Identifies as trans + gender fluid - came out in 1985.

- pronouns she/her 

-Describes herself as in ‘girl mode’ or ‘boy mode’ - and has been doing -comedy shows in ‘girl mode’ since the early 90s

Only as of December 2020 has she started to use she/her pronouns exclusively.
 
“I’m a trans person. I exist. 

Well I’m gender fluid. This is how I define myself.                 We’re in a world of definitions now, 21st Centuary.” 

-English comedian - Born in Yemen, moved between Northern Ireland, Wales and Brighton when growing up

-One of the biggest private donors to the Labour Party

-Campaigned for European Union -Culturally identifies as ‘British- European’

-Last month she completed 31 back to back marathons raising money for charity - Jan 2021 

From a recent article...(Jan 2021)

Earlier in her career she identified as a transvestite, saying ‘she felt like “a complete boy plus half a girl” and referring to herself as “a lesbian trapped in a man’s body”.’

“I am essentially transgender. I have boy mode and girl mode. I do feel I have boy genetics and girl genetics.”

Analysis of transcript...
Bastards and Makeup - 2000 

Not fully scripted - more spontaneous 

Coarse language - expletives - used excessively through out performance “bastards” - depletes any significance or impact that the word may normally  create in conversation 

Plays with accent -  long vowel “aa”  American audience - flipping between Northern and Southern English accents

She herself has a southern accent  - “if we say baastard people think oo your really posh saying baastard”

Jokes about the colonisation of America “native Americans used to wear it and did alright for them until until er til well you killed them all, I suppose.”

Still uses old pronouns at this point(2000) ... refers to herself as “He’ ‘him’ and ‘a guy’ in the performance “more guys in makeup”

Heterosexual, however an influential activist in the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Female.

Began her debut in 1980s, and performing her first stand up in 1998 on HBO’s comedy special.

Occupation: Comedian, Actor, Producer

Known for ‘The Office’

Hosted the Golden Globes 5 times

Sarah Millican, 45

Occupation: Comedian, TV Presenter

Known for ‘The Sarah Millican TV Programme’

Listed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Radio 4's Woman's Hour

-Lakoff (1975) study found that men are more likely to use expletives in their day-to-day speech.

-However, she also suggested in the same report, that women fundamentally lack a sense of humour.

Is this difference enough to prove Lakoff correct?

It could be, however…

-Both performances are scripted and rehearsed

-This is only one example 

-Both Millican and Gervais have to compete with other comedians’ performances 

came on the scene in 2000s

Became widely recognised with  “The Mighty Boosh” a stage show which later became televised comedy series.

Now frequently on TV shows QI, Taskmaster, Bake Off

Raising his children gender neutral

Cross-dressed as Kate Bush to preform ‘Wuthering Heights’ for charity (has done so on other occasions also)
Plays on androgyny - has built persona and his style upon on glam rock bands and other music and artists, such as  Bowie  who were known

for being androgynous in their time and in some of these figures are openly gay, bisexual or gender fluid.
Although largely steers away from offensive jokes about social groups 

- has made gay jokes on numerous occasions - often mocks himself, but not his own sexuality. identifies as straight, has had same sex relationships in the past

 Transcript analysis
Noel Fielding - tea bag dream - 2015
Surrealist - based upon a dream - fictional - story telling 

Explores social topics and themes through the personification of inanimate objects, in this case characters built heavily on stereotypes are created for them.
Makes Gay joke “Monty fresh bumming the other teabags (mime), sodomny”

Paralinguistic features...

Mime - acting out elements of his story 

Minimal coarse language or swearing, so when he uses it in his final gag, it’s more impactful. - contrasting Eddie Izzard use of expletives

Plays on the stereotypes of a racist character - personifies a teabag with this - and turning it to “shapism”

Filler word - uses  the word ‘yeah’ almost  at the end of every sentence - almost as if he’s asking for the the audience’s reassurance - possibly a nervous habit - or feature of comedy, for audience engagement?

Prosodic features - pitch, tempo and intonation with the voices he gives to the ‘teabag characters’ and when listing 

Plays with accent + impressions 

Idiolect...
Juxtaposes words - as if he just ‘plucked’ them from the front of his mind, forgotten the word so just uses the first one which comes to mind, these make jokes in themselves - possibly something that is seen in his everyday idiolect ? Common in his other performances

Her most recent controversy was in May 2017, where she posted a picture holding the decapitated head of the President of the United States. She had been fly-banned and detained at every airport she arrived in for her tour, also interrogated as she was suspected to be part of a terrorist organisation against Trump. 

Griffin recreated the photo November 2020, on her 60th birthday and the day after Trump lost the election

Tackles taboo subject with blatant and direct jokes

Heterosexual 
Welsh- strong regional accent 

Part of Micheal McIntyre’s comedy road tour

Male infertility BBC documentary 2020 

Face of the ‘Him infertility campaign’

Transcript analysis
Rhod Gilbert  -  Him infertility 2019 -
comedy gig to accompany campaign work

Educational slant - to create awareness around the subject
 
Uses of schoolboy humour as a way to break down the taboo subject

Use of comedy as a means break down and get engagement with a serious and personal topic 

Has to tone down his macho - facade -
Laughs throughout at his own jokes - still somewhat uncomfortable with the fairly unspoken topic, normally keeps a straight face during his sets. 

No medical terminology
/semantic field - 
Presents   - what should be - obvious facts, “Yanno men men account for 50% of all fertility issues“

Possibly keeping it lightweight and accessible to all. 

Making light of a serious and taboo topic, use of coarse and ‘school boy’ language to keep it humorous - breaking down any discomfort the audience may have, keeping them engaged. “spunk”

Playing on the fact that he isn’t a specialist so uses the most blatant, general and informal words possible. “Shit jizz”
“barren old sow” - mocks and exaggerates the differences that a woman faces when not having children to a man. 

Never makes himself or his personal situation subject of the joke, no self deprication