Шон Лок: Жизнь и карьера комика

English comedian and actor (1963–2021)

Sean Lock (22 April 1963 – 16 August 2021) was an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand up comedian and in 2000 he won the British Comedy Award, in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award. He was a team captain on the Channel 4 comedy panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats from 2005 to 2015, and on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown from 2012 until his death in 2021. Lock frequently appeared on stage, television and radio. His routines were often surreal and delivered in a deadpan style. He also wrote material for Bill Bailey, Lee Evans and Mark Lamarr. Lock was voted the 55th greatest stand up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand Ups in 2007, and he was upgraded to 19th in the updated 2010 list. He was a frequent guest on other panel shows, including BBC's Have I Got News for You, QI and They Think It's All Over.

Lock was born in Chertsey, Surrey, on 22 April 1963. Lock, the youngest of four children, was raised in Woking, Surrey, where he attended St John the Baptist School. For six weeks, he worked on a French farm as a goat herder and worked on a kibbutz in Israel. During this period, he also worked as a toilet cleaner and a Department of Health and Social Security office worker. During his work as a labourer, he developed skin cancer. Frank Skinner and Eddie Izzard are credited as major influences on his comedy. A popular belief is that Lock was the first stand up comedian to perform at Wembley Arena, as he was the support act for Newman and Baddiel. But, while Lock was the support act, he only featured in skits in the middle of the show.

Lock made regular appearances on various radio panel shows and script edited for Bill Bailey's 1998 BBC2 series, Is It Bill Bailey?. In 1999, 15 Minutes of Misery was expanded into the half hour series 15 Storeys High, co written by Lock and Martin Trenaman. Initially aired on BBC Choice, it follows a cynical Vince and his naive flatmate Errol (Benedict Wong). Lock wrote the screenplay for Andrew Kötting's 2001 feature film This Filthy Earth, based on the novel La Terre by Émile Zola. In 2004, Lock had a guest appearance in television's first ever "dope opera", Top Buzzer, written by Johnny Vaughan. In 2005, he became a regular team captain on the Channel 4 panel game 8 Out of 10 Cats. He was a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats between 2005 and 2015, and on its spin off 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown between 2012 and 2021. In 2008, he appeared on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, on a team with James Corden. In 2010, Lock took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at The O2 Arena. He also appeared in a spoof video produced by Shelter, the housing charity, to highlight the problem of rogue landlords. In 2011, he took over from John Sergeant as the host of the Dave comedy panel show Argumental.

Lock was known for his surreal style, deadpan delivery, and dry humour. The Guardian stated that he was "celebrated for his carefully crafted surreal content and imaginative observational wit". Lock stated that comedy is not always easy, saying: "The real secret is every day spending tedious hours straining over a blank sheet of paper trying to think of something funny. Some days I'd rather try and lay an egg." Fellow comedian Harry Hill said, "People are tempted to pigeonhole him as dark or surreal but he was more than that. He had a playful side; a wide eyed wonder at the world". The family lived in the Muswell Hill area of London. Lock was diagnosed with skin cancer in 1990, attributing the condition to overexposure to the sun while working as a builder in the early 1980s. In May 2012, he gave his support to a Sun Awareness event at the hospital. Lock was a supporter of Chelsea F. C. and was an active supporter of the Muswell Hill soup kitchen. In December 2020, Lock made a video to help raise funds for Edible London, a charity that aimed to provide ingredients for a million meals to help those struggling in lockdown. In the clip, he quipped, "I'm Sean Lock. You may know me as that bloke off the telly whose name you can't remember."

Lock died of cancer at his home, on 16 August 2021, aged 58. According to Bill Bailey, a close friend of Lock, he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer a few years earlier. Those who paid tribute included fellow 8 Out of 10 Cats performers Jimmy Carr, Jon Richardson, Rachel Riley, and Susie Dent; many comedians; Chelsea F. C.; QI; and Channel 4. On 19 August 2021, Channel 4 aired a tribute to Lock, showing his stand up show Keep It Light along with an episode of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Chelsea Football Club paid tribute to Lock on 11 September during their fixture against Aston Villa with a one minute applause during the 58th (the age at which he died) minute of the match. Fans of Lock called for his book The Tiger Who Came for a Pint, a parody book read on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown based on the children's book The Tiger Who Came to Tea, to be published, with some fans suggesting the proceeds should go to cancer research in his honour. In addition, the tribute night of programming prompted fans and friends, including Kathy Burke, to call for the BBC to add 15 Storeys High to its online service. In August 2022, Bill Bailey completed a charity walk in memory of Lock, raising more than £110,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Title Released Notes Ref. (Reference(s)) Live 17 November 2008 Live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo Lockipedia Live 22 November 2010 Purple Van Man (Live 2013) 18 November 2013 Keep It Light – Live 20 November 2017 Live at Margate's Theatre Royal

Year Title Role Notes Ref. (Reference(s)) 1991 Acumen Artist 2000 TV to Go Guest appearance 2004Today with Des and MelGuest appearance 2012–2013 The Channel 4 Mash Up Himself 2020 Mandy Geoff Episode: "Fish" (Series 1 Episode 4)