Chris Morris (satirist)

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Chris Morris (satirist) bigraphy, stories - British comedian adn DJ

Chris Morris (satirist) : biography

15 June 1965 –

Christopher Morris (born 5 September 1962)The Independent (London) 5 September 2012 BIRTHDAYS SECTION Pg. 48 is an English satirist, writer, director, actor, voice actor, and producer, known for his black humour, surrealism, and controversial subject matter. He has been hailed for his "uncompromising, moralistic drive" by the British Film Institute. His tendency to avoid the media spotlight has seen him become one of the more enigmatic figures in British comedy.

Morris was born in Bristol, and grew up in Huntingdonshire, the son of two GPs. He attended Stonyhurst College, a Catholic boarding school in rural Lancashire. After graduating from the University of Bristol with a degree in zoology, he began his career on BBC local radio stations.

In the early 1990s, Morris teamed up with his radio producer, Armando Iannucci, to create On The Hour, a satire of news programmes. This was expanded into a television spin off, The Day Today, which launched the career of Steve Coogan, and has since been hailed as one of the most important satirical shows of the 1990s. Morris further developed the satirical news format with Brass Eye, which lampooned celebrities whilst focusing on themes such as crime and drugs. For many, the apotheosis of Morris’ career was a Brass Eye special, which dealt with the moral panic surrounding paedophilia. It quickly became one of the most complained about programmes in British television history, leading the Daily Mail to describe him as "the most loathed man on TV".The Guardian (London) 21 February 2003 Review: CHRIS MORRIS: THE MOVIE: The last time he was in the news, it was for the ‘paedophile special’ of his TV series Brass Eye. Now he’s made a film – just 15 minutes long – which is tipped to win a Bafta on Sunday. In a rare interview, Britain’s greatest contemporary satirist talks to Xan Brooks about making the film, celebrities and why he won’t be tackling the war on terror BYLINE: Xan Brooks

Meanwhile, Morris’ postmodern sketch and ambient music radio show Blue Jam helped him to gain a cult following. He went on to win a BAFTA for Best Short Film after expanding a Blue Jam sketch into My Wrongs 8245–8249 & 117, which starred Paddy Considine. This was followed by Nathan Barley, a sitcom written in collaboration with a then little-known Charlie Brooker that satirised hipsters, and although a ratings bomb, found success upon its DVD release. Morris followed this by joining the cast of the Graham Linehan sitcom The IT Crowd; his first project in which he did not have writing or producing input.

In 2010, Morris directed his first feature-length film, Four Lions, which satirised Islamic terrorism through a group of inept British Pakistanis. Reception of the film was largely positive, earning Morris his second BAFTA, for "Outstanding Debut". Since 2012, he has directed three episodes of Iannucci’s political comedy Veep.

Biography

Early life

Morris was born in Bristol, and grew up in a Victorian farmhouse in the village of Buckden, Huntingdonshire, which he describes as "very dull".If It Bleeds It Leads 6 June 1994 – By Simon Price – From The Melody Maker His parents, Michael and Rosemary, were GPs, and his father practised in Buckden. He has two younger brothers, including theatre director Tom Morris.Profile: Chris Morris, BBC Radio 4 From an early age he was a prankster, and also had a passion for radio. From the age of 10 he was educated at Stonyhurst College, an independent Jesuit boarding school in Lancashire. He went to study zoology at the University of Bristol, where he gained a 2:1.

Radio career

On graduating, Morris pursued a career as a musician in various bands, for which he played the bass guitar. He then went to work for Radio West, a local radio station in Bristol. He then took up a news traineeship with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, where he took advantage of access to editing and recording equipment to create elaborate spoofs and parodies. During this time, Morris helped row a boat to raise money for Children in Need. He also spent time in early 1987 hosting a 2–4pm afternoon show and finally ended up presenting Saturday morning show I.T..