Paul Taylor (comedian)

Paul Taylor (born 11 October 1986 in London) is a British/Irish comedian who performs mostly in France.[1]

For other people with the same name, see Paul Taylor.

Paul Taylor
Born (1986-10-11) 11 October 1986
MediumStand up, television
Relative(s)
Websitepaultaylorcomedy.com

Taylor moved to Paris in 2009[2] and he began stand-up in 2013. He is known in France for his television series on Canal+, What the Fuck France, What's Up France? and Stereotrip. He performed his first stand-up show #Franglais from 2016 to 2018 and his second show, So British (ou presque), debuted on 18 October 2019 in Paris.

Biography

Between the ages of 2 and 4, Taylor lived in Geneva with his English father and Irish mother.[3] He then lived in France until he was 9,[4] which explains his ability to speak French without an English accent. He returned to England when his parents separated.

Taylor studied languages at university and is fluent in French and Spanish. He then worked for Apple in sales. After three years, he started working as an international trainer for the brand. He moved to Paris at 23.[5] As he said in his show #Franglais, when he quit working at Apple he did not apply for any unemployment benefits, which is quite unusual in France.

Media debut

While at university, Taylor was an extra in The Oxford Murders.[6] What made him known to a larger audience, though, was the online video La Bise (referring to the cheek kisses used as a greeting in France).[7] The video, which was promoting a night of English language humor in Paris,[8] was uploaded on 1 January 2016, and now has more than 3 million views. Filmed in a sequence shot, La Bise mocked this French tradition, and served as a model for Taylor's show What the Fuck France? episodes.

Television

Thanks to the success of La Bise seen over a million times in a few days[9] on YouTube, Canal+ contacted him the following week, offering him to develop a regular short program,[10] along the same format. What the Fuck France? was then broadcast on Canal+. The three-minute short comedy show debuted in September 2016, and ran for 34 episodes[11] where Taylor humorously dissects the peculiarities of French life, seen through an expat's eyes. What the Fuck France? was one of the first shows broadcast in English on a French network.

A second program, also broadcast on Canal+, was released in 2017 in a similar format: What's Up France? This time, Taylor dissected and analysed the French news in 14 episodes.[12]

Finally, a third show was created in 2018 with Canal+. Stereotrip (a contraction of stereotype and roadtrip) reviews the clichés and stereotypes associated with Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Germany, and England in six 45-minute episodes.[13]

Stand-up shows

Taylor defines himself primarily as a stand-up comedian. After a few attempts in England at amateur stand-up, he made his debut in Paris in 2013. He became successful quite quickly,[14] particularly thanks to his online videos and his projects with Canal+. His first stand-up show, #Franglais,[15] 50% in French, 50% en anglais, was performed in different Parisian theatres such as Le Sentier des Halles, La Nouvelle Eve, and L'Européen, and then on tour in France, Europe and Canada,[16] for almost three years. The entire show was filmed at La Nouvelle Eve in March 2018, and broadcast on Canal+.[17] The final three shows were held at the Casino de Paris in front of 1,400 spectators.[18]

On 18 October 2019 Taylor debuted his second show: So British (ou presque) after a break-in period of a few weeks in August 2018 at the Point Virgule. The new show was almost called Rebecoming English, but the title was rejected as the verb to rebecome was a neologism coined by Taylor.

On 22 June 2020 he participated in a special show, Retour vers la Culture, organised at L'Européen, to celebrate the end of the Coronavirus lockdown and a return to normality in France. A dozen artists performed that night, such as Bun Hay Mean and Fills Monkey.

Live at Five and Happy Hour

On 20 April 2020 Taylor debuted a new show on YouTube to entertain his fans during the Coronavirus lockdown: Live at Five. It originally streamed from Taylor's kitchen table at 5 PM CEST, but was eventually moved to 7 PM CEST, and then 6 PM CEST to accommodate Taylor's home life. During the show, Taylor would chat directly with fans, using FaceTime and Skype to videocall his family (primarily his mother, though both his brother and father did appear on the show), co-workers such as his director Felix, and particularly long-time friend and fellow comedian, Quebecois Rolly Assal.

The episodes lasted approximately an hour. At some point, Taylor decided to rename his live broadcasts Paul Taylor's Happy Hour, as he'd often drink a beer while filming and chatting. The show was primarily in English, though there were several special episodes, dubbed "Frandredi" (from français and vendredi, "French Friday") on Fridays, when the show was almost entirely in French. Some later episodes also included Taylor interacting with fans via Zoom.

Taylor streamed 70 episodes, until 7 July 2020, before taking a break for the French summer holidays.

Most episodes after 10 May have been turned into podcasts, and are available for free on Taylor's website, with additional material at the beginning and end of each podcast.

Inspiration

Comedians Lee Evans, Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K[19] are credited as influences of Taylor.

Personal life

Taylor married his wife Adeline on 3 June 2017. Their daughter, Louise, was born in France in June 2019.[20]

Taylor has a half-brother, Kyle Taylor, who plays professional football as a midfielder for AFC Bournemouth in the English Football Championship.[21]

References
  1. "Paul Taylor Comedy". paultaylorcomedy.com (in French).
  2. Michalet, Thibaud (14 October 2016). "Qui se cache derrière What The Fuck France?".
  3. "Qui se cache derrière What The Fuck France?". www.gqmagazine.fr.
  4. "Paul Taylor, un "Englishman" à Paris". 29 November 2017. ISSN 1423-3967.
  5. "Paul Taylor un anglais qui se moque de nous". www.ouest-france.fr/. 29 November 2017.
  6. Taylor, Paul. "Paul Taylor's Happy Hour (Live) 12/6/20". YouTube. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  7. "La Bise". www.youtube.com.
  8. "Paul Taylor, un "Englishman" à Paris". www.letemps.ch. 29 November 2017.
  9. "Paul Taylor: un english man à Paris". www.influenth.com. 13 December 2016.
  10. "Paul Taylor : J'aime la France comme ma femme | We Love comedy Magazine" (in French). 7 March 2017.
  11. "What The Fuck France". Paul Taylor (in French).
  12. "What's Up France". Paul Taylor (in French).
  13. "Paul Taylor, le rosbif qui taille un costard aux Européens dans Stéréotrip" (in French). 15 October 2018.
  14. "Paul Taylor ou le succès du French Bashing". www.lemonde.fr/. 7 December 2017.
  15. "#Franglais". Paul Taylor (in French).
  16. "Paul Taylor, l'Anglais qui taquine les francophones, s'invite au Canada". ici.radio-canada.ca. 20 October 2018.
  17. "Paul Taylor #Franglais". www.canalplus.com.
  18. "It's Over | Vlog #101". www.youtube.com. 19 February 2019.
  19. "Ces rois du stand-up qui ont inspiré Paul Taylor". www.canalplus.com.
  20. "Paul Taylor". www.youtube.com.
  21. "Fiche Joueur". www.lequipe.fr.
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