Paul Taylor is a British/Irish comedian who performs mostly in France. Taylor moved to Paris in 2009 and he began stand-up in 2013. He is known in France for his television series on Canal+, What the Fuck France, What's Up France ? and Stereotrip. He performed his first stand-up show #Franglais from 2016 to 2018 and his second show, So British , debuted on October 18, 2019 in Paris.
Biography
Between the ages of 2 and 4, Taylor lived in Geneva with his English father and Irish mother. He then lived in France until he was 9, which explains his ability to speak French without an English accent. He returned to England when his parents separated. Taylor studied languages at university and is fluent in French and Spanish. He then worked for Apple in sales. After three years, he started working as an international trainer for the brand. He moved to Paris at 23. As he said in his show #Franglais, when he quit working at Apple he did not apply for any unemployment benefits, which is quite unusual in France.
Media Debut
While at university, Taylor was an extra in The Oxford Murders. What made him known to a larger audience, though, was the online videoLa Bise. The video, which was promoting a night of English language humor in Paris, was uploaded on January,1 2016, and now has more than 3 million views. Filmed in a sequence shot, La Bise mocked this French tradition, and served as a model for Taylor's show What the Fuck France? episodes.
Television
Thanks to the success of La Bise seen over a million times in a few days on YouTube, Canal+ contacted him the following week, offering him to develop a regular short program, along the same format. What the Fuck France? was then broadcast on Canal+. The three-minute short comedy show debuted in September 2016, and ran for 34 episodes where Taylor humorously dissects the peculiarities of French life, seen through an expat's eyes. What the Fuck France? was one of the first shows broadcast in English on a French network. A second program, also broadcast on Canal+, was released in 2017 in a similar format: What's Up France ?. This time, Taylor dissected and analysed the French news in 14 episodes. Finally, a third show was created in 2018 with Canal+. Stereotrip reviews the clichés and stereotypes associated with Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Germany, and England in six 45-minute episodes.
Stand-up Shows
Taylor defines himself primarily as a stand-up comedian. After a few attempts in England at amateur stand-up, he made his debut in Paris in 2013. He became successful quite quickly, particularly thanks to his online videos and his projects with Canal+. His first stand-up show, #Franglais, 50 % in French, 50 % en anglais, was performed in different Parisian theaters such as Le Sentier des Halles, La Nouvelle Eve, and L'Européen, and then on tour in France, Europe and Canada, for almost three years. The entire show was filmed at La Nouvelle Eve in March 2018, and broadcast on Canal+. The final three shows were held at the Casino de Paris in front of 1400 spectators. On October 18, 2019, Taylor debuted his second show: So British after a break-in period of a few weeks in August 2018 at the Point Virgule. The new show was almost called Rebecoming English, but the title was rejected as the verb to rebecome was a neologism coined by Taylor. On June 22, 2020, he participated in a special show, Retour vers la Culture, organised at L'Européen, to celebrate the end of the Coronavirus lockdown and a return to normality in France. A dozen artists performed that night, such as Bun Hay Mean and Fills Monkey.
''Live at Five'' and ''Happy Hour''
On April 20, 2020, Taylor debuted a new show on YouTube to entertain his fans during the Coronavirus lockdown: Live at Five. It originally streamed from Taylor's kitchen table at 5 PM CEST, but was eventually moved to 7 PM CEST, and then 6 PM CEST to accommodate Taylor's home life. During the show, Taylor would chat directly with fans, using FaceTime and Skype to videocall his family, co-workers such as his director Felix, and particularly long-time friend and fellow comedian, QuebecoisRolly Assal. The episodes lasted approximately an hour. At some point, Taylor decided to rename his live broadcasts Paul Taylor's Happy Hour, as he'd often drink a beer while filming and chatting. The show was primarily in English, though there were several special episodes, dubbed "Frandredi" on Fridays, when the show was almost entirely in French. Some later episodes also included Taylor interacting with fans via Zoom. Taylor streamed 70 episodes, until July 7, 2020, before taking a break for the French summer holidays. Most episodes after May 10 have been turned into podcasts, and are available for free on Taylor's website, with additional material at the beginning and end of each podcast.
