Paul Shearer Explained

Paul Shearer is an English actor, best known for his roles in The Fast Show and The Russ Abbot Show.^[3] Together with Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie Shearer was a member of the Cambridge University's Footlights ensemble which won the first ever Perrier Comedy Award in 1981.^[4] Currently Shearer works as a property journalist.^[5]

Personal life and education

Shearer attended Lancing College between 1973 and 1978. He graduated from St John's College, Cambridge in 1981 with a degree in computer science.^[6] After graduating he lived in a flat with Peter Cook and Hugh Laurie.^[7] He married actor Vicky Licorish in 1994.^[8] On 30 October 2024, their 25-year-old child Cal Shearer, who was transgender, non-binary and autistic, was found dead in their dorm room at St John's College, Oxford, in an apparent suicide by hanging.^{[9] [10]}

Footlights

On the Footlight committee, Shearer held the position of "Club Falconer", which, according to Fry, "went back to the days when the Footlights were quartered in Falcon Yard."^[11] He partnered with Nick Hytner in a sketch Graffiti on the Wall. He also wrote for A Sense of Nonsense and The Cellar Tapes.^[12]

Television

A selection of television appearances include:

Year	Title	Channel	Notes
1982	There's Nothing to Worry About!	ITV (Granada)	With Ben Elton, Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry.[13] Shearer was replaced by Robbie Coltrane after the first series.[14]
1983	The Crystal Cube[15]	BBC	Pilot
1983 – 1985	CBTV	Presenter[16]
1984	Jigsaw[17]
1986	Chocky's Challenge[18]
1987 – 1989	The Russ Abbot Show[19]	BBC	Sketch show
1989	Anything More Would Be Greedy[20]	ITV	Comedy mini-series
1991	Five Children and It[21]	BBC	Children's drama
	Birds of a Feather (TV series)[22]
1992	Tales from the Poop Deck[23]	ITV	Children's sitcom
	Dirk Gently		On The South Bank Show[24]
1994 – 1997	The Fast Show[25] [26]	BBC	Sketch show
1995	Proud Love[27]	ITV	Sitcom
1995 – 1996	Cone Zone[28]	ITV	Children's sitcom
1998	Stressed Eric[29]	BBC Two	Comedy animation
2003	CBeebies[30]	BBC Two
2006	The Message	BBC Three	Sketch show
2020	The Fast Show: Just a Load of Blooming Catchphrases	Gold

Also, Les Dennis Laughter Show,^[31] Abracadabra – children's comedy,^[32] CHBC,^[33] The Max Headroom Show and Who Dares Wins.

Film

• 1997: Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis^[34]
• 1997: The Man Who Knew Too Little^[35]

Radio

Year	Title	Channel
1985	Ninety-ninety four[36]	BBC Radio 4
	The Fosdyke Saga III[37]	BBC Radio 2
1986	The World at Once Upon a Time[38]	BBC Radio 4
1988 – 1991	Gorham and Swift[39]	BBC Radio 2
1991	Week Ending[40]	BBC Radio 4
1995	In the Red[41]	BBC Radio 4
	Next of Kin[42]	BBC One
1996	Chambers[43]	BBC Radio 4
2011	Cabin Pressure
2015	The Lentil Sorters[44]
2015 – 2017	Cracking Up

Theatre

1988: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at Cambridge Arts Theatre^[45] 1991: Teechers at Duke's Theatre^[46]

Writing

Shearer was a writer on the following shows:

• 1982: There's Nothing to Worry About
• 1983 – 1984: Alfresco
• 1985: Once Upon a Time… BBC Radio 4^[47]
• 1994: The Fast Show
• 1994: Nice Day at the Office – sitcom for BBC^[48]
• 1995: If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? – Radio 4 comedy^[49]
• 1999 – 2001: See It Saw It children's game show for BBC One^[50]
• 2011: Kees & Co

As a property journalist Shearer has written for The Financial Times,^[51] The Times^[52] and France magazine.

See also

• Fry, Stephen The Fry Chronicles (2011) Pub. Penguin

Notes and References

1. 2016 . . Donors 1978 . The Eagle . Cambridge, UK . St John's College, Cambridge . 211.
2. Web site: trading up to a chateau . . thetimes.com . 2004-01-18 . 2024-09-03.
3. Web site: The Russ Abbott Show . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
4. Web site: TV Channel Dave is new Edinburgh comedy award sponsor . Mark Brown . theguardian.com . 2019-07-11 . 2024-09-03.
5. Web site: Paul Shearer . . ft.com . 2024-09-03.
6. Book: Fry, Stephen . 2011 . The Fry Chronicles . Penguin . London . 172 . 9780141039800.
7. Book: Cook, Lin . 1998 . Peter Cook remembered . Arrow . London . 161 . 0749323124.
8. Web site: Putting Small island on the big screen . . standard.co.uk . 2012-04-12 . 2024-09-03.
9. Web site: Bird . Steve . Tributes paid to ‘brave and beautiful’ Oxford student found hanged . . 18 November 2024 . https://archive.today/20241116191002/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/16/tributes-oxford-student-hanged-rooms/ . 16 November 2024 . 16 November 2024 . live.
10. Web site: Wootton-Cane . Nicole . Smith . Joe . Brave and 'endlessly compassionate' child of Fast Show actor took their own life at university . . 18 November 2024 . 16 November 2024.
11. Book: Fry, Stephen . 2011 . The Fry Chronicles . Penguin . London . 172 . 9780141039800.
12. Book: Hewison, Robert . 1983 . Footlights! A Hundred years of Cambridge comedy . Methuen . London . 213 . 9780413511508.
13. Book: Fry, Stephen . 2011 . The Fry Chronicles . Penguin . London . 20 . 9780141039800.
14. Book: Bunko, Anthony . 2011 . Hugh Laurie: The Biography . John Blake . London . 40 . 9781843583646.
15. Book: Fry, Stephen . 2011 . The Fry Chronicles . Penguin . London . 297 . 9780141039800.
16. Book: 2018 . Perry . Chris . Coward . Simon . Christmas Guide 2018 . Kaleidoscope . London . 157 . 9781900203708.
17. News: 1988-12-30 . Cambridge Daily News . Ian MacFarlane . Pauls' tail end start . 19 . Cambridge, UK .
18. News: 1988-12-30 . Cambridge Daily News . Ian MacFarlane . Pauls' tail end start . 19 . Cambridge, UK .
19. Book: Lewisohn, Mark . 1998 . Radio Times: Guide to TV comedy . BBC Worldwide . London . 14 . 9780563369776.
20. News: 1988-12-30 . Cambridge Daily News . Ian MacFarlane . Pauls' tail end start . 19 . Cambridge, UK .
21. Book: Evans, Jeff . 2011 . The Penguin TV companion . Penguin . London . 348 . 9780241952917.
22. News: 1991-09-18 . Morecambe Visitor . . Comedy Choice . 18 . Morcombe, UK .
23. Book: Lewisohn, Mark . 1998 . Radio Times: Guide to TV comedy . BBC Worldwide . London . 651 . 9780563369776.
24. Book: Simpson, M J . 2006 . The Pocket Essential Hitchhikers Guide . Pocket Essentials . Chichester, UK . 132 . 9781904048466.
25. Book: Bunko, Anthony . 2011 . Hugh Laurie: The Biography . John Blake . London . 35 . 9781843583646.
26. Book: Bunko, Anthony . 2012 . Britain's greatest TV comedy moments . Atlantic . London . 307 . 9780857891235.
27. Book: Lewisohn, Mark . 1998 . Radio Times: Guide to TV comedy . BBC Worldwide . London . 585 . 9780563369776.
28. Book: Lewisohn, Mark . 1998 . Radio Times: Guide to TV comedy . BBC Worldwide . London . 158 . 9780563369776.
29. Book: Lewisohn, Mark . 1998 . BFI film and television handbook 1998 . BBC Worldwide . London . 488 . 9780563369776.
30. Web site: CBeebies . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
31. News: 1991-09-18 . Morecambe Visitor . . Comedy Choice . 18 . Morcombe, UK .
32. News: 1988-12-30 . Cambridge Daily News . Ian MacFarlane . Pauls' tail end start . 19 . Cambridge, UK .
33. News: 1988-12-30 . Cambridge Daily News . Ian MacFarlane . Pauls' tail end start . 19 . Cambridge, UK .
34. 2020 . Kilmeny Fane-Saunders . Radio times guide to films 2007 . Radio Times . London . BBC Worldwide Ltd . 0563539011 . 175.
35. Book: Willis, John . 1998 . Screen world 1998: Film Annual . Applause . New York . 183 . 9781557833426 .
36. Book: Osbourne, Williams . 1986 . Ninety-ninety-four . Arrow . London . 2 . 0099451506 .
37. Web site: Week Ending . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
38. Web site: The World at . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
39. News: 1989-01-03 . Staffordshire Sentinel . . Pick of the Day . 2 . Stafford, UK .
40. Web site: Week Ending . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
41. Web site: Week Ending . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
42. Web site: Next of Kin . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
43. Web site: The Lentil Sorters . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
44. Web site: Week Ending . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
45. News: 1998-12-09 . Cambridge Daily News . Alan Kersey . Gala show launches Marti's panto season . 21 . Cambridge, UK .
46. News: 1991-09-18 . Morecambe Visitor . . Comedy Choice . 18 . Morcombe, UK .
47. Web site: Week Ending . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
48. Book: Dyja, Eddie . 1998 . Radio Times: Guide to TV comedy . British Film Institute . London . 397 . 9780851706528.
49. News: 1995-02-07 . The Times . . Radio 4 . 42 . London, UK .
50. Web site: Week Ending . . bbc.co.uk . 2024-09-03.
51. Web site: Paul Shearer . . ft.com . 2024-09-03.
52. Web site: Living the dream . Paul Shearer . thetimes.com . 2008-09-05 . 2024-09-03.