Draft:Archie Henderson (comedian)

Archie Henderson is an award-winning English comedian, musician and writer, most notable for performing as the character Jazz Emu.

Personal life
He was educated at Alleyn's School in Dulwich, and later attended Kings College where he read Classics, graduating in 2015 and was a regular contributor to the Footlights performance group from 2014.

Career
After completing his degree in 2015, Henderson balanced a full-time teaching job with performing stand-up comedy across the UK. In 2016, he formed the comedy trio "Two Plus Ones" with fellow Footlights alumni Luke Sumner and Josh Chana. Their comedic endeavors included performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, contributions to Comic Relief, and sketches for the children's show "So Beano!" on Sky One, the group performed under the pseudonym "All the Same."

In 2019, Henderson gained recognition alongside comedian Adrian Gray for a Twitter thread humourously tracing music charts back to 14,000 BC, playfully answering the question, "What happened to the first four versions of Mambo No. 5?"

He made cameo appearances in various television programs, such as Late Night Mash and the BBC Three pilot "Britney," where he played the characters 'Peter' and 'Pedro,' respectively.

Henderson's stand-up comedy career included participation in events like the London BBC New Comedy Awards 2018, Heat 1.

Jazz Emu
In 2018, Henderson introduced his stand-up show titled Archie Henderson: Jazz Emu. Originally, the name referred to his comedic act rather than a distinct character. The choice of "Jazz" alluded to the musical aspect of his comedy, while "Emu" humourously reflected his own physical appearance, as he described himself as resembling an emu. Performances continued into 2019, encompassing venues such as the Brighton Fringe, Buxton Fringe, and Edinburgh Fringe.

Unable to perform live during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Henderson adapted by creating musical songs and sketches on both his personal and Jazz Emu YouTube channel and social media accounts. Through this, he achieved success with the character Jazz Emu, with his song "How To Socialise" featuring on BBC Radio 1 by presenter Greg James who described him as "a very funny man."

The character of Jazz Emu has a unique persona and backstory, often characterised as a Global Sensation, '70s lothario, or world-renowned Sex Therapist. He adopts a distinctive, low, smooth voice and an exaggerated pronunciation of words. The character's backstory delves into a strained relationship with his father, explored extensively in his full-length show, "You Shouldn't Have."

Henderson rarely conducts press interviews as the character Jazz Emu, instead opting to discuss the character in the third person. When Jazz Emu does participate in interviews, the responses tend to be whimsical, obscure, and bizarre.

In 2022, Henderson wrote and starred in a 7½-minute pilot titled "Jazz Emu," produced in collaboration with Blink Industries, a part of Blink (company). This pilot garnered a Discovery Award in the Comedy Shorts Category at the LOCO London Film Festival in May 2023. Notably, comedian Phil Wang played the character Crimpsy Dimpson.

Jazz Emu has also made appearances in musical comedy skits on BBC Radio 4's "The Now Show." including playing the final ever song on the show's final episode.

In 2023, Henderson was approached by UKTV's Dave (TV channel) to write an Eurovision Parody song titled "We Also Wrote A Song," which he performed alongside comedians Rachel Parris, Darren Harriott, Abi Clarke, Josh Jones, and Helen Bauer. The song was released on Dave TV's YouTube and social media platforms.

Henderson appeared as a guest on Richard Herring's interview podcasts, "Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast," in 2023.

Henderson was named the 26th Best Comedian of the 21st Century by The Telegraph in August 2023.

Live performances
Jazz Emu's live performances blend comedy and musicology, offering a unique combination of music and comedic songs and sketches. Henderson's stand-up events typically feature songs from his albums and YouTube channel, and he has also produced his solo shows, including:


 * "NOW That's Who I Call Archie Henderson" at the Brighton Festival Fringe in 2018.
 * "Archie Henderson: Jazz Emu," performed at the Brighton Festival Fringe, Buxton Festival Fringe, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019.
 * "You Shouldn't Have," Jazz Emu's first solo stand-up musical show in 2022 and 2023.
 * "Jazz Emu's Pleasure Garden," a headline performance with his live band, The Cosmique Perfectión, featuring guest appearances by other musical comedy performers. The show was first performed in London in December 2022, with additional runs in March and June 2023 It was also peformed at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, followed by a larger version called "The Pleasure Garden Deluxe" in November 2023 at the Clapham Grand.
 * "Piñata Euro Ision" in 2021 and 2023, where Henderson performed new musical songs and secured first place in 2021 and second place in 2023.
 * Opening support acts for Value Select's American Tour and TWRP's "War of the Worlds" Tour in London in 2022.
 * Opening support acts for Game Grumps' "Tournament of Gamers" UK, Ireland, and European Tour in May 2023.
 * Opening support act for TWRP's "International Business Tour" in Europe in September/October 2023.
 * "Emus United," a 4-day tour in Australia in December 2023.

TV Appearances
In August 2023, it was announced on Instagram by Sarah Millican that Jazz Emu would be making a guest appearance on Dictionary Corner alongside Susie Dent in the upcoming series of 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. This episode is aired on Channel 4 during the autumn/winter of 2023.

You Shouldn't Have
"You Shouldn't Have" is Henderson's first full-length solo show centered around the character of Jazz Emu. The show features songs originally featured on his YouTube channel. The plot revolves around Jazz Emu's attempts to salvage his career after a faux pas in Finland.

In 2016, Jazz Emu played the biggest gig he'd ever landed at the Helsinki Velodrome. But during his between-song patter, he carelessly insulted one of his biggest fans. What he said doesn't bear repeating, but let's say the Scandinavian Goblin community may never look him in the eye again.

Now he's back to clear his name and regain his former glory. Will he be able to surmount the insurmountable and get every single person in the world to like him? Or is it time for him to face the music?

Initially, the show had a limited run at Chiswick Playhouse in March 2022 and additional performances at the Gilded Balloon: Patter Hoose at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2022. The show received critical acclaim, with reviews from notable sources like The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times, and Time Out praising Henderson's performance.

Due to its initial success, additional dates were added at the Soho Theatre in February and April 2023. The show also returned to the Jersey Arts Centre at the Theatre of Jersey in April 2023 and also 11 further performances at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Knight Fever
Knight Fever is Henderson's second full-length show, concentrating on the character of Jazz Emu. It takes influences from The Pleasure Garden, as he performs with his band The Cosmique Perfectión. The plot centres on Jazz Emu trying to achieve a Knighthood by performing at the Royal Variety Performance. After initial Work In Progress showings, three week run at the Soho Theatre was followed by a month long run at the Edinburgh Fringe, and an upcoming UK tour in 2025.

Discography
Since 2020, Henderson has released 5 full length, self-produced albums, and singles under the persona of Jazz Emu:

(Sic) (2020)

 * Released: 20 January 2020

Vulnerabilité (2021)

 * Released: 21 January 2021

Humilis (2021)

 * Released: 26 July 2021

Digital Spool (2022)

 * Released: 1 September 2022

Technically, Probably More Of The Same, I Suppose, In Theory (2023)

 * Released: 19th December 2023

Passionfruit (2018)

 * Released 4 December 2018

Dangerous Andrew (2019)

 * Released 22 July 2019

The True Meaning of The Season (2019)

 * Released 4 December 2021

I Believe In A Thing Called Love (2022)

 * Released: 17 March 2022

I Could Get Into It (2024)

 * Released: 13 July 2024