Comedy
A-Z
The A-Z of Al Murray
Learn your ABCs with The Pub Landlord ahead of his upcoming UK tour this winter
A is for Alastair James Hay Murray
Beautiful British name.
B is for Berlin
Though Murray’s alter-ego of The Pub Landlord has a certain aversion for all things German, the comedian has displayed a keen interest in both travel and history, which has taken him to Germany on more than one occasion, in separate documentary series. Al Murray’s Road To Berlin reflected a quite sombre visit, exploring the final phase of the Second World War, while his second visit was somewhat more light-hearted, examining the country’s creative history, in ‘Al Murray’s German Adventure’.
C is for Cricket
Murray is a very keen fan of cricket (beautiful British sport), and when he’s not on stage, he can be found watching and playing it, even featuring on podcasts and the radio to discuss his love for the game, such as Test Match Special. His passion is so well-known, he was even invited to attend a farewell lunch for the men’s England cricket team before they departed for the 2013/14 Ashes series.
D is for Drumming
It seems when Murray has a passion for something, he really goes in. For not only is he a keen drummer, having played on the instrument with the likes of Phil Collins and Queen, but he’s also the director of British Drum Co., a very serious organisation who create drums and percussion instruments for musicians.
E is for Edinburgh
Like so many stand-up comedians before him, and since, Murray had a big break at theEdinburgh Fringe Festival. Having been nominated for the main prize, the Perrier Award in 96, 97 and again in 98 – he was finally triumphant in bringing the award home for his show in 99.
F is for FUKP
Under the guise of his Pub Landlord persona, Murray dabbled in politics, forming the Free United Kingdom Party (FUKP) becoming an actual parliamentary candidate in South Thanet, Kent in 2015, the same constituency as a certain Nigel Farage, whom he was seeking to satirise with overstated political ideals that would poke fun at the competition. Their logo was even an upside-down pound sign, mimicking that of UKIP’s. Murray received just 318 votes in the end, and in turn, invited fellow loser Farage to have a pint so they could drown their sorrows together.
G is for Guv
Guv has taken on as a real nickname for The Pub Landlord and has even featured in the titles of his stand-up shows, as Guv Island was the title of his last, and his forthcoming tour is entitled All You Need Is Guv – and he’s not wrong.
H is for Happy Hour
Al Murray’s Happy Hour was a talk show first aired on ITV in 2007, which was a hilarious show featuring a whole host of different celebrities on his couch (well, bar stool), such as Jerry Springer, Cilla Black, Andy Serkis – and even Spice Girls Mel C & Emma Bunton. The show was also complete with live music, with the likes of Queen & Madness performing in his pub.
I is for “If it’s too hard, I can’t understand it”
A simple catchphrase, and one that belonged to one of our very favourite iterations of Al Murray – where he played ‘Alan’ the bigger brother to Harry Hill, a role that marked a close friendship between the two comics, who rose up together at the same time. Murray even cites Hill as having a hand in the creation of The Pub Landlord. But we do still miss Alan.
J is for Jools Holland
A semi-surprising professional connection between musical maestro Jools Holland and Al Murray, with the latter featuring on Later… with Jools Holland, and on Jool’s Hootenanny – having even performed together in Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.
K is for Knighthood
Sadly, there is no Sir Al Murray (yet), but there has been one in the family, for Murray is the grandchild to Sir Ralph Murray, who was a hugely successful journalist, and diplomat.
L is for Live At The Apollo
Though a man of many talents and many interests, it’s really on stage as a stand-up comedian where Murray is best known, and one of the homes for stand-up comedy in Britain is Live At The Apollo. Murray has not only featured on the show but did so as host.
M is for Multiple Personality Disorder
Away from the stage, but still very much ingrained in the world of comedy, Murray also created in and starred in a sketch show, entitled Al Murray’s Multiple Personality Disorder, which ran for one series on ITV back in 2007. Characters such as the Victorian thief ‘Barrington Blowtorch’ & the ‘Intolerant Vicar’ featured.
N is for Norwich
Murray’s upcoming and eagerly anticipated tour All You Need Is Guv kickstarts at the very beginning of 2026, with the opening show happening at the Theatre Royal in Norwich on 9 January, in a UK tour that will run until October of next year.
O is for Oxford University
Murray graduated at none other than Oxford University, reading Modern History. While academic teaching was the order of the day, it also kickstarted the birth of his comedy career, but we’ll get to that later…
P is for Pub Landlord
Here we have it, the man himself. The Pub Landlord is a character that has become completely synonymous with Al Murray, satirising British culture in such a clever and funny way. It’s a persona that Murray first performed in 1994, and since then has really illustrated the comedian’s career, and still does to this day.
Q is for Queen
If there is one thing that The Pub Landlord loves, even more than being British, it’s rock band Queen. Coming out to their hit single ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, the musical outfit have provided something of a soundtrack, and comedic vehicle for Murray across his career, often requiring musicians on his show to recreate songs from Queen’s back-catalogue, in their own style.
R is for Revue
The Oxford Revue was a comedy group that Murray performed in while at Oxford University, which had featured a staggeringly impressive list of comedic alumni who studied within its iconic walls, including the likes of the Monty Python stars Michael Palin and John Cleese, as well as Maggie Smith and Rowan Atkinson. In Murray’s 1989 show, he was directed by none other than Stewart Lee.
S is for Stewkley
Al Murray was born in Stewkley, Buckinghamshire. Which does go some way in explaining his love for cricket, since it was also the home for England cricketers Alastair Cook and Darren Gough.
T is for Time Gentlemen Please
We’ve had sketch shows, stand-up and even a chat show – so of course it makes sense that the Pub Landlord would be front and centre of a sitcom, all set in his unwelcoming pub. Written by Murray along with Richard Herring, Time Gentlemen Please ran for two series on Sky One.
U is for Uniform
One of the most distinctive traits to The Pub Landlord, is his uniform. Sort of resembling that of a secondary school student, his maroon-coloured jacket and white shirt, with blue tie, has been a staple in the popular act.
V is for Vanity Fair
Al Murray once played William Makepeace Thackeray in a BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the Thackeray’s popular novel Vanity Fair – but there’s something more interesting to note here: Murray is actually a descendant of Thackeray. His great-great-great grandfather, no less.
W is for The Word
The Word was an early 1990’s variety show aired on Channel 4, famed for kickstarting the careers of Terry Christian and Mark Lamarr – but it also served another purpose, for it was the home of Al Murray’s first ever television appearance.
X is for Xenophobia
So, xenophobia is not usually a laughing matter, but is satirised in an intelligent way by Murray via his character of The Pub Landlord. Patriotism is a key component of the act, with the French and Germans feeling the wrath of the character’s disdain.
Y is for Yeovil
Yeovil, Somerset marks one of the many British towns that Murray is taking his new tour to in 2026 – and thank God he’s playing there too, not only for the people of Yeovil, but so we could think of something beginning with the letter Y.
Z is for Zarathurstra
Al Murray, as we’ve previously established, is an avid drummer, and through his musical ability, he became the drummer for band Evangelista, who were the house band at Stewart Lee and Simon Munnery’s Cluub Zarathustra, a cabaret act in London that celebrated the more unconventional leg of British comedy.
Al Murray brings All You Need Is Guv to UK stages from January 2026. Find tickets here
