liturgy. The aisles are the same length as the nave, and there is a massive western tower. The font is Norman, but was originally at St Merryn. The Edgcumbe chapel was added in 1874.

Notable residents

William Hughes (writer), barrister and writer, was born here

References

External links

Category:Villages in Cornwall

pl:Maker

James Whitbourn (born 17 August 1963) is a British composer and conductor.

Name	James Whitbourn
Birth date	August 17, 1963
Birth place	Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
Residence	Kent, England
Nationality	British
Education	University of Oxford
Occupation	Composer Conductor
Website	jameswhitbourn.com }}

Biography

James Whitbourn was born in Kent and educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a choral scholar and gained a degree in Music. His international reputation as a composer for concert hall and screen, developed from his early career as a programme maker at the BBC, during which he produced many award-winning programmes. His close association with the BBC Philharmonic resulted in three large-scale commissions for voices and orchestra. His "Son of God Mass" has had many performances worldwide, especially in the USA and Europe. Television credits include music for the BBC’s coverage of the Queen Mother’s funeral, and major BBC series ''Son of God''. In 2005, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with the Choir of Clare College Cambridge, under Leonard Slatkin, premiered his oratorio ''Annelies'', based on the Diary of Anne Frank, at London's Cadogan Hall to wide critical acclaim. The work was later re-scored in an alternative chamber version which was premiered in The Netherlands on Anne Frank's 80th birthday by the British violinist Daniel Hope and the American soprano Arianna Zukerman. He wrote a number of works for the late British tenor Robert Tear, with whom he also collaborated as librettist, including a festal setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for King's College Cambridge, a cantata for the St Endellion Festival and three Christmas carols. Other major works include the choral work ''Luminosity'', scored for choir, viola, organ, tanpura and percussion and written for the dance ensemble Archedream. Since 2006 his compositions have been performed in several major concerts devoted to his music at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, New Jersey with whom he continues to have a close association. In 2010 the Oxford-based chamber choir Commotio released a disc of his choral music on the Naxos label, ''Luminosity'', which attracted much attention especially in the USA. In 2011, The Williamson Voices released the new Naxos choral disc, ''Living Voices'' with the Saxophonist Jeremy Powell, and Organist Ken Cowan under conductor James Jordan. Among many international awards and achievements, he has earned two Grammy nominations and a Royal Television Society Award.

Career highlights

2000 - winner of Sandford St Martin Premier Award (with poet Michael Symmons Roberts).

2001 - ''A Finer Truth'' – debut album of choral works sung by Clare College Choir Cambridge – released by Et’cetera.

2001 - orchestral score of multi award-winning BBC1 series ''Son of God''.

2002 - ''Living Voices'' premiered in New York concert on the first anniversary of 9/11.

2004 - set prayer by Desmond Tutu for the Commonwealth Observance, Westminster Abbey.

2005 - movements from ''Annelies'' performed at the National Holocaust Commemoration, Palace of Westminster.

2005 - World premiere of ''Annelies'' given in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin.

2007 - U. S. premiere of ''Annelies'' by Westminster Choir College's Williamson Voices under the direction of James Jordan (conductor).

2008 - Premiere of ''Luminosity'' in Philadelphia Cathedral, U.S. with Daniel Stewart (viola), Westminster Williamson Voices and Schola Cantorum and Blair Academy Singers under James Jordan with Archedream Dance Theater.

2009 - The Netherlands premiere of ''Annelies'' in The Hague on the 80th anniversary of Anne Frank's birthday, with Daniel Hope (violin) and Arianna Zukerman (soprano).

2010 - release of Naxos disc ''Luminosity''.

2011 - release of Naxos disc ''Living Voices''.

Key works

''Pika'' (2000; tenor, speaker, orchestra)

''Son of God Mass'' (2000; choir, saxophone, organ)

''The Wounds'' (2001; soprano, speaker, strings)

''Whirlwind'' (2002; tenor, speaker, choir, orchestra)

''Annelies'' (2004; soprano, choir, orchestra) (2006; soprano, choir, violin, cello, piano and clarinet)

''Missa Carolae'' (2004); choir, organ, piccolo, brass ensemble and percussion)

''Luminosity'' (2007; Choirs, viola, tam-tam, organ, tanpura)

References

External links

James Whitbourn official site

James Whitbourn's homepage at G Schirmer Inc

James Whitbourn's homepage at Chester Music

Encore publications home page

Rider University composer podcast

WWFM composer webcast

Category:Living people Category:English composers Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Category:1963 births Category:People from Kent Category:People educated at The Skinners' School

name	Shaun Micallef
birth name	Shaun Patrick Micallef
birth date	July 18, 1962
birth place	Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
medium	Television, radio, books, internet
nationality	Australian
active	1987-present
genre	Sketch comedy, surrealism, dadaism
subject	Humour
influences	The Goons, Peter Sellers, Marx Brothers, S. J. Perelman, James Thurber, Spike Milligan, Barry Humphries, Frank Muir, Monty Python, Woody Allen
influenced	Sammy J
spouse	Leandra (1988-present) 3 children
notable work	''The Micallef P(r)ogram(me)''''Welcher & Welcher''''Micallef Tonight''''Newstopia''''Thank God You're Here'' (2006-2007)''Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation''
footnotes	}}

Shaun Patrick Micallef (born 18 July 1962) is an Australian actor, comedian and writer. After ten years of working in insurance law as a solicitor in Adelaide, Micallef moved to Melbourne to pursue a full-time comedy career in 1993. He first gained recognition as a cast member of the sketch comedy show ''Full Frontal'', which in turn led to a number of television roles including his own sketch show, ''The Micallef P(r)ogram(me)'', the sitcom ''Welcher & Welcher'' and the variety show ''Micallef Tonight''. He also fronted the satirical news comedy series ''Newstopia'' on SBS and currently hosts the game show ''Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation'' on Network Ten.

In addition to his television work Micallef has appeared on stage, most notably in the Australian production of Boeing Boeing, and radio as the co-host of Melbourne station Vega 91.5 FM's morning program. He is also a published author; his book ''Smithereens'' was released in 2004, and re-released in January 2011. His other book, a novella by the name of ''Preincarnate'', was released in 2010.

Personal life

Micallef was born in Adelaide, South Australia and is of Maltese and Irish descent. His father worked for a company that sold parts for Volvos and his mother was employed at the Adelaide Bank. As a child he lived in Clovelly Park and attended St Bernadette's School in St. Marys then St Joseph’s Catholic School in Mitchell Park (now Sacred Heart College Middle School) before moving on to Sacred Heart Senior College where he was the College Captain. He studied law at the University of Adelaide, where he was frequently involved in comedy revues, often involving Francis Greenslade and Gary McCaffrie, with whom he continues to work. He was a practising solicitor for ten years in the field of insurance law before making the decision to move to Melbourne and pursue a full-time career in comedy in 1993. He currently lives in Williamstown, Victoria with his wife Leandra (whom he married in 1988) and their three sons. He relates the story that while working as a solicitor, he talked so much about making a career change and becoming a comedian that his wife gave him an ultimatum. She circled a date in the near future on a calendar and told Shaun to quit his job and become a comedian by that date, or never talk about it again.

Career

Early theatre

In 1972, having three younger sisters taking ballet classes, ten year old Micallef was often asked to help out when a dance routine required a boy. The following year he auditioned for the Bunyip Children's Theatre and over the next four years participated in plays that they performed in the Scott Theatre during school holidays. In 1976 he doubled for Humphrey B. Bear for personal appearances.

Television and film

Following early TV appearances on ''Theatre Sports'' (1987) and ''The Big Gig'' (1989), in early 1993 Micallef was offered a job writing for the ''Jimeoin'' show which was soon followed by an offer to also write for the sketch comedy show ''Full Frontal'' where six months later he took on the role as co-producer with Gary McCaffrie. In 1994, Micallef became a full time cast member of ''Full Frontal'', where he became well known for characters such as Milo Kerrigan, Nobby Doldrums and a send-up of Italian male model Fabio. Micallef recalls that the show was a good introduction to television comedy because, with an ensemble cast, its success did not hinge on his performance and he had more freedom to make and learn from mistakes. However, he was frustrated with the lack of control he had over his work in the series as well as the repetition of characters and gags.

Micallef's role on ''Full Frontal'' led to a 1996 special ''Shaun Micallef's World Around Him'' and three seasons of the two-time Logie Award-winning ABC series ''The Micallef Program'' (1998–2001), which he co-wrote and produced with long-time writing partner Gary McCaffrie. Since the series' end he has created and starred in two short-lived television series—the sitcom ''Welcher & Welcher'' (2003) and the variety show ''Micallef Tonight'' (2003)—and devised a series of telemovies, ''BlackJack'' (2003–present).

He has also had acting roles on the television series ''SeaChange'' (2000), ''Through My Eyes'' (2004) and "Offspring" (2010), and supporting roles in the films ''Bad Eggs'' (2003), ''The Honourable Wally Norman'' (2003), ''The Extra'' (2005), ''Aquamarine'' (2006), and The King (2007). In 2006, Micallef was a recurring guest on the Network Ten Improvisational theatre show ''Thank God You're Here''.

In 2007, along with partners McCaffrie and Michael Ward, Micallef developed the satirical comedy program ''Newstopia'', which he hosted. The show began airing 10 October 2007 on SBS, and in August 2008 it was announced that a third series had been commissioned. In 2009, Micallef joined the Ten Network and hosted "Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation", which has been a hit on Australian television screens.

Other work

In September 2005, Micallef began hosting the breakfast show on Melbourne radio station Vega 91.5 FM, ''Shaun, Beverley and Denise'', with comedian Denise Scott and television presenter Beverley O'Connor. In July 2006, comedian Dave O'Neil took over as host and the show was renamed ''Dave and Denise with Shaun Micallef''. Micallef left the network on 23 November 2007.

He has also released a book, ''Smithereens'', which was published in 2004 and contains a collection of prose, poetry and plays. Micallef describes it as a collection of "all sorts of bits and pieces I have written".

Mainstream popularity

With Micallef's 2009 move to the Ten Network's Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, a sudden and unprecedented rise in his popularity within the Australian mainstream has been observed. His contract with the program marks his first long-term position in a commercial network and has raised his profile in commercial television. The extent of this has been demonstrated with celebrity appearances on Rove McManus' ''Rove'' and ''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'', and on ''9am with David & Kim''. In 2010, he was voted most popular presenter at the Annual Logie Awards.

List of works

Films

''The King'' (2007) - Colin Bednall

''Aquamarine'' (2006) - Storm Banks

''The Extra'' (2005) - Paul Ridley

''Bad Eggs'' (2003) - Premier Cray

''The Honourable Wally Norman'' (2003) - Ken Oats

''The 13th House'' (2003) - Sir

''Silly Billy Don't Touch That!'' (Unknown)

Television

''Shaun Micallef is Mad as Hell'' (upcoming 2012) - Host

''Mollusks'' (2011) - Easty (voice)

''The Bazura Project's Guide To Sinema'' (2011) - MK-Ultra (voice)

''Laid'' (2011–present) - G-Bomb

''A Quiet Word With ...'' (2011) - Himself (guest)

''Offspring'' (2010) - Lachlan

''Shaun Micallef's New Year's Rave'' - Host

''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?''

''Chaser's War on Everything'' (2009) - Himself (guest in the Rudd song sketch)

''Rove'' (2009) - Himself (guest)

''Melbourne International Comedy Festival'' (2009) - Host

''Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation'' (2009–present) - Host

''Good News Week'' (2009) - Himself (Guest)

''Spicks and Specks'' (2008) - Himself (guest)

''Newstopia'' (2007–2008) - Himself

''Dogstar'' (2007) - Narrator

''Thank God You're Here'' (2006–2007) - Various (semi-regular guest)

''The Shambles'' (2006) - (guest cameo)

''Through My Eyes'' (2005) - Jack Winneke

''BlackJack'' (2003–2007) (writer)

''Micallef Tonight'' (2003) - Himself (also writer)

''Welcher & Welcher'' (2003) - Quentin Welcher (also writer/producer)

''SeaChange'' (2000) - Warwick Munro

''The Micallef Program'' (1998–2001) - Various (also writer/producer)

''Shaun Micallef's World Around Him'' (1996) - Various (also writer/producer)

''The Glynn Nicholas Show'' (1996) (writer)

''Full Frontal'' (1994–1997) - Various (also writer/producer)

''Jimeoin'' (1994) - Various (also writer)

''The Big Gig'' (1989) (writer)

Theatre

''Boeing Boeing'' (2008) - Bernard

''Good Evening - Sketches from Dudley Moore and Peter Cook'' (2010)

Radio shows

''Dave and Denise with Shaun Micallef'' on Vega 91.5 FM (2005–2007)

''Hamish & Andy'' on Fox FM (a guest twice)

''Pete and Myf'' (with ''Newstopia'' writer Richard Marsland on Triple M (guest two times)

''Get This'' appeared on the final show in the first hour

Books

''Preincarnate'' (2010)

''Smithereens'' (2004)

Music

''His Generation'' (2009)

Awards

2008: Won Aria Award Best Comedy Release - ''The Expurgated Micallef Tonight: The Very Best of Shaun Micallef's Short-Lived but Brilliant Tonight Show''

2010: Won Most Popular Presenter and nominated for the Gold Logie at the Logie Awards for his role on Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.

References

External links

Unofficial Shaun Micallef Fansite

Unofficial Shaun Micallef Fansite

Category:1962 births Category:Australian comedians Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian lawyers Category:Australian television presenters Category:Living people Category:Australian people of Maltese descent Category:People from Adelaide Category:Comedians from Melbourne Category:University of Adelaide alumni Category:ARIA Award winners Category:Australian culture Category:People from Williamstown, Victoria Category:Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation Category:Australian people of Irish descent

ga:Shaun Micallef

name	Eddie Izzard
birth name	Edward John Izzard
birth date	February 07, 1962
birth place	Colony of Aden, Aden Protectorate (now Aden, Yemen)
medium	Stand up, Television, Film
nationality	British
active	1982–present
genre	Surreal humour, Improvisational comedy, Observational comedy.
subject	History, Celebrities, Religion, Culture, Sex
influences	Monty Python, Billy Connolly, Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks, Steve Martin, Spike Milligan, Jerry Sadowitz.
influenced	Hal Sparks, Harry Hill, Rhod Gilbert
notable work	''Live at the Ambassadors'' ''Definite Article'' ''Dress to Kill'' ''Glorious'' ''Circle'' ''Lenny Bruce'' in ''Lenny'' ''Wayne Malloy/Doug Rich'' in ''The Riches'' ''Roman Nagel'' in ''Ocean's Thirteen'' ''Erich Fellgiebel'' in ''Valkyrie'' ''Mr. Kite'' in ''Across the Universe''
website	eddieizzard.com

}} Edward John "Eddie" Izzard (born 7 February 1962) is an English stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime. He had a starring role in the television series ''The Riches'' as Wayne Malloy and has appeared in many motion pictures such as ''Ocean's Twelve'', ''Ocean's Thirteen'', ''Mystery Men'', ''Shadow of the Vampire'', ''The Cat's Meow'', ''Across the Universe'', ''The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'' and ''Valkyrie''. He is also the voice of Nigel in the 2006 animated film ''The Wild'' and Miles Axlerod in the 2011 Disney/Pixar animated film ''Cars 2''.

He has cited his main comedy role model as Monty Python, and John Cleese once referred to him as the "Lost Python". In 2009, he completed 43 marathons in 51 days for Sport Relief in spite of having no prior history of long distance running. He is also known for his transvestism. He has won numerous awards including a Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for his comedy special Dress to Kill, in 2000. Izzard's web site won the Yahoo People's Choice Award and earned the Webby Award.

Early life

Izzard was born in Aden, Yemen, then the Colony of Aden in the Aden Protectorate. He was the younger son of British parents Dorothy Ella, a midwife and nurse, and Harold John Izzard, an accountant who was working in Aden with British Petroleum. A year after his birth, the family moved to Bangor in Northern Ireland and lived there until he was five. The family then moved to Skewen in south west Wales (near Swansea) where his mother died of cancer when Izzard was six and his brother Mark was eight. Following his mother's death, Izzard attended boarding schools: St John's School in Porthcawl, St. Bede's Preparatory School, Eastbourne, and Eastbourne College.

Career

Early career

Izzard began to toy with comedy at the University of Sheffield with partner and student friend Rob Ballard. After leaving his accountancy degree course, he and Ballard took their act to the streets, often in Covent Garden. After his split with Ballard, Izzard spent a great deal of the early 1980s working as a street performer in Europe and the United States. He then moved his act into the stand-up comedy venues of Britain. His first gig was at the Banana Cabaret in Balham, London. In 1987, he made his first stage appearance at The Comedy Store, London. In 1989, he met actress Sarah Townsend who was running a Fringe venue at the Edinburgh Festival. He refined his material throughout the 1980s, and in the early 1990s he finally began earning some measure of recognition through his improvisation, in part at his own club "Raging Bull" in Soho.

Success as a comedian

In 1991, Izzard got a spot on the Fry and Laurie produced AIDS benefit ''Hysteria 3,'' where he did his "Wolves" sketch, which broke him into the mainstream comedy circuit and television. His resultant stand-up work brought him British Comedy Awards in 1993 (for ''Live at the Ambassadors''), a part in "Filth" which was a stand up presentation by left-wing sympathetic comedians in aid of raising money for the Terrence Higgins Trust in 1994, and 1996 (for ''Definite Article'').

In 1996, he got a part in his first United States-produced film, ''The Secret Agent,'' where he met and befriended Robin Williams. Williams already knew of Izzard's act, and discussed bringing his act to the United States. As a result, Izzard took ''Definite Article'' on a successful stint in New York City in the same year, and as a support act to Williams took ''Dress to Kill'' to San Francisco in 1998 (the footage from which forms the performance on the ''Dress To Kill'' DVD). His US breakthrough came in 1999, when ''Dress to Kill'' was shown on the American television channel HBO, about a year or so after he performed the show on tour in the US, UK and France. Suddenly, America was aware of Izzard, and the show went on to earn him two Emmy Awards in 2000 (for performance and writing).

In 1999, after complaints that his act recycled jokes appearing on his DVDs, the BBC's consumer programme ''Watchdog'' investigated Izzard's live act. Izzard explained that like most comedy performers, he used some of his most successful routines in each show. Nonetheless, Izzard was issued a warning by the Department of Trade and Industry. Much of the problem was caused by the recording and selling of the American leg of his tour on DVD in the UK for the Christmas market before the UK leg of the tour took place. Izzard was greatly upset by early reactions to his UK shows, and the investigation, as he was initially unaware of the show's core material having already been seen. He commented on this debacle in later performances and furiously started to write new tangential material hoping to satisfy audiences. This also lead to DVD releases of first the US tour show and later the altered UK version with new and evolved material. Since then, Izzard has rarely performed his stand-up act on television, saying that it uses up material at too high a rate, whereas stage material can be continually re-used in front of different audiences for several months.

In 2005, Izzard used his rambling style to provide the voice-over for the British government's television advertisements promoting recycling. The tagline of the ads was "Recycle. The possibilities are endless!" Izzard also performed on stage with Scottish musician Midge Ure at Live8 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He played the piano on the song "Vienna".

In January 2006, the US television network FX announced the production of a new drama series called ''The Riches'' (formerly ''Low Life''). Izzard and British actress Minnie Driver star as a married couple, Wayne and Dahlia Malloy, who have been part of a caravan of con-artist Irish travellers swindling their way across the US with their children. After finding another family killed in a car accident, the Malloys assume their identities and start a new life as law-abiding suburbanites in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The youngest son has shown a preference for wearing girls' clothing, leading to some speculation that the role was based upon Izzard's experiences. Izzard has stated in several interviews that the character of Sam had been given transvestite tendencies long before he was cast as Wayne Malloy, but he has contributed his perspective to keep the character believable.

Theatrical, TV and film appearances

In 1994, Izzard made his West End drama debut as the lead in the world premiere of David Mamet's ''The Cryptogram'' with Lindsay Duncan, in the production at London's Comedy Theatre. The success of that role led to his second starring role in David Beaird's black comedy ''900 Oneonta''. In 1995, he portrayed the title character in Christopher Marlowe's ''Edward II''.

In 1998 Izzard appeared briefly on stage with the Monty Python team in ''The American Film Institute's Tribute to Monty Python'' (also referred to as ''Monty Python Live at Aspen''). He walked on stage with the five surviving Pythons and he was summarily escorted off by Eric Idle and Michael Palin as he attempted to participate in a discussion about how the group got together.

Izzard portrayed comedian Lenny Bruce in the 1999 production of Julian Barry's 1971 play ''Lenny''. In 2001, he replaced Clive Owen in Peter Nichols' 1967 play ''A Day in the Death of Joe Egg'' at the Comedy Theatre. Izzard and Victoria Hamilton then repeated their lead roles when the show was brought to Broadway in 2003, with The Roundabout Theatre Company production. The revival received four Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Play, Best Leading Actor and Actress for its stars Izzard and Hamilton in their Broadway debuts, and Best Direction for Laurence Boswell. In June 2010, Izzard replaced James Spader in the role of Jack Lawson in David Mamet's play ''Race'' on Broadway.

Izzard has appeared in numerous films, starting with 1996's ''The Secret Agent''. He has appeared as several real-life individuals, including Charlie Chaplin in ''The Cat's Meow'', actor Gustav von Wangenheim in ''Shadow of the Vampire'' and General Erich Fellgiebel in ''Valkyrie''. Other roles have included Mr. Kite in ''Across the Universe'', Lussurioso in ''Revengers Tragedy'' and criminal expert Roman Nagel in ''Ocean's Twelve'' and ''Ocean's Thirteen''. Voice work has included the titular It in ''Five Children and It'', Nigel in ''The Wild'' and the mouse warrior Reepicheep in ''The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.'' He said in 2009 that he would not be reprising his role as Reepicheep and the role was ultimately played by Simon Pegg in ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader''. He also had a brief appearance in James Cameron's oscar winning film, Titanic. He appeared as a cabin boy on the ship.

Izzard appeared in the BBC science fiction miniseries ''The Day of the Triffids'' based on the 1951 novel, alongside Jason Priestley, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Dougray Scott and Brian Cox. He played Dr. Hatteras, a sceptical psychology professor, in the Showtime series ''United States of Tara''.

In December 2011, he appeared in the British drama ''Lost Christmas'' as Anthony. The film was written by David Logan and John Hay. In January 2012, he appeared as Long John Silver in Sky1's adaptation of ''Treasure Island'' alongside Elijah Wood and Philip Glenister among others.

Comic style

Izzard's style is heavily influenced by Monty Python, or rather Spike Milligan, especially in his use of a stream-of-consciousness delivery that jumps between topics as he free associates on stage. He does not generally work from a script, owing to his dyslexia. Instead, he interrupts himself with new joke ideas, the characters he portrays turn into other characters, and he nonchalantly leaps from topic to topic. This often results in brief pauses in the routine which he fills with 'so, yeah', and other verbal tics that have become his trademarks. Thinking aloud is also part of Izzard's ongoing attempt to make the process of writing the show itself part of the humour. As he put it in a 2004 interview with ''The Guardian'', "It's the oral tradition. Human beings have been doing it for thousands of years". He frequently notes the reaction to a joke midstream by pretending to write on his hand ("Should be funnier"; "Lost them there"; "They didn't believe me"; "They didn't follow, never do that again"; "Never link those two [references] together ever again.") He asks the audience questions and verbally engages with hecklers.

Among Izzard's comic talents are mimicry and mime. He portrays God as an authority figure using the voice of James Mason and casts Sean Connery as Noah; these impersonations appear in many of his performances. Izzard also imitates activities such as sawing wood, vacuum cleaning, and mowing the lawn, anthropomorphising the machines with accents and personalities. Successful impressions, such as his Scottish clarinet teacher, Mrs. Badcrumble, become running gags which recur in different shows. He tackles topics both contemporary and historic, including frequent re-imaginings of historical events which result in scenes like 'Cake or Death: Church of England runs the Inquisition', or 'Jesus Ministers to the Dinosaurs'.

When asked about his comedy style by George Stroumboulopoulos, host of CBC Television's talk show, ''The Hour'', Izzard described his use of history by saying,

"I just talk complete bullshit. The history, the politics, I noticed that no one was using history, so there's a lot of history lying about the place, and it's all free, and it's on Wikipedia! You know, I use Wikipedia like a crazy idiot, now. Then I take all this stuff, and I regurgitate it into a weird angle".

In 2008, in his ''Stripped'' tour, Izzard began using Wikipedia itself as part of his stand-up act, reading from a live copy of an article and mocking Wikipedia's self-referential editorial style.

Traditionally, Izzard has focused on the creative possibilities of thinking through absurd situations in real time. He also turns much of the attention on himself and his personality, including his cross-dressing ("It is my manifest destiny to wear a dress on all seven continents"). Contemporary popular culture (Harry Potter, ''Star Wars'', etc.) is also a frequent subject, brought up both to critique its weaknesses and to enhance his anecdotes.

His bent towards the surreal even went so far as to produce a sitcom called ''Cows'' in 1997 for Channel 4, a live action comedy with actors dressed in cowsuits.

Transvestism

Izzard started to freely talk about his transvestism in venues like Edinburgh Festival as early as 1992. In his show, ''Dress to Kill'', Izzard describes himself as an "executive", "action" and "professional" transvestite, as "a male tomboy" rather than a drag queen or a "weirdo" transvestite (he cites J. Edgar Hoover and Hermann Göring as examples of the latter). He regularly cross-dresses both on and off stage and makes it clear that cross-dressing is, for him, neither a part of his performance nor a sexual fetish. He remarks in his show ''Unrepeatable'', "Women wear what they want and so do I". According to Izzard, "Most transvestites fancy women". He dismisses claims that he is a male homosexual, saying he is "a straight transvestite or a male lesbian". He has also described himself as "a lesbian trapped in a man's body", transgender, and "a complete boy plus half a girl".

Activism

Izzard has engaged in campaigning work. He is especially well known as a pro-European Union campaigner supporting the further integration of the UK into the EU. In May 2005, he appeared on the BBC's political debate show ''Question Time'', describing himself as a 'British-European', comparing this with other cultural identities such as 'African-American'. As part of his integration campaigning, he was one of the first people to spend a euro in London. This pan-European approach has influenced his work: he regularly performs in French, in which he is fluent, and occasionally in German, in addition to English. In July 2003, Izzard received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England for "pro-Europe campaigning", "his contribution to promoting modern languages and tolerance of other cultures and lifestyles" and for having "transcended national barriers" with his humour.

He has also campaigned unsuccessfully against the closure of the departments of Drama and Languages, Linguistics and Translation at the University of East Anglia, although the department of Drama was later reprieved. In 1998, Izzard was named in a list of the biggest private financial donors to the Labour Party. He appeared in a party political broadcast for the Labour Party in the run up to the 2005 general election. He donated nearly £10,000 to the party in 2008, appeared again in a party political broadcast for the 2009 European election and again in a 2010 election video entitled 'Brilliant Britain'. Izzard appeared in literature to support changing the British electoral system from first-past-the-post to alternative vote for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the Alternative Vote referendum in 2011. In 2011, Eddie Izzard revealed that he had political ambitions and wanted to become an MP, Mayor or MEP by 2020.

On 20 July 2006, he received an honorary doctorate in Letters from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Sheffield, where he spent one year on an Accounting and Financial Management course in the early 80s. During his time at the University he established the now-defunct Alternative Productions Society in the Union of Students with the aim of promoting fringe-based arts. On 4 March 2010, he was elected as the Honorary President of the University of Sheffield Students' Union.

On 7 July 2007, Izzard was one of the presenters from the London leg of Live Earth. During an interview for the 2008 Stripped tour, Izzard spoke about becoming more active in European politics as well as running for political office in Europe within the next decade. Izzard added a stop in New Orleans during his 2008 ''Stripped'' tour. All proceeds from the performance of 23 June 2008 were donated to Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans.

Marathons

On 27 July 2009, with only 5 weeks' training and no significant prior history of running, Izzard began seven weeks of back-to-back marathon runs (with Sundays off) across the UK to raise money for Sport Relief. He ran from London to Cardiff, to Belfast, to Edinburgh, and back to London carrying flags of England, Scotland or Wales depending on which country he was in, and carried a self-designed green flag bearing a white dove when in Northern Ireland. The blog Eddie Iz Running was a document of his road running marathon, in which he ran 43 marathons in 51 days. He completed the run on 15 September 2009, after having run at least 27 miles each day, 6 days a week for 7 weeks straight, covering more than 1,100 miles across the UK. Izzard received a special award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009 for his achievements.

Izzard ran his final marathon in five hours and 30 seconds, narrowly outside his projected time. However, had he not stopped and waited 20 minutes for his film crew to catch up with him he could have finished well under his target time. In March 2010, Izzard took part in the Sport Relief Mile event.

Following the completion of the marathon runs, Izzard has started training to take part in an Ironman Triathlon, saying he has become fascinated with fitness "because there's no point in throwing away all that training".

Personal life

During his ''Stripped'' tour, Izzard said he realised he was an atheist. "I was warming the material up in New York, where one night, literally on stage, I realised I didn’t believe in God at all. I just didn’t think there was anyone upstairs."

He keeps his romantic life private, saying one of the reasons is due to the wishes of his companions not wanting to become content for his show. Izzard dated Sarah Townsend, the director of the documentary ''Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story'', whom he first met while she was running a Fringe venue at the Edinburgh Festival in 1989.

Izzard speaks French and has performed stand up in French during his shows. He also speaks German and used it in the 2001 film ''All the Queen's Men''.

He supports Crystal Palace FC.

Izzard is an outspoken supporter of the Labour Party, and in September 2011 declared his ambition to stand for the party in the future as an MP, MEP or as Mayor of London.

Critical reception

On 18 March 2007, Izzard was listed as number 3 of the 100 Greatest British National Comedians (just behind Peter Kay at number 2 and Billy Connolly at number 1) as part of British television station Channel 4's ongoing ''100 Greatest...'', series. However in the 2010 updated version of the list he was ranked 5th In a 2005 poll to find ''The Comedian's Comedian'', Izzard was voted amongst the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. He was number 75 in Comedy Central's ''100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time''.

During the 1999 television special ''It's... the Monty Python Story'', which Izzard hosted, John Cleese said Izzard was the "Lost Python"; Izzard furthered that idea via his substitution for Graham Chapman in public performance of Python material with the rest of the original members of the troupe. He also made a cameo appearance in the Python reunion interview ''Monty Python Live At Aspen''.

In 2008, Izzard received the James Joyce Award of the Literary and Historical Society of UCD, Dublin, Ireland. In March 2010, Sheffield Students' Union of the University of Sheffield overwhelmingly elected him their honorary President.

Discography and appearances

Stand-up

''Live at the Ambassadors'' (15 November 1993)

''Unrepeatable'' (1994)

''Definite Article'' (21 October 1996)

''Glorious'' (17 November 1997)

''Dress to Kill'' (9 November 1998)

''Circle'' (18 November 2002)

''Sexie'' (26 November 2003)

''Stripped'' (23 November 2009)

''Force Majeure'' (2013)

Stage

''900 Oneonta'' (1994)

''The Cryptogram'' (1994)

''Edward II'' (1995)

''Lenny'' (1999)

''A Day in the Death of Joe Egg'' (2001–2002, 2003)

''Trumbo'' (2003)

''Race'' (2010)

Filmography

''The Oncoming Storm'' (1995) as Luthor Keeton

''The Secret Agent'' (1996) as Vladimir

''Velvet Goldmine'' (1998) as Jerry Devine

''The Avengers'' (1998) as Bailey

''Mystery Men'' (1999) as Tony P

''The Criminal'' (1999) as Peter Hume

''Circus'' (2000) as Troy

''Shadow of the Vampire'' (2000) as Gustav von Wangenheim

''The Cat's Meow'' (2001) as Charlie Chaplin

''All the Queen's Men'' (2001) as Tony Parker

''Revengers Tragedy'' (2002) as Lussurioso

''Alien Invasion'' (2003) as Brik

''Blueberry'' aka ''Renegade'' (2004) as Prosit

''Around the World in 80 Days'' (2004)

''Five Children and It'' (2004) as It (voice)

''Romance & Cigarettes'' (2004) as Gene Vincent

''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004) as Roman Nagel

''The Aristocrats'' (2005) as Himself

''The Wild'' (2006) as Nigel (voice)

''My Super Ex-Girlfriend'' (2006) as Professor Bedlam

''Ocean's Thirteen'' (2007) as Roman Nagel

''Across the Universe'' (2007) as Mr. Kite

''The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'' (2008) as Reepicheep (voice)

''Igor'' (2008) as Dr. Schadenfreude (voice)

''Valkyrie'' (2008) as Erich Fellgiebel

''Rage'' (2009) as Tiny Diamonds

''The Other Side'' (2009) as Dean Bellamy

''Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story'' (2009) as Himself

''Every Day'' (2010) as Garrett

''Cars 2'' (2011) as Miles Axelrod

''Lost Christmas'' (2011) as Anthony

TV appearances

''Barf Bites Back'' (Amnesty International Gala) (1991) – ITV

''Open Fire'' (1994)

''Have I Got News for You'' (1994, 1995 and 1996) – BBC Two

''Aristophanes: The Gods are Laughing'' (1995)

''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' (1995)

''Tales from the Crypt'' (1996) – HBO

''Clive Anderson Talks Back'' (1996)

''Inspector Derrick'' (1997)

''Channel Izzard'' (1997)

''The Roseanne Show'' (1998)

''Rex the Runt'' (1998) – BBC

''Shooting Stars'' (1998) – BBC

''Parkinson'' (3 times)

''Dennis Miller Live'' (1999) – HBO

''Python Night – 30 Years of Monty Python'' (1999) – BBC

''Good News Week'' (2000) – Network 10

''Mongrel Nation'' (2002) – Discovery Channel

''The Caroline Rhea Show'' (2002)

''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' (2002, 2004 and 2007)

''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' (2009)

''40'' (2003) – Channel 4

''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (2003, 2008) NBC

''QI'' (Unaired pilot- 2002 or 2003, and 2010)

''Top Gear'' (2004) – BBC Two

''Last Call with Carson Daly'' (2005)

''The Sharon Osbourne Show'' (2006)

''Late Show with David Letterman'' (6 times)

''Late Late show with Craig Kilborn'' (4 times)

''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)

''The Henry Rollins Show'' (2006)

''The Paul O'Grady Show'' (2009)

''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' (2006)

''Kitchen'' (2007) – five

''Comedy Cuts'' (interview) (2007)

''The Hour'' (2007)

''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' (2007 and 2009)

''The Daily Show'' (2000, 2003 and 2007)

''The Riches'' (2007–2008)

''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' (2008)

''The Graham Norton Show'' (2008 and 2011)

''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' (2009)

''Kevin Pollak's Chat Show'' (2009)

''BBC Sports Personality of the Year'' (2009 award winner)

''The Day of the Triffids'' (2009)

''Marathon Man'' (2010)

''The Simpsons'' episode ''To Surveil with Love'' (2010)

''Chelsea Lately'' (2010)

''United States of Tara'' (2011)

''Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' (2011)

''The Green Room with Paul Provenza'' (2011)

''The Good Wife'' (2011) Season 3 - Episode 2, James Thrush

''The Big Fat Quiz of the Year'' (2011)

''Treasure Island'' (2012) as Long John Silver

''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' (2012)

Video game

''102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue'' – Sgt. Tibbs the Cat (voice)

See also

Cross-dressing in film and television

References

External links

Official web site

BBC America – Eddie Izzard

Interview with Izzard – ''The Observer'', 3 October 2004

''It's stupid and I love it – the Goon Show and me'' – ''The Guardian'', 14 February 2005.

Izzard interviewed by Bono – ''The Independent'', 16 May 2006

Venus Zine Staff Picks: Eddie Izzard, Dress to Kill

Eddie Izzard Category:1962 births Category:English male comedians Category:Cross-dressers Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:English atheists Category:English buskers Category:English comedians Category:English film actors Category:English stand-up comedians Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Living people Category:People educated at Eastbourne College Category:People educated at Oakleigh House School Category:People from Aden Category:People educated at St Bede's School, Hailsham

ar:إدي آيزارد de:Eddie Izzard es:Eddie Izzard fa:ادی ایزارد fr:Eddie Izzard ga:Eddie Izzard gv:Eddie Izzard io:Eddie Izzard id:Eddie Izzard it:Eddie Izzard he:אדי איזרד hu:Eddie Izzard nl:Eddie Izzard ja:エディー・イザード no:Eddie Izzard nn:Eddie Izzard pl:Eddie Izzard ru:Иззард, Эдди simple:Eddie Izzard fi:Eddie Izzard sv:Eddie Izzard tr:Eddie Izzard

Name	James May
Birth name	James Daniel May
Birth date	January 16, 1963
Birth place	Bristol, England
Residence	Hammersmith, West London, England
Nationality	British
Other names	''Captain Slow''
Known for	Presenting:
Education
Years active	–
Alma mater	Pendle College, Lancaster University
Employer	BBC, ''The Daily Telegraph'',
Occupation	Broadcaster, journalist, author, pianist, media personality
Home town	Bristol, England
Height
Partner	Sarah Frater (–present)
Website	http://www.topgear.com/uk/james-may }}

James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring program ''Top Gear'' alongside Jeremy Clarkson , Richard Hammond and The Stig.

On ''Top Gear'', May has the nickname "Captain Slow" for his careful driving style, a love of small underpowered cars and habit of getting lost and distracted while driving. However, in a July 2010 episode of Top Gear he drove a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, reaching a speed of . After his attempt the Bugatti test driver Pierre-Henri Raphanel took the car to 430 kilometers per hour (267.5 mph).

May has presented a variety of other programs on themes including science and technology, toys, cars, wine culture, and the plight of manliness in modern times. In addition he has released a variety of DVDs and books with similar themes, and wrote a weekly column for ''The Daily Telegraph's'' motoring section.

Early life

James May was born in Bristol, one of four children; he has two sisters and a brother. May attended Caerleon Endowed Junior School in Newport, Monmouthshire. He spent his teenage years in South Yorkshire where he attended Oakwood Comprehensive School in Rotherham and was a choirboy at Whiston Parish Church. He was also at school with ''Life On Mars'' and ''Ashes to Ashes'' star Dean Andrews. A keen flautist and pianist, he later studied music at Pendle College, Lancaster University. After graduating, May briefly worked at a hospital in Chelsea as a records officer, and had a short stint in Her Majesty's Civil Service.

Personal life

May lives in Hammersmith, London with dance critic Sarah Frater, whom he has dated since 2000.

May has owned a number of cars: Bentley T2, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Triumph 2000, Rover P6, Alfa Romeo 164, 1971 Rolls-Royce Corniche, Jaguar XJS, Range Rover, Fiat Panda, Datsun 120Y, Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1, Ferrari F430, 1984 Porsche 911, 2005 Porsche Boxster S (which he claims is the first car he has ever purchased new), Mini Cooper, Citroën Ami, Mazda MX-5 and several classic motorcycles including a Yamaha XJR1300, Moto Guzzi V11 Sport, a Triumph Daytona 675R and a 1978 Guzzi California. He has a penchant for prestige cars like Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, simple and basic cars such as the Fiat Panda, and motorcycles. He often uses a Brompton folding bicycle for commuting. He passed his driving test on his second attempt and justified this by saying "All the best people pass the second time".

May obtained a light aircraft pilot's licence in October 2006 having trained at White Waltham Airfield. He has owned a Luscombe 8A 'Silvaire' and an American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon.

May received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Lancaster University on 15 July 2010.

Journalism

During the early 1980s, May worked as a sub-editor for ''The Engineer'' and later ''Autocar'' magazine, from which he was dismissed. He has since written for several publications, including a regular column called ''England Made Me'' in ''Car Magazine'', articles for ''Top Gear'' magazine, and a weekly column in ''The Daily Telegraph''.

He has written a book titled ''May On Motors'', which is a collection of his published articles, and co-authored ''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure'', based on the TV series of the same name.

He has also written the afterword to ''Long Lane with Turnings'', published in September 2006, the final book by motoring writer L. J. K. Setright. In the same month he co-presented a tribute to Raymond Baxter. His book, ''Notes From The Hard Shoulder'', was published on 26 April 2007. ''James May's 20th Century'', a book to accompany the television series of the same name, was published on 6 September 2007.

Dismissal from ''Autocar''

In an interview with Richard Allinson on BBC Radio 2, May confessed that he was fired in 1992 from ''Autocar'' magazine after putting together a hidden message or acrostic in one issue. At the end of the year, the magazine's "Road Test Year Book" supplement was published. Each spread featured four reviews and each review started with a large red letter (known in typography as an initial). May's role was to put the entire supplement together, which "was extremely boring and took several months". He went on to say:

So I had this idea that if I re-edited the beginnings of all the little texts, I could make these red letters spell out a message through the magazine, which I thought was brilliant. I can't remember exactly what it said, but it was to the effect that "You might think this is a really great thing, but if you were sitting here making it up you'd realise it's a real pain in the arse". It took me about two months to do it and on the day that it came out I'd actually forgotten that I'd done it because there's a bit of a gap between it being "put to bed" and coming out on the shelves. When I arrived at work that morning everybody was looking at their shoes and I was summoned to the managing director of the company's office. The thing had come out and nobody at work had spotted what I'd done because I'd made the words work around the pages so you never saw a whole word. But all the readers had seen it and they'd written in thinking they'd won a prize or a car or something.

May's original message, punctuated appropriately, reads: "So you think it's really good, yeah? You should try making the bloody thing up; it's a real pain in the arse."

This was referenced by Jeremy Clarkson during episode 2 of series 17 (in the course of the "hot hatch"-challenge in Italy) when May was noting Autocar's opinion on the Renault Clio Cup he had chosen for the challenge, to which Clarkson replied "Autocar.... The magazine that sacked you...?"

Radio and television

His past television credits include presenting ''Driven'' on Channel 4 in 1998-99, narrating an eight-part BBC One series called ''Road Rage School'', and co-hosting the ITV1 coverage of the ''2006 London Boat Show.'' He also wrote and presented a Christmas special called ''James May's Top Toys'' (for BBC One) exploring the toys of his childhood. This list was followed up the next year by a sequel of sorts, broadcast on BBC Two, entitled ''James May: My Sister's Top Toys'', this time attempting to investigate the gender divide of toy appeal. In series 3, episode 3 of Gordon Ramsay's ''The F Word'', May managed to beat Ramsay in eating animal penises and rotten shark (which Ramsay himself couldn't keep down) and with his fish pie recipe.

''Top Gear''

May first co-presented ''Top Gear'' in 1999, before it was axed by the BBC because of poor viewing figures. He rejoined the show in the second series of the present ''Top Gear'' format in 2003, where he earned the nickname "Captain Slow" owing to his careful driving style. Despite this sobriquet, he has done some especially high-speed driving, including in ''Top Gear'' Series 9, taking a Bugatti Veyron to its top speed of 253 mph (407 km/h) which is nearly one-third of the speed of sound at sea level and later on taking a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport edition to 260 mph (417 km/h). In an earlier episode he also tested the original version of the Bugatti Veyron against the new Pagani Zonda F. On the show he claimed that it was 'a piece of cake' driving those cars, but seconds later Jeremy Clarkson played a tape showing him spinning wildly over the test track in the Zonda. Originally he did not want to do this test, but Clarkson had hurt his neck in the previous episode while driving a truck through a brick wall and Richard Hammond claimed that he was busy selling fish at Morrisons. He is often mocked for a poor sense of direction, shown getting lost many times throughout the course of the series, including race tracks and even being mocked once by Jeremy and Hammond for mistaking a normal Range Rover as the camera crew. He also flew in a Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon at a speed of around 1320 mph for his television programme, ''James May's 20th Century''. He also became one of the first people – with co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson and an Icelandic support crew – to travel by car to the magnetic North Pole, using a modified Toyota Hilux. He claims to be the first person on the north pole who didn't want to go there. He was also one of the first people to drive across the Makgadikgadi salt plains in Botswana. He has driven a 1.3 litre Suzuki SJ413 through the Bolivian jungle and along Death Road and over the Andes to the Pacific Ocean in Chile. He also drove a modified Toyota Hilux (also used as a crew car during the North Pole expedition) up the side of the erupting volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland.

Science

May has also presented a documentary for Sky about sharks called ''Inside Killer Sharks'' and a series looking at inventions and discoveries during the twentieth century, entitled ''James May's 20th Century''. In late 2008, the BBC broadcast ''James May's Big Ideas'', a three-part series in which May travelled around the globe in search of implementations for concepts widely considered science fiction.

''James May on the Moon''

In June 2009 May presented a documentary on BBC Two called ''James May on the Moon'' commemorating 40 years since man first landed on the moon. This was followed by another documentary on BBC Four called ''James May at the Edge of Space'', where May was flown to the edge of space (70,000 ft) in a U.S. Air Force Lockheed U-2 spy plane. Highlights of the footage from the training for the flight, and the flight itself was used in ''James May on the Moon'', but was shown fully in this programme. This made him one of the highest flying persons, along with the pilot, at that time, after the crew of the International Space Station.

''James May's Toy Stories''

Beginning in October 2009, May presented a 6-part TV series showing favourite toys of the past era and whether they can be applied in the modern day. The toys featured were Airfix, Plasticine, Meccano, Scalextric, Lego and Hornby. In each show, May attempts to take each toy to its limits, also fulfilling several of his boyhood dreams in the process. For example, in August 2009, May built a full-sized house out of Lego at Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey. Plans for Legoland to move it to their theme park fell through in September 2009 because costs to deconstruct, move and then rebuild were too high and despite a final Facebook appeal for someone to take it, it was demolished on 22 September, with the plastic bricks planned to be donated to charity. Also for the series, he recreated the banked track at Brooklands using Scalextric track, and an attempt at the world's longest working model railway along the Tarka Trail between Barnstaple and Bideford in North Devon, although the attempt was foiled due to stolen batteries and vandals placing coins on the track, causing a short circuit.

Drink

In late 2006, the BBC broadcast ''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure'', a series in which May, a committed bitter drinker, travelled around France with wine expert Oz Clarke. A second series was broadcast in late 2007, this time with May and Clarke in the Californian wine country, and was followed by a third series in 2009 called ''Oz and James Drink to Britain''.

Career

Television

Year !! Title !! Role
1999	Top Gear (1977 TV series)>Top Gear (original format)''	Presenter
2003-present	Top Gear (2002 TV series)>Top Gear (current format)''
2005	''James May's Top Toys''
2006-2007	''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure''
2006	''Inside Killer Sharks''
2006	''Petrolheads''
2007	''Top Gear of the Pops''
2007	''James May's 20th Century''
2007	''James May: My Sisters' Top Toys''
2008	''Top Ground Gear Force''
2008	''James May's Big Ideas''
2009	''Oz and James Drink to Britain''
2009	''James May on the Moon''
2009	''James May at the Edge of Space''
2009-2011	''James May's Toy Stories''
2010-present	''James May's Man Lab''
2011-present	''James May's Things You Need To Know''
2012	''Grandstand - Alternative Grand National coverage''

DVD

Title !! Label !! Year
''Oz & James' Big Wine Adventure: Series One''	Acorn Media	2006
''James May's Motormania Car Quiz''	DMD
''James May's 20th Century: The Complete Series''	ITV
''Oz & James' Big Wine Adventure: Series Two''	Acorn Media
''James May's Big Ideas: The Complete Series''	DMD
''James May On The Moon''	BBC DVD
''James May's Amazing Brain Trainer''	DMD
''James May's Toy Stories: The Complete Series''	Channel 4
''Oz and James Drink to Britain''	Acorn Media
''Top Gear: Apocalypse''	BBC DVD
''James May's Man Lab: Series One''	Acorn Media
''Top Gear: At The Movies''	BBC DVD
''James May's Man Lab: Series Two''	Acorn Media

Books

BBC Books Virgin Books Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton Pavilion (Anova) Hodder & Stoughton Conway (Anova) Conway (Anova) Conway (Anova) Conway (Anova) Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton

Title !! Publisher !! Year !! Notes
''May on Motors: On the Road with James May''	Virgin Books	2006
''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure''	|	2006
''Notes from the Hard Shoulder''	|	2007
''James May's 20th Century''	|	2007 (H/B)	Reprinted 2007 (P/B)
''James May's Magnificent Machines''	|	2008
''Oz and James Drink to Britain''	|	2009
''James May's Car Fever''	|	2009 (H/B)	Reprinted 2010 (P/B)
''James May's Toy Stories''	|	2009
''James May's Toy Stories: Lego House''	|	2010
''James May's Toy Stories: Airfix Handbook''	|	2010
''James May's Toy Stories: Scalextric Handbook''	|	2010
''How to Land an A330 Airbus''	|	2010 (H/B)	Reprinted 2011 (P/B)
''James May's Man Lab: The Book of Usefulness''	|	2011 (H/B)	Reprinted 2012 (P/B)
''James May: On Board''	|	2012

References

External links

''Telegraph Motoring'' - James May's weekly column

James May on Top Gear

''Daily Mail'' article on May

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:British television presenters Category:People from Bristol Category:Top Gear presenters Category:English writers Category:Alumni of Lancaster University Category:British motoring journalists

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