Frank Skinner - born 1957, died (not for ages)

Frank Skinner was arguably the biggest name in British comedy in the years before Ricky Gervais, Sacha Baron-Cohen and Peter Kay came on the scene.

Frank Skinner was a star of British comedy from the early 1990s through to the early-mid noughties

In addition to stand-up success (including a Perrier Award early in his career), Skinner had several TV hits from the early 1990s on. These include Channel 4 show Packet of Three, sitcom Shane (which he wrote and starred in) and the Frank Skinner chat show. However, it is probably his collaborations with David Baddiel that he is best known – through Skinner and Baddiel Unplanned, Fantasy Football and the 1996 European championships song Three Lions on a Shirt.

Skinner and Baddiel - the Ant and Dec of their generation

Skinner (or Collins as he then was) grew up poor – but funny

Born in 1957, Frank Collins grew up in Oldbury in the West Midlands – the child of a local woman and a man from West Cornforth in County Durham. He grew up poor and was both bully and bullied at school. Whilst he may not have grown up spoilt he was told he was funny from the time he started school.

With the exception of a good university performance he was drifting until the age of 30

He began teacher training at Birmingham Polytechnic but, following a first year failure (and some lying), transferred onto the English literature degree where he emerged as the top student and then went on to study for a Masters degree at Warwick University. Despite this academic success he was largely drunk throughout his twenties and in his late twenties was on social security of just under £25 a week. He added a ten-month marriage to his cv of unemployment and drunkenness. Not until he was 30 did he first make it onto a comedy stage. In subsequent years he has mined these ‘wasted years’ for its comedic value.

His motive for getting into comedy was to make people laugh

Skinner admits his motive for getting into comedy was the addiction of creating laughter. It was not for money – he said he would have done it all for nothing. He also claimed it was not for popularity – citing an American baseball coach who once said “you can spend your whole life trying to be popular but the size of the crowd at your funeral will largely be determined by the weather”. He at least wanted to give comedy a go – he claims to make a lot of decisions by imaging himself looking back when he is 70.

He learned his skills on the comedy circuit

Skinner took a well-worn route into comedy – taking open spots at comedy clubs until the owner offers something more substantial. He would also book a room and share it with other comics. He was championed by the legendary Malcolm Hardee owner of the Tunnel Club and a legendary figure in the London comedy scene. Skinner found that the comedy circuit outside of London was particularly demanding in that clubs get the same crowd in every week – hence the need for new material. London, by contrast, has a high turnover. He was thirty when he made his first appearance at the Edinburgh festival.

Skinner is thoughtful about comedy and comedians

He saw himself as very much an alternative comedian – in the sense of 'alternative to Frank Carson and some of the 1970s comedians'. He did not see alternative as meaning political however – for him it was just being true to life. It is about giving the comic’s world view. He claims that the most important thing is for a comic to know who he is and why he’s there – in his case he claims he is a “mouthy brummie who couldn’t give a fuck”.

He does not rattle of a list of comedy influences but he does admit to admiring Eddie Izzard’s risk-taking and being impressed by the late Bob Monkhouse’s encyclopaedic study of comedy.

His own writing process benefits from having rap music as backing – initially French rap (MC Solaar and I AM) but now US stuff.

He first came to prominence as a stand-up

Skinner first came to comedy and prominence through stand-up. He is very much in favour of engaging with his audience – claiming that stand-up is about participation and not a spectator sport. He also likes to study and wander around the towns he plays in – to think of something funny to say and therefore to make a connection with the audience.

Here too he had some early failures and knew he had to get better or get out. He claimed that he learnt a lot through compering – a sort of half-way house between a full set and a short solo spot.

Skinner loves fame

Skinner has little time for celebrities who moan about the burden of fame – he says they should try 40 hours a week in a factory. He adds that there is always a sub-text to such moaning – namely about how important the person is. He appreciates his position because of all of the crap jobs he had in the past. He contrasts the £2k for 8 minutes that he earned on the Des O’Connor show in 1990 with the £25 a week social security he had been on five years earlier. He notes too that he had not been on a plane until he was 34.

Nowhere is he more grateful than in the sexual stakes. He claims that, prior to being well-known, pulling girls used to be like pulling teeth. He disputes the idea that it is possible to laugh a woman into bed – a myth he claims is invented by ugly blokes who think they’re funny and women who like to pretend they can see beyond physical attractiveness. He acknowledges that he has had large amounts of sex, especially when on tour, but claims that this is more because he is well-known rather than funny or beautiful.