Waen Shepherd
Encyclopedia
Waen Shepherd is an English
actor
and comedian
. Originally from Yorkshire
, England, he later moved to London
.
and fringe actor ("Supple-limbed… expressive … effortless" What's On), Waen started out performing bizarre experimental monologues at the early Cluub Zarathustra, touring with spoof techno
band and Edinburgh
sell-out The Pod ("The future of techno comedy" Guardian; "The musical comedy event of the festival" NME
), hosting the underground cabaret
Gritty Fingers and smashing up Cornish pasties in the guise of ranting Northern madman William Whicker.
He graduated from Oxford University in 1993, with a degree in Philosophy
and Psychology
.
Waen went on to co-write and narrate award-winning animation
The Wolfman (screened on C4 and subsequently transformed into a "Third Place" ad for Sony's PS2), before writing, directing and starring in his own animation Origen's Wake for Channel 4
's Comedy
Lab series.
Since then, Waen concentrated on building an arsenal of comedy characters on stage
, partly through his work as one half of Shepherd & Farnaby ("Brilliant" Comedy Lounge; "Pleasingly surreal, theatre of the absurd
as scripted by Vic and Bob" Evening Standard) in their shows Animal Pie and Peterford Golf Club ("Waen Shepherd's Peterford Golf Club Chairman, tin-tray head-beating Stuart Ogilvie, is a comedy legend in the making" Fringe Report), and partly through his solo work on the comedy circuit, notably at clubs such as The Big Gig, Comedy at the Cochrane, Hello Wembley
, The D4 Special and Ealing
Live!
In 2003 Waen created a deluded monster in the form of Gary Le Strange
, melding his love of composing ("Bombastic… difficult to ignore" Sound on Sound) with his natural ability to create truly original comedy characters. He went on to win the Perrier Award Best Newcomer (2003) for that debut performance.
He has achieved cult
status, with many worldwide fans owning his albums and attending "Club Le Strange" at the Albany in London, an evening hosted by Gary Le Strange
and boasting the cream of British leftfield
comedy talent.
Waen enjoys portraying exaggerated or absurd characters, and he can be seen in two series of BBC2's science fiction comedy, Hyperdrive
, as Captain Helix.
He can be heard on BBC Radio 2
on Saturday's Out to Lunch
programme.
He has been filming some of his pop videos for ITV
2's new comedy show entitled Comedy Cuts directed by Stewart Lee
which are due for first transmission in January 2007.
In 2007, Waen appeared in a short film by Tim Plester
entitled World of Wrestling, in which he played 'Exotic' Adrian Street, a wrestler with the flamboyance of a drag queen. He also has had two roles in Series 1 of We Are Klang
as 'The Juggler' and a Hungarian prince. Waen played the role of creepy teacher, Mr "Paedo" Kennedy, in the award-winning second series of The Inbetweeners
.
Waen has been cited as one of the Top 50 British comedians by The Times
and he is included as one of the Top 50 Cult Comedian Icons in the Rough Guide series of books.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
. Originally from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England, he later moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
Following his days as a stand-up poetPoet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and fringe actor ("Supple-limbed… expressive … effortless" What's On), Waen started out performing bizarre experimental monologues at the early Cluub Zarathustra, touring with spoof techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
band and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
sell-out The Pod ("The future of techno comedy" Guardian; "The musical comedy event of the festival" NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
), hosting the underground cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
Gritty Fingers and smashing up Cornish pasties in the guise of ranting Northern madman William Whicker.
He graduated from Oxford University in 1993, with a degree in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.
Waen went on to co-write and narrate award-winning animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
The Wolfman (screened on C4 and subsequently transformed into a "Third Place" ad for Sony's PS2), before writing, directing and starring in his own animation Origen's Wake for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
Lab series.
Since then, Waen concentrated on building an arsenal of comedy characters on stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
, partly through his work as one half of Shepherd & Farnaby ("Brilliant" Comedy Lounge; "Pleasingly surreal, theatre of the absurd
Theatre of the Absurd
The Theatre of the Absurd is a designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction, written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work...
as scripted by Vic and Bob" Evening Standard) in their shows Animal Pie and Peterford Golf Club ("Waen Shepherd's Peterford Golf Club Chairman, tin-tray head-beating Stuart Ogilvie, is a comedy legend in the making" Fringe Report), and partly through his solo work on the comedy circuit, notably at clubs such as The Big Gig, Comedy at the Cochrane, Hello Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
, The D4 Special and Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
Live!
In 2003 Waen created a deluded monster in the form of Gary Le Strange
Gary Le Strange
Gary Le Strange is a character created by comedian Waen Shepherd. Le Strange is played as an eccentric English cult-rock composer, songwriter and performer, who believes his surreal and abstract performances to be groundbreaking....
, melding his love of composing ("Bombastic… difficult to ignore" Sound on Sound) with his natural ability to create truly original comedy characters. He went on to win the Perrier Award Best Newcomer (2003) for that debut performance.
He has achieved cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
status, with many worldwide fans owning his albums and attending "Club Le Strange" at the Albany in London, an evening hosted by Gary Le Strange
Gary Le Strange
Gary Le Strange is a character created by comedian Waen Shepherd. Le Strange is played as an eccentric English cult-rock composer, songwriter and performer, who believes his surreal and abstract performances to be groundbreaking....
and boasting the cream of British leftfield
Leftfield
Leftfield are a British duo of electronica artists and record producers, namely Paul Daley and Neil Barnes, who formed in 1990 in London, England...
comedy talent.
Waen enjoys portraying exaggerated or absurd characters, and he can be seen in two series of BBC2's science fiction comedy, Hyperdrive
Hyperdrive (TV series)
Hyperdrive is a British television science fiction sitcom series produced by the BBC created under the working title of "Full Power." BBC2 broadcast two series in 2006 and 2007, A third series is yet to be commissioned and the actor Kevin Eldon has indicated that is unlikely to be...
, as Captain Helix.
He can be heard on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
on Saturday's Out to Lunch
Out to Lunch (radio show)
Out to Lunch was a midday radio show on 105.7 in Towson, Maryland. The show was originally hosted by Steve "Thrill" Hill and Bill Rohland. Rohland was replaced by Miles Montgomery. The show with Steve and Miles then moved to Seattle and became "The Men's Room" on 99.9 KISW from 2:00pm - 6:00pm...
programme.
He has been filming some of his pop videos for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
2's new comedy show entitled Comedy Cuts directed by Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...
which are due for first transmission in January 2007.
In 2007, Waen appeared in a short film by Tim Plester
Tim Plester
Tim Plester is a British playwright and actor who lives and works in London.Plester graduated in 1994 with a BA in theatre at Dartington College of Arts in Devon, and went on to obtain an MA in playwriting studies from Birmingham University in 1997...
entitled World of Wrestling, in which he played 'Exotic' Adrian Street, a wrestler with the flamboyance of a drag queen. He also has had two roles in Series 1 of We Are Klang
We Are Klang
We Are Klang is a three-piece sit-com group consisting of comedians Greg Davies, Steve Hall and Marek Larwood. Klang are noted for their anarchic and frequently rude comedy....
as 'The Juggler' and a Hungarian prince. Waen played the role of creepy teacher, Mr "Paedo" Kennedy, in the award-winning second series of The Inbetweeners
The Inbetweeners
The Inbetweeners is a British sitcom which aired for three series from 2008 to 2010 on E4. Created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, the show follows the life of suburban teenager Will , and three of his friends at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive. The Inbetweeners Movie was...
.
Waen has been cited as one of the Top 50 British comedians by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and he is included as one of the Top 50 Cult Comedian Icons in the Rough Guide series of books.
TV credits
- The InbetweenersThe InbetweenersThe Inbetweeners is a British sitcom which aired for three series from 2008 to 2010 on E4. Created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, the show follows the life of suburban teenager Will , and three of his friends at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive. The Inbetweeners Movie was...
- Series 2 (Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
) - 2009 John "Paedo" Kennedy - The InbetweenersThe InbetweenersThe Inbetweeners is a British sitcom which aired for three series from 2008 to 2010 on E4. Created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, the show follows the life of suburban teenager Will , and three of his friends at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive. The Inbetweeners Movie was...
- Series 3 (Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
) - 2010 John "Paedo" Kennedy - We Are KlangWe Are KlangWe Are Klang is a three-piece sit-com group consisting of comedians Greg Davies, Steve Hall and Marek Larwood. Klang are noted for their anarchic and frequently rude comedy....
- 2009 Hungarian Prince - We Are KlangWe Are KlangWe Are Klang is a three-piece sit-com group consisting of comedians Greg Davies, Steve Hall and Marek Larwood. Klang are noted for their anarchic and frequently rude comedy....
- 2009 The Juggler - HyperdriveHyperdrive (TV series)Hyperdrive is a British television science fiction sitcom series produced by the BBC created under the working title of "Full Power." BBC2 broadcast two series in 2006 and 2007, A third series is yet to be commissioned and the actor Kevin Eldon has indicated that is unlikely to be...
Series Two (BBC2) - 2007 Captain Helix - Comedy CutsComedy CutsComedy Cuts is a comedy programme on the British TV channel ITV2 that aims to provide an opportunity for new comedy performers to present their talents. Featuring 40 performers demonstrating a mix of stand up and sketches, the series is shot entirely on location...
(ITV2ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
) - 2007 Gary Le Strange - World Stands Up (BBC AmericaBBC AmericaBBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
- 2006 - HyperdriveHyperdrive (TV series)Hyperdrive is a British television science fiction sitcom series produced by the BBC created under the working title of "Full Power." BBC2 broadcast two series in 2006 and 2007, A third series is yet to be commissioned and the actor Kevin Eldon has indicated that is unlikely to be...
Series One - BBC2 - 2006 Captain Helix - Gary Le StrangeGary Le StrangeGary Le Strange is a character created by comedian Waen Shepherd. Le Strange is played as an eccentric English cult-rock composer, songwriter and performer, who believes his surreal and abstract performances to be groundbreaking....
(BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
) - Comedy Lab: Origen's Wake (Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
) actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, directorTelevision directorA television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the... - PS2 "Third Place" advert, actor/writer
- The Wolfman (C4) actor/writer
- Comedy Nation (BBC2) actor/writer
- The Net (BBC2)
- London Shouting (BBC2)
Film credits
- World of Wrestling (Ben Gregor 2007)
- The Incredibly Strange People Show (Powercage Films, 2001)
Radio credits
- Out to Lunch (BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
) - The Day The Music Died (BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
) - 4 At The Store (BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
) - The Pod Christmas Special (BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
) - Exam Slam (BBC Radio 1)
- The End of the Road Show (BBC Radio 4)