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| {{Infobox actor | |||
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| | name = Chris Langham | |||
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| | birthdate = {{birth date and age|1949|4|14}} | |||
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| | spouse = Sue Jones-Davies (''divorced'')<br/>Christine Cartwright | |||
| | homepage = | |||
| | notable role = '']'' (Roy Mallard) | |||
| | academyawards = | |||
| | emmyawards = | |||
| | tonyawards = | |||
| | baftaawards = ''']'''<br>] '']'' <br/>''']'''<br/>] '']'' | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Christopher Langham''' (born ] ]) is a ] writer and comedian. He is most famous for playing presenter Roy Mallard in '']'', first on ] and later on its transfer to television on ], where Mallard is almost entirely an ]. He subsequently created several spoof adverts in the same vein. He also played similar unseen interviewers in an episode of the television series ''Happy Families'' and in the film '']'' (Martin Samuels). He is also well known for his roles in the TV series '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and as the gatehouse guard in '']''. | |||
| In August 2007, Langham was found guilty of downloading indecent images of children from the internet. He was also found not guilty of six counts of indecent assault. He is currently on remand in custody pending sentencing on September 14th. | |||
| ==Career== | |||
| Langham read English and Drama at ] before moving into a career in comedy. He had a small part in '']'' as a ]. One of his earliest breaks was as the sole British writer for '']''. He also appeared as the "special guest star" in the thirteenth episode of the final season, when scheduled guest ] was unable to make it to the recording; a script was hastily written in which "Chris the Delivery Boy" stood in for an absent celebrity. He received two awards from the ] for his work on ''The Muppet Show''. | |||
| Langham was part of the original team for '']'' in 1979, and even after the original pilot was pulled from the schedules he was retained for the first full series, billed equally with the then unknown ], ] and ]. The first series did not rate as well as hoped, however, and it was felt that Langham was "too independent a spirit" so he was replaced by support player ]. Langham did not learn of the switch until the last day of filming when he heard the crew discussing the second series. The show only achieved cult status during its later series, and in subsequent compilation repeats most of Langham's contributions have been cut, giving the impression that he was never a main cast member. This impression was not helped by the fact that the first series of the show has not been repeated, due to a belief in the ] that the material was of a topical nature and would therefore not be suitable for transmission so long after the event. Langham already had problems with addiction to cocaine and alcohol and his sacking worsened this situation. However, he has since overcome these problems. | |||
| Langham went on to appear on Smith and Jones' own programme, '']'', playing an ineffectual panel show host; this character apparently inspired ] to create the character of Roy Mallard, later to feature in his show '']'' played (offscreen) by Langham. Langham also played a fly-on-the-wall documentary interviewer very similar to Roy Mallard in '']'' in 1985. | |||
| Also in 1979, Langham played ] in the first professional stage version of '']'', directed by ]. (He later returned to ''Hitchhiker's'', appearing as ] in ]' ] radio series in 2004.) | |||
| Langham narrated the 1984 radio series '']'', in which Langham gave a comedic (and somewhat fictitious) account of the history of ]. On Radio 4 he narrated the series ''The Rapid Eye Movement'', which starred ] as Chester Bennington, in whose head the entire series took place. On ]] Langham appeared as the narrator/reporter in ''Roxanne'', episode five of the BBC ] ''Happy Families'', written by ]. In 1992 he appeared in the film '']''. | |||
| In addition to several one-man shows, Langham counts among his stage credits '']'' (played the role of Thénardier in 1996), '']'' (for which he received an Olivier nomination), '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']''. | |||
| Langham wrote the ] sitcom '']'', in which he also appeared along with ] and ]. In 2002 he wrote and starred in ''Bradford In My Dreams'', an adaptation of a short story by ] for the BBC. In 2003 he directed the comedy series ''].'' | |||
| In 2003 and 2005, respectively, he portrayed the authors ] and ] – in the BBC ] ''George Orwell - A Life In Pictures'' and the ] documentary ''John Wyndham: the Invisible Man of Science Fiction''. He also appeared in the radio magazine satire '']''. | |||
| He has starred alongside co-writer ] in '']'' on BBC2 in 2005, where he also appeared in the ] comedy '']'' in the same year. Langham was named Best Comedy Actor in the ] and won the ] Best Comedy Performance award for his role in ''The Thick Of It''. In November of 2005 Langham wrote and starred in ITV pilot "Seven Second Delay". | |||
| He is a regular guest on ''The Heaven and Earth Show'' and part of '']'' writing team - in this series he has occasionally appeared on the show as a civil servant discussing things with Bremner's ]. On radio Langham has appeared as a panellist on the Radio 4 show ''Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive''. | |||
| ==Personal life== | |||
| Langham has three sons by his first wife, actress ], and two children by his second, stage director, Christine Cartwright. His daughter Emily was featured in '']'' as a child prodigy. He lives in ]. | |||
| ===Arrest and conviction for child pornography charges=== | |||
| {{Current court case|date=July 2007}} | |||
| On ] ], Langham was arrested by ] in connection with an ongoing investigation into internet ], and was released on bail. The arrest was first reported in the press on ] ], in response to which Langham's lawyer read a statement in which he said that he was innocent, and pointed out that he had not been charged.<ref name="chortle">{{cite news|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/dec05/langham.php|work=chortle.co.uk|title= Langham arrested|date=}}</ref><ref name=bbc->{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/.stm|work=BBC News |title=TV comedian in 'net porn' arrest |date=}}</ref> | |||
| However, on ] ] he was charged with 15 counts of making ] images of children.<ref name="sky-">{{cite news|url=http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,,00.html|work=Sky News|title= Langham charged|date=}}</ref><ref name=bbc->{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/.stm |work=BBC News |title=Comic actor charged over net porn |date=}}</ref> | |||
| The trial took place during July and August 2007. Part of Langham's defence to these charges in court were that they were research on a ] character "Pedro" for a ]. Langham's former '']'' co-star/writer ] gave evidence that although referred to as a "]" prone to highly dubious sexual behaviour ("It was implied he had rubbed up against someone on a train" Whitehouse stated in court), there was at no point any suggestion that the character was a paedophile, nor was Whitehouse aware of Langham obtaining such material for the development of programmes script.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/.stm|work=BBC News|title=Co-star Whitehouse 'did not know about porn' |date=|accessdate=}}</ref> | |||
| A selection of files and images found on Langham's laptop computer were shown to the jury on ] ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/.stm|work=BBC News|title=Child porn shown to Langham jury |date=|accessdate=}}</ref> Langham stated that he himself had been sexually abused by a stranger as a child,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,,00.html|work=The Guardian|title=Langham tells court he was abused as a child |date=|accessdate=}}</ref> and admitted having pornography to help him "work through" his own psychological difficulties which resulted, but denied being himself a paedophile.<ref name="Times1">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2144091.ece|work=Timesonline|title=Langham breaks down at trial and says: I was abused |date=|accessdate=27 July 2007}}</ref> He stated of one pornographic film ]ed that "I talked to my wife about it. I’m one of the children in the photographs. That’s the problem I have with it. I don’t know how to react to it," <ref name="Times1" /> adding: | |||
| {{cquote|I know about the world of being at the receiving end of a paedophile but I don’t know about paedophilia, the networks, the slang, what does the room look like my heart started beating, my mouth went dry and I started feeling sick. I tried to think what was the connection that made me go there To me it was like putting my face in a chainsaw. I had to get out. I did it on four occasions and had I not been arrested, I probably would have done it again it’s an issue in my life. It was horrible.<ref name="Times1"/>}} | |||
| On ] ] Chris Langham was found guilty on charges of possessing child pornography. He was remanded in custody pending sentencing on ].<ref name="sky020807">{{cite news |url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1278369,00.html |work=Sky News|title=Actor Guilty On Child Porn Charges |date=2007-08-02 |accessdate=2007-08-02}}</ref> | |||
| During the same period Langham was charged with eight sexual offences against an unnamed girl who was below the age of 16 at the time she claimed she was assaulted.<ref name=bbc->{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/.stm|work=BBC News|title=Actor Langham on assault charges|date=}}</ref> Langham was tried and acquitted of all these charges in the same trial where the pornography offences were considered.<ref name="sky020807"/> | |||
| Langham stated throughout that he was determined to clear his name but withdrew from all BBC projects pending the outcome of the case.<ref name=reuters->{{cite news|url=http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=-14T164709Z_01_L14277990_RTRUKOC_0_UK-CRIME-LANGHAM.xml|work=Reuters|title=Langham in court over sex charges|date=}}</ref> On ] 2006 it was reported that he was banned from attending the 2006 ] despite his current show, '']'', being a contender for an award at the show.<ref name=thesun->{{cite news|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2006560243,00.html|work=The Sun|title=Chris gets shut out of awards|date=] ]|accessdate=2007-07-28|publisher=News Group Newspapers Limited}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist|2}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * at the ] | |||
| * at the ] Guide to Comedy | |||
| *{{imdb|nm0486413}} | |||
| '''Interviews''' | |||
| * at BBC News Online (May 2001) | |||
| * at ''The Guardian'' (May 2006) | |||
| <!-- Metadata: see ] --> | |||
| {{Persondata | |||
| |NAME= Langham, Chris | |||
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| |DATE OF BIRTH= 1949-4-14 | |||
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| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Langham, Chris}} | |||
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Revision as of 21:41, 2 August 2007
INNOCENT!