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Laurence Clark is a British stand-up comedian, writer, actor, presenter, and disability rights campaigner. Laurence was born with cerebral palsy and uses his line of work to alter the general public's perceptions of disabled people.[1]
Laurence Clark topped Shortlist magazine's poll of Britain's Ten Funniest New Comedians in 2009.[citation needed]
At the Labour Party conference in 2005, Clark was called a 'sit-down comedian' by the then-Prime Minister's wife Cherie Blair, referring to him being a wheelchair user. Clark shrugged off the press attention, saying she was just cracking a "crap joke".[2]
Clark gave his first live stand-up show, The All-Star Charity Show, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2003. It was described by The Scotsman critic, Kate Copstick, as a "powerful comedy voice" and "stunningly hard-hitting".[3] and was a Critics' Choice in The Times.[citation needed] Clark's next show, The Jim Davidson Guide to Equality, was based upon comparisons between Jim Davidson's stand-up and Tony Blair's manifesto speeches.[4] A teenage experience of appearing on Jim'll Fix It with Jimmy Savile[citation needed] provided the basis for Jim Fixed It for Me, performed at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival.[5] Clark's show at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival, 12% Evil, used video clips and Powerpoint slides to ridicule common clichés and stereotypes about disabled people.[6] Spastic Fantastic (2008), charted Clark's mission, as someone who has cerebral palsy, to rescue the word ‘spastic’ through various means, including the use of secret cameras.[7] Health Hazard (2011), focused on the dangers of privatising the British National Health Service.[8] He won a commission from the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad to produce a new show in that year.[9]
Clark also occasionally performs as part of the comedy group "Abnormally Funny People", with Steve Best, Liz Carr, Tanyalee Davis, Chris McCausland, Steve Day and Simon Minty.[10]
Clark has appeared on "Are You Having A Laugh? TV and Disability" (BBC2);[11] The Heaven and Earth Show (BBC 1); Embarrassing Bodies (Channel 4); The London Programme (ITV); The Shooting Party (Channel 4) and I'm With Stupid (BBC 3).[12] In October 2004 he was a reporter on Newsnight (BBC 2), presenting a short film about disability and the UK Abortion Act.[13] Clark and his family are the subject of a documentary film as part of BBC 1's Beyond Disability season called ‘We Won't Drop the Baby’ to be screened on 25 March 2012 on BBC 1,[14][15] narrated by David Tennant.[16]
On stage Clark has acted with Graeae Theatre Company, playing Richard in their forum theatre play The Trouble with Richard.[17] He also appeared in David Thacker’s A Midsummer Night's Dream at Bolton's Octagon Theatre, about which the Guardian said "his wheelchair-assisted Wall is indeed ‘the wittiest partition that I ever heard discourse.’"[18]
Laurence Clark lives in Liverpool[19] with his wife and two children.[20]
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