Christopher Poole Develops His Own Form of British Humour
Christopher Poole, comedy director repped by Bang TV, has adorned commercials, TV shows and films alike with his irreverent humour. Christopher started his career as an editor after spending his early adulthood assisting his photographer father on shoots and more importantly, being totally mesmerised by the craft of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ - the film that put him on his current path.
His goal as a director was to create his very own form of British comedy, and since this idea headed his to-do list, he hasn’t stopped chasing it. Directing Russell Howard, Jamie Demetriou, Bill Bailey and the ‘Horrible Histories’ cast - as well as a series of hilarious commercials for PlayStation (more on that below) - Christopher is still flexing and developing his comedy muscles.
A darker side of his humour shined through when he lured Garth Marenghi (fictional horror author created by English comedian Matthew Holness) out of retirement to star in a Satanic Christmas special. This was the project that caught the eye of Bang TV’s head of headhunting - it was a disturbing, ten-minute long techno-terror trip called ‘Aria’.
LBB’s Zoe Antonov sat down with Christopher for a quick snapshot of his career and comedic style.
LBB> Christopher, tell me about your upbringing and what role creativity played in it. Did you always know you'd go in this direction?
Christopher> My dad is a photographer, so I’ve always been around image-making. I used to assist him on his shoots - he’d photograph A-list celebrities and have me in the studio. I was his 11-year-old assistant.
I watched ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ on January 1, 2001 and that was the day I decided I wanted to be Stanley Kubrick. Nothing less will do.
LBB> And how did you become a comedy director?
Christopher> When I was at university studying TV production, I would try to make things that I thought were deep, dark and profound, but they always ended up being funny. I didn’t look for comedy, it found me.
LBB> What were the early days of your directing career like and what sort of gigs did you start with?
Christopher> Too many things I don’t want to admit.
One career lowlight - I shot the Wonga apology video. Just the CEO, sitting in a meeting room, admitting to all the terrible things they’d done. My DOP friend Howard Mills thinks of that story if he’s on a bad job and needs a reality check. ‘At least I’m not shooting the Wonga apology video’ is his mantra.
LBB> What was the project that levelled up your career for the first time?
Christopher> Shooting a PlayStation commercial with Bill Bailey. I had worked in comedy TV for a while, on big comedy shows. But shooting a scripted commercial, with actors, was really exciting.
LBB> And what were your main inspirations back in those days? Have some of them remained?
Christopher> ‘Twin Peaks’ season one, ‘Twin Peaks’ season two and ‘Twin Peaks’ season three. Mainly.
LBB> What are some themes that you're currently interested in exploring through your work and why?
Christopher> Privacy, data, AI, wellbeing, the business of wellness, autism and roller-coaster enthusiasts. I just find these areas interesting and funny.
LBB> What are some challenges that you've recently come to find in projects and how did you overcome them?
Christopher> In the MoneyGram Christmas advert that’s about to come out, the cast was the actual Haas F1 team. Working with non-actors in a comedy ad, I always say “Don’t try and be funny at all, don’t act, just be totally expressionless.” Normally that works and I find it hilarious.
LBB> And how important is casting when making comedy commercials? What are you after mostly?
Christopher> It’s the most important! Well, equal to a good script. Everything else is secondary. Mostly, I’m after actors with a dead-straight face. I actually think comic performers make the most interesting actors. I made a horror film with comedy actors, and just by doing that, the film had a more interesting edge to it.
LBB> What do you believe is your funniest project and why?
Christopher> I think my ‘God of War’ ad is the funniest, just because of Henry Perryment’s ‘Ed from the agency’. I think taking a protein shake to a presentation is really funny. I also really liked working with those lovely chihuahuas.
But, most of the world thinks my six-second video of a Japanese man laughing is the funniest, so what do I know?
LBB> How can adland get funnier?
Christopher> Spend as much effort on the gags as you do on making it look nice.
LBB> Finally, who's the funniest person you know in your life and why?
Christopher> Nathan Fielder. I don’t know him, but he’s very much in my life.
