Sean Lock
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox comedian Sean Lock (22 April 1963 – 16 August 2021)Template:Efn was an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian and in 2000, he won the British Comedy Award, in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award. He was a team captain on the Channel 4 comedy panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats from 2005 to 2015, and on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown from 2012 until his death in 2021.
Lock frequently appeared on stage, television and radio. His routines were often surreal and delivered in a deadpan style. He also wrote material for Bill Bailey, Lee Evans and Mark Lamarr. Lock was voted the 55th-greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007, and he was upgraded to 19th in the updated 2010 list. He was a frequent guest on other panel shows, including BBC's Have I Got News for You, QI and They Think It's All Over.
Early lifeEdit
Lock was born in Chertsey, Surrey, on 22 April 1963, the youngest of four children.<ref name="Courier">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="birthday1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Telegraph obit"/> His father, Sidney, worked in the building industry; his mother, Mary (née McCreesh),<ref name="Telegraph obit">Template:Cite news</ref> was from Cullaville, County Armagh.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lock was raised in Woking, Surrey, where he attended St John the Baptist School.
During Lock's teenage years, he watched art-house films on BBC Two, and named Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 science-fiction film Stalker as one that affected him greatly.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/> In 1981, he left education with a grade E in A-level English.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/><ref name="Times obit">Template:Cite news</ref> Afterwards, his father got him a job stripping concrete panels off buildings.<ref name="Times obit"/> After spending seven years as a labourer, he travelled, taking on different jobs.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/><ref name="Times obit"/> For six weeks, he worked on a French farm as a goat herder and worked on a kibbutz in Israel. During this period, he also worked as a toilet cleaner and a Department of Health and Social Security office worker. During his work as a labourer, he developed skin cancer.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/><ref name="Guardian obit"/>
He then decided to pursue acting and enrolled at the Drama Centre London, though he soon realised he had made an error.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/> He quit and returned to being a labourer.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/><ref name="Times obit"/> After Lock saw comedians like Alexei Sayle and Paul Merton performing in comedy clubs, he decided to pursue comedy.<ref name="Times obit"/> Throughout this time, he visited comedy shows in London pubs and started doing open-mic spots as a hobby. In 1988, Lock had his first official gig at a pub in Stoke Newington, London.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/> After being paid £15 for his 20Template:Nbspminutes, he realised he could pursue being a comedian as a career.<ref name="Telegraph obit"/>
CareerEdit
Lock's early television work included a supporting role alongside Rob Newman and David Baddiel in the 1993 series Newman and Baddiel in Pieces including touring with them as their support act.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Frank Skinner and Eddie Izzard are credited as major influences on his comedy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
A popular belief is that Lock was the first stand-up comedian to perform at Wembley Arena, as he was the support act for Newman and Baddiel.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> But, while Lock was the support act, he only featured in skits in the middle of the show.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
15 Minutes of Misery and 15 Storeys HighEdit
Lock made regular appearances on various radio panel shows and script-edited for Bill Bailey's 1998 BBC2 series, Is It Bill Bailey?.<ref name="EdNews"/> In December 1998, he launched his own show on BBC Radio 4, 15 Minutes of Misery, originally as a five-episode pilot.<ref name="BCG"/><ref name="15 Storeys Tele"/> These shows also featured actors Kevin Eldon and Hattie Hayridge.<ref name="misery"/> The premise involved Lock eavesdropping on his neighbours in his south London tower block (all played by Lock, Eldon and Hayridge) using a bugging device fitted by his plumber, "Hot Bob" (Eldon), which was known as "The Bugger King" (and had "nothing to do with meat or sex").<ref name="misery"/> 15 Minutes of Misery lasted for one series of six programmes in late 1998 and early 1999.<ref name="misery">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1999, 15 Minutes of Misery was expanded into the half-hour series 15 Storeys High, co-written by Lock and Martin Trenaman.<ref name="BCG"/><ref name="15 Storeys Tele"/> From ostensibly the same tower block, Lock's character was now given a flatmate (the hapless Errol) and a job at the local swimming baths, as well as a somewhat dour and intolerant demeanour. The bugging device was no longer used, but the antics of Lock's neighbours still featured heavily in the show. The plots for this series were more linear in a "traditional" sitcom style, although they still showed Lock's brand of dark, surreal humour. 15 Storeys High would transfer to television after two radio series, with Lock's character renamed 'Vince', for a further two series in 2002 and 2004.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Initially aired on BBC Choice, it follows a cynical Vince and his naive flatmate Errol (Benedict Wong).<ref name="15 Storeys Tele"/> It attracted a cult following after its release as a VHS box set and on DVD.<ref name="15 Storeys Tele"/>
Other workEdit
In 1995, Lock played an escaped murderer in an episode of The World of Lee Evans, alongside Lee Evans and Phil Daniels.<ref name="BCG">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Lock wrote the screenplay for Andrew Kötting's 2001 feature film This Filthy Earth, based on the novel La Terre by Émile Zola.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2004, Lock had a guest appearance on television's first-ever "dope opera", Top Buzzer, written by Johnny Vaughan.
In 2005, he became a regular team captain on the Channel 4 panel game 8 Out of 10 Cats.<ref name="BCG"/> In an article at the time of his death, The Guardian said Lock "will be best remembered as a team captain for the first 18 series of... 8 Out of 10 Cats... and he quickly emerged as its biggest star."<ref name="Guardian obit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats between 2005 and 2015, and on its spin-off 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown between 2012 and 2021.<ref name="BCG"/>
In spring 2006, he hosted his own entertainment show on Channel 4 called TV Heaven, Telly Hell.<ref name="BCG"/> Lock narrated the BBC production World Cup Goals Galore in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2008, he appeared on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, on a team with James Corden.<ref name="bbcobit"/> Lock also appeared on many popular British TV panel shows, including Have I Got News for You, QI and They Think It's All Over.<ref name="EdNews"/> He was also a celebrity guest in The Last Leg.<ref name="bbcobit"/> Lock became "The Curator" for the second radio series of The Museum of Curiosity, in 2009, taking over from Bill Bailey.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2010, Lock took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at The O2 Arena.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also appeared in a spoof video produced by Shelter, the housing charity, to highlight the problem of rogue landlords.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> In 2011, he took over from John Sergeant as the host of the Dave comedy panel show Argumental.<ref name="BCG"/> In 2019, Lock featured in episode 4 of the BBC comedy series Mandy.<ref name="BCG"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Comedic styleEdit
Lock was known for his surreal style, deadpan delivery and dry humour.<ref name="EdNews"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Power Tele"/><ref name="Hill"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Guardian stated that he was "celebrated for his carefully crafted surreal content and imaginative observational wit".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Lock stated that comedy is not always easy, saying: "The real secret ... is every day spending tedious hours straining over a blank sheet of paper trying to think of something funny. Some days I'd rather try and lay an egg."<ref name="Telegraph obit"/>
Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph described his persona as "studiedly obtuse".<ref name="Power Tele"/> He said Lock's topics included political correctness, "existential woe", and the difficulties of being a football supporter which gave him "irresistible everyman quality".<ref name="Power Tele"/> Power described him as "a Samuel Beckett trapped inside a Tommy Cooper punchline."<ref name="Power Tele"/> Power also suggested that his persona was so convincing because it matched his off-stage persona.<ref name="Power Tele">Template:Cite news</ref> Fellow comedian Harry Hill said, "People are tempted to pigeonhole him as dark or surreal but he was more than that. He had a playful side; a wide-eyed wonder at the world".<ref name="Hill"/>
During an interview with Bill Bailey on the Channel 4 show Comic's Choice, Lock listed Sam Kinison and Lenny Bruce as his main comedy influences. On the BBC Radio 2 show Talking Comedy, he listed Paul Merton, Steven Wright, Jasper Carrott, Les Dawson, Jerry Sadowitz, Kenneth Williams and Hylda Baker as his favourite comedians.
Personal lifeEdit
Lock and his wife, Anoushka Nara Giltsoff, had two daughters, born in 2004 and 2006, and a son born in 2009.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The family lived in the Muswell Hill area of London.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Lock was diagnosed with skin cancer in 1990, attributing the condition to overexposure to the sun while working as a builder in the early 1980s.<ref name="bbcobit"/> After seeing his doctor, he was referred to a dermatologist at Guy's Hospital, London, and made a full recovery.<ref name="Independent obit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In May 2012, he gave his support to a Sun Awareness event at the hospital.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Lock was a supporter of Chelsea F.C.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was an active supporter of the Muswell Hill soup kitchen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In December 2020, Lock made a video to help raise funds for Edible London, a charity that aimed to provide ingredients for a million meals to help those struggling in lockdown. In the clip, he quipped, "I'm Sean Lock. You may know me as that bloke off the telly whose name you can't remember."<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Death and tributesEdit
Lock died of cancer at his home, on 16 August 2021, aged 58.Template:Efn<ref name="Guardian obit"/><ref name="bbcobit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Independent obit Williamson">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Bill Bailey, a close friend of Lock, he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer a few years earlier.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Those who paid tribute included fellow 8 Out of 10 Cats performers Jimmy Carr and Jon Richardson; Countdown’s Rachel Riley and Susie Dent; many comedians;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NME tribute">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Chelsea F.C.; QI; and Channel 4.<ref name="NME tribute"/> Harry Hill wrote a piece in The Guardian, describing him as "the comedian's comedian".<ref name="Hill">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On 19 August 2021, Channel 4 aired a tribute to Lock,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> showing his stand-up show Keep It Light along with an episode of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Chelsea Football Club paid tribute to Lock on 11 September during their fixture against Aston Villa with a one-minute applause during the 58th (the age at which he died) minute of the match.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, the tribute night of programming prompted fans and friends, including Kathy Burke, to call for the BBC to add 15 Storeys High to its online service.<ref name="15 Storeys Tele">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NME 15 Storeys"/> Following this, the BBC released both series of the show onto its iPlayer service on 27 August 2021.<ref name="NME 15 Storeys">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Fans of Lock called for his book The Tiger Who Came for a Pint to be published, with some fans suggesting the proceeds should go to cancer research in his honour.<ref name="Tiger pint">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The book is a parody on the children's book The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and was read on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
In August 2022, Bill Bailey completed a Template:Convert charity walk in memory of Lock, raising more than £110,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Stand-up showsEdit
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2010 | Lockipedia | |
2013 | Purple Van Man | |
2016–18 | Keep It Light |
DVD releasesEdit
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> !! Released !! Notes !! Template:Abbr | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Live | 17 November 2008 | Live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Lockipedia Live | 22 November 2010 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
Purple Van Man (Live 2013) | 18 November 2013 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
Keep It Light – Live | 20 November 2017 | Live at Margate's Theatre Royal | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
FilmographyEdit
TelevisionEdit
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Abbr | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | Acumen | Template:N/A | Artist | <ref name="BFI"/> | |
1993 | Smart Alek | Smart Alek | Writer, television short | <ref name="BFI"/> | |
Newman and Baddiel in Pieces | Shenley Grange | <ref name="BCG"/> | |||
1995 | The World of Lee Evans | Mitchell | <ref name="BCG"/> | ||
Anton & Minty | Visitor | Also writer, television short | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
1996 | The Chef and the Dancer | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
1997 | The Jack Docherty Show | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
1998 | Not The Jack Docherty Show | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
1999 | Is It Bill Bailey? | Template:N/A | Script editor | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
2000 | TV to Go | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
Stand up Perrier | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | |||
2001 | We Know Where You Live | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
This Filthy Earth | Template:N/A | Writer | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
2002 | Jesus Christ Airlines | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
Is This It? | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | |||
2002–2004 | 15 Storeys High | Vince Clark | Also writer and associate producer | <ref name="BCG"/> | |
2003–2011 | QI | Guest panellist | 32 episodes | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
2004 | Today with Des and Mel | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
The Terry and Gaby Show | Guest appearance | <ref name="BFI"/> | |||
The Wright Stuff | Guest panellist | <ref name="BFI"/> | |||
2005–2015 | 8 Out of 10 Cats | Himself, team captain | <ref name="BCG"/> | ||
2006–2007 | TV Heaven, Telly Hell | Himself, presenter | <ref name="BCG"/><ref name="BFI"/> | ||
2012 | The Real Man's Road Trip: Sean & Jon Go West | Himself | <ref>Template:Citation</ref> | ||
2012–2013 | The Channel 4 Mash Up | Himself | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
2012–2022 | 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown | Himself, team captain | Posthumous appearance in series 22 finale | <ref name="BCG"/> | |
2014 | Sean Lock: Purple Van Man | Himself | <ref name="BFI"/> | ||
2017 | Dying Laughing | Himself, interviewee | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
2020 | Mandy | Geoff | Episode: "Fish" (Series 1 Episode 4) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
RadioEdit
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Abbr |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998–1999 | 15 Minutes of Misery | Sean | Also writer | <ref name="misery"/> |
1999–2000 | 15 Storeys High | Sean | Also writer. Two series. Transferred to BBC television. | <ref>BBC Radio 4 production. https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/15_storeys_high/</ref> |
2004–2020 | The Unbelievable Truth | Panel member | Four occasions: 2008, 2009, and twice in 2020. | <ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007mf4f/episodes/guide A list of programmes and panel members is also given at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unbelievable_Truth_(radio_show)</ref> |
Awards and nominationsEdit
Lock was voted the 55th-greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007 and as the 19th-greatest stand-up comic in the updated 2010 list.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | British Comedy Awards | Best Live Comic | Template:Won | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Perrier Comedy Award | Template:N/A | Template:Nom | <ref name="EdNews"/> |
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Sean Lock at the British Film Institute
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 516700
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