5. His first double act died a death in front of a hostile crowd
Harry’s first foray into live comedy was as one half of The Hall Brothers alongside his school friend Rob.
Harry Hill in the Desert Island Discs studio.
I don’t look back at those years particularly fondly because of that stress. I would start the week with no show, knowing that on Saturday morning I’d have to sit down and write a show.
Harry Hill on the pressure of creating TV Burp.
Their first gig was at the notorious Tunnel Club, in south London, run by the late comic Malcolm Hardee. “He was this sort of anarchist who gave people their first breaks.” The duo handed out printed flyers before their set. “We went on and got silence. Then they started rolling up the flyers and throwing them at us. Malcolm faded down the mics and faded up the music. That was that.”
Still, Hill insists it was easier with a partner. “We laughed about it afterwards. Given the choice, I’d rather have been in a double act. It can be quite lonely otherwise.”
6. He became Harry Hill by accident, and the collar sealed the deal
Before he was Harry Hill, he performed as Harry Hall, a name chosen partly for the double “ha ha” it contained. “I liked the alliteration,” he tells Lauren Laverne. “I liked the throwback to those old comedians, Arthur Askey, Max Miller… that old variety feel.”
But when it came time to get an Equity card, he hit a snag: there was already someone called Harry Hall. “She was an actress called H-A-R-I Hall, I think it was short for Harriet. I wrote to ask if I could use the name.” She refused, so he settled on Harry Hill.
His outfit – the black suit, big glasses and massive collar – eventually became the uniform of his Harry Hill persona. “When I put the outfit on, I know I’m Harry.” He likes the separation between himself and his persona. But that persona takes time to inhabit. “I have to have an hour to myself; I have to pace up and down and work myself up. If I don’t, it’s not as funny.”
7. TV Burp was a triumph but a weekly high-wire act
Harry Hill’s TV Burp ran for 11 series, won multiple awards and became a staple of Saturday night telly. But the pressure of writing a new show every week never got easier.
“I don’t look back at those years particularly fondly because of that stress. I would start the week with no show, knowing that on Saturday morning I’d have to sit down and write a show.”
Harry and his team of writers would have to watch countless hours of TV just to find the funniest moments. “There were no shortcuts. That was the problem. You did actually have to watch the full two and a half hours of Emmerdale.”
Even though recording day was always a highlight, Harry would return home feeling the stress of the week. “Ask my wife, every time I came back from a recording, I’d go upstairs, she’d be in bed, and I’d say, ‘I’ve got to get out of this’. Then I’d watch it on the Saturday, and I’d think it was great.”
8. David Byrne from Talking Heads inspired a culinary comedy routine
Harry’s fifth disc choice is Life During Wartime by Talking Heads, inspired by seeing David Byrne perform. “I was up out of my seat because I wanted to be closer to it. I thought, here’s a guy who’s 65 or something, he could have just played the hits and we all would’ve gone home happy. But he’s pushing it and pushing it. And I came away thinking, this is how you need to approach stuff. You need to raise your game. So, I’ve tried to do that.”
That burst of inspiration led to a routine that, on the surface, had little to do with David Byrne, but in Hill’s mind, they’re forever connected. “It was about the difference between traybakes and tear-and-shares. And how all people can be divided into one or the other.”
For the record: “David Byrne? Total tear-and-share.”