Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey

Product Information

It seems you no longer need to even express gender-critical views to become a target of the mob. Apparently, it is now enough just to associate with prominent opponents of trans ideology to be marked out for condemnation. The Lewis actor sparked an almighty race row in January 2020 when he weighed into the debate about Meghan Markle and systemic racism in the UK. You may also recognise him from his cameo in Paddington 2 or his co-starring role in The Double. Who is Richard Ayoade married to?

Laurence Fox is Richard’s brother-in-law (Credit: SplashNews.com) Who does BAFTA host Richard Ayoade play in The Mandalorian? The elephant in the room of any interview is, consume this product’ ... Richard Ayoade. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian Laurence later stated in the interview that he’s ‘not denying privilege and I’m not denying racism’. One record that does exist of his beginnings in comedy comes from a documentary the local ITV station made about Footlights at the time. You can see Ayoade alongside a young John Oliver, both in fetching 1990s sweaters, walking along a windswept beach, apparently improvising. “It was literally one of the things that made me not want to do interviews again. You have to imagine: a bunch of 21-year-olds, never-been-out-of-the-house type people. Our tour manager is another 21-year-old saying, ‘This is very important publicity, Anglia television want to do a feature.’ It was awful. They’d ask us to do a sketch while walking and if we complained they’d say, ‘Trust us, we’re professionals, we won’t make you look ridiculous’. Also, we were in this stage when we were just trying to be Chris Morris. Everyone spoke in that I’M TALKING LIKE THIS voice, all the way through. And it’s documented in this awful video, it’s really humiliating.”The Comedy Unleashed event lost both its original and replacement venue due to his outspoken criticisms of the trans rights movement, and Linehan has threatened legal action against the original venue. In an episode of The Sacred podcast, Richard said he also gets his wife to read his projects before he signs up.

But to keep spiked free we ask regular readers like you, if you can afford it, to chip in – to make sure that those who can’t afford it can continue reading, sharing and arguing. MORE : The Chase star Jenny Ryan slams Graham Linehan for ‘whingeing’ over Edinburgh Fringe cancellation Others disagreed with the furore however, saying it was essentially a comedic actor recommending a comedic book. Richard, who is half-Nigerian, was reportedly furious at this, and told Laurence: ‘You have never encountered racism.’That might sound like a mildly amusing conceit for a traditional autobiography, but Ayoade’s actual life is almost entirely absent, his work barely mentioned. The book is more of a surreal and hilarious exercise in self-aggravation. For example, one exchange runs like this: “I read somewhere that you regard your Jewish identity as being important to you.” “It’s very important. It’s foundational.” “And yet you’re not Jewish.” “No.” “And you don’t find that problematic?” “Not at all. I don’t think whether I’m Jewish or not is really relevant to my Jewish identity.” “Would you call yourself a practising Jew?” “I use to play guitar but I don’t really have time for it any more.”

The writer created multiple celebrated sitcoms but has not worked in TV for several years (Picture: AFP via Getty Images) spiked is free for all to read. But to keep it that way, we ask loyal readers like you to support our work. He’s also hosted shows such as the revival of The Crystal Maze, Have I Got News For You and Gadget Man. If that’s his fear about our meeting, he doesn’t show it initially. In fact he’s quite forthcoming as we talk about cinema and comedy. He tells me lots about film I didn’t know: the ways in which Woody Allen makes nods to Ingmar Bergman; that the 1960 film Zazie Dans le Metro is useless for teaching yourself French, as Ayoade attempted as a teenager, because the titular character speaks in slang and purposeful mispronunciation. During his appearance on Question Time, Laurence clashed with an audience member and said it was ‘racist’ for him to be described as a ‘white privileged male’ and that he was ‘bored’ of people ‘throwing the race card’ around.Richard Ayoade has been slammed for praising Graham Linehan’s upcoming book (Picture: SWNS / Getty) I have all these things that I want to say to her, like... Like how I can tell she's a lonely person, even if other people can't. Cause I know what it feels like to be lost and lonely and invisible.” In an interview with The Sunday Times, Laurence said he begged for Richard’s support over the race row. We continue in this combative vein for a while. At one point he says, “It’s hard to read [Nigerian playwright] Wole Soyinka without any knowledge of Yoruba culture, but it shouldn’t be something you can’t enjoy without a reading list,” and then trails off, realising he might have pushed the deflection too far. “That doesn’t feel like it’s going to be the pull quote, does it?” One man and his machine … Guy Martin. Photograph: Ryan Mcnamara/Channel 4 Succession 9pm, Sky Atlantic

Broadcaster and trans woman India Willoughby said she was ‘disappointed’ to see Ayoade’s endorsement of the book, asking in a later tweet: ‘What is wrong with these people?’

Richard Ayoade with his wife Lydia (Credit: SplashNews) What has Richard Ayoade said about Laurence Fox?