Comedian Eddie Izzard makes history | USC News Comedian Eddie Izzard makes history October 15, 2012 Eddie Izzard performs at Bovard Auditorium. (Photo/Nathan Carter) USC students got a history lesson on Oct. 5 from British comedian Eddie Izzard, who gave a surreal account of civilization ranging from the Big Bang to the moon landing. “What makes Izzard really fascinating is his sheer intelligence, his sheer knowledge about world history, that he can bring into his comedy,” said Dane Martens, director of USC Spectrum, which hosts the Student Affairs arts and lectures program that brought the comedian to campus. Izzard, who performed to a packed crowd at Bovard Auditorium, jumped stream-of-consciousness style from the Crusades and British tin mining to Greek mythology and Wikipedia. His jokes often took the form of imaginary dialogues, and his characters ranged from Buzz Aldrin to a diary-keeping giant squid. Izzard scurried around the stage as if he was playing every part in a skit.

According to Izzard’s account, the Stone Age began with a little clumsiness: On his way to kill a mastodon in the tar pits, a young man tripped over a rock. “If it’s bad for my foot, it could be bad for others’ feet — and their heads,” Izzard said. “This could be the beginning of an age!” Tina Crnko, a freshman majoring in theater and business administration, appreciated that Izzard “really enjoys what he’s doing: He’s laughing along with the audience.” Izzard, who has appeared in the films Ocean’s Twelve, Across the Universe and Valkyrie, recently sold out the 18,000-seat Hollywood Bowl as the venue’s first solo comedy act. This fall, he specifically reached out to college campuses for smaller shows. “I really wanted to give USC the opportunity to see him like this,” Martens said. “Twelve-hundred seats as opposed to 18,000 is pretty intimate.” The event was also promoted by the USC LGBT Resource Center as part of National Coming Out Month.

Izzard, who dresses in women’s clothing for many of his performances and describes himself as an “executive transvestite,” sported brightly painted fingernails during his performance. “College life is all about balance, so it’s nice having this after going to classes and studying all day,” said Cole Manaster, a freshman majoring in business administration. “I’m looking forward to seeing more of the arts that we have here on campus and in LA.” USC Spectrum’s fall season continues with a screening of the documentary Decoding Deepak and a Q-and-A session with the film’s director on Oct. 21 and an evening with activist and journalist Nicholas Kristof on Nov. 5. For more information, visit usc.edu/spectrum Urban Dictionary: Eddie Izzard Eddie Izzard The Greatest Comedian in the world. one of the funniest men alive, known for his randomness, tendancy to drift off and his well known and catchy things to say. He is a executive transvestite, he describes himself as a male lesbian. he is also partialy dislexic, he used to be fully deslexic, but thts not for now.

He is also intersesting besause of his style of comedy, he is not racist, or sexist, or any of these things, he swears, but not at people. He engages the audience and often goes off track. He is a modern comic genius, and a great actor to boot Guns Dont Kill People, People Kill People, But Monkeys Do To (If They Have A Gun) This is the comic genius of Eddie Izzard Buy Eddie Izzard tickets, Eddie Izzard tour details, Eddie Izzard reviews | Ticketline Edward Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. He has a very individual style of rambling, surreal monologue. He has turned his attention to acting as well as maintaining his demanding touring schedule. Early life and career Izzard was born in Aden, Yemen, as the youngest son of John and Ella Izzard. In 1963, shortly before Britain abandoned the capital of Aden, the Izzards moved to Northern Ireland.

He lived in Bangor, County Down until 1967, when troubles started brewing there as well, and the family moved to Skewen, Wales, and Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England. His mother died in March, 1968, of cancer. Izzard found some degree of solace in comedy after the death of his mother. He drew particular comfort from the works of Monty Python, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and the early Benny Hill. He began to toy with stand-up at college and, after being ingloriously kicked out of school, he took his act to the streets. Having spent a great deal of the 1980’s working as a street performer in Europe and the United States, Izzard moved his act into the standup comedy venues in Britain, first appearing at The Comedy Store in London in 1987. He refined his material throughout the ‘80’s, and in the early ’90s, he finally began earning some measure of recognition, though originally he did not perform in women’s clothing.

Stardom His stand-up work brought him British Comedy Awards in 1993 (for Live at the Ambassadors) and 1996 (for Definite Article). After the British leg of the tour, he took Definite Article to major cities outside the UK including a successful stint in New York City. However, his US breakthrough did not really come until 1998, when Dress to Kill, which was shown on American television channel HBO, went on to earn Izzard two Emmy Awards in 2000. He only rarely appears on television, as he says it uses up material at too high a rate, whereas stage material can be continually re-used in front of different audiences for several months. In January 2006, the U.S. television network F/X announced the production of a new drama series (co-written by Izzard) called The Riches. Izzard and British actress Minnie Driver star as a married couple, Wayne and Dahlia Malloy, who have been part of a caravan of con-artist Irish travellers swindling their way across the States.

As the series begins, Dahlia has just been released from jail, and the Malloys decide to start a new life with their children as law-abiding suburbanites in Louisiana. He recently appeared in the critically acclaimed movie/musical “Across the Universe” based on the music of the Beatles. On the soundtrack for the movie he sings, “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”. Campaigning Izzard has engaged in campaigning work, including opposing the closure of the departments of Drama and of Languages, Linguistics and Translation at the University of East Anglia and supporting the further integration of the UK into the European Union. In May 2005 he appeared on the BBC’s political debate show Question Time, describing himself as a ‘British European’, comparing it to other cultural identities such as ‘African American’. As part of his integration campaigning, he was one of the first people to spend a Euro in London. His pan-European approach has influenced his work: he regularly performs in French, an acquired language, and occasionally in German, in addition to English.

In July 2003, Izzard was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England for ‘pro-Europe campaigning’, ‘his contribution to promoting modern languages and tolerance of other cultures and lifestyles’ and for having ‘transcended national barriers’ with his humour. Critical reception In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian’s Comedian, Izzard was voted amongst the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. In Comedy Central’s list of the 100 greatest standups of all time, he was number 75. During the 1999 television special It’s… the Monty Python Story which Izzard hosted, John Cleese said Izzard was the “Lost Python”. Transvestitism Izzard describes himself as an ‘executive’ or ‘action’ transvestite and as ‘a male tomboy’. He regularly cross-dresses both on and off stage and makes it clear that cross-dressing is, for him, not a sexual thing – he simply enjoys wearing make-up and clothing which is traditionally perceived in the West as female-only.

He dismisses claims that he is homosexual, saying he is either a straight transvestite or a male lesbian. He has also described himself as “a lesbian trapped in a man’s body”. Eddie Izzard Dates & Tickets Sorry, we don't have any Eddie Izzard tickets on sale at the moment. Ticketline on Facebook Eddie Izzard - News, Photos, Videos, Bio. Free music downloads at MP3.com Eddie Izzard Genres: comedy , stand-up , british , seen live , funny Biography Edward John Izzard (born February 7, 1962) is a British stand-up comedian and actor. He has a very individual style of rambling, surreal monologue. He has turned his attention to acting as well as maintaining his demanding touring schedule. Read More... Izzard was born in Aden, Yemen, as the youngest son of John and Ella Izzard. In 1963, shortly before Britain abandoned the capital of Aden, the Izzards moved to Northern Ireland.

He lived in Bangor, County Down until 1967, when troubles started brewing there as well, and the family moved to Skewen, Wales, and Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England. His mother died in March, 1968, of cancer. Izzard found some degree of solace in comedy after the death of his mother. He drew particular comfort from the works of Monty Python, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and the early Benny Hill. He began to toy with stand-up at college and, after being ingloriously kicked out of school, he took his act to the streets. Having spent a great deal of the 1980's working as a street performer in Europe and the United States, Izzard moved his act into the standup comedy venues in Britain, first appearing at The Comedy Store in London in 1987. He refined his material throughout the '80's, and in the early '90s, he finally began earning some measure of recognition, though originally he did not perform in women's clothing.

His stand-up work brought him British Comedy Awards in 1993 (for Live at the Ambassadors) and 1996 (for Definite Article). After the British leg of the tour, he took Definite Article to major cities outside the UK including a successful stint in New York City. However, his US breakthrough did not really come until 1998, when Dress to Kill, which was shown on American television channel HBO, went on to earn Izzard two Emmy Awards in 2000. He only rarely appears on television, as he says it uses up material at too high a rate, whereas stage material can be continually re-used in front of different audiences for several months. In January 2006, the U.S. television network F/X announced the production of a new drama series (co-written by Izzard) called The Riches. Izzard and British actress Minnie Driver star as a married couple, Wayne and Dahlia Malloy, who have been part of a caravan of con-artist Irish travellers swindling their way across the States.

As the series begins, Dahlia has just been released from jail, and the Malloys decide to start a new life with their children as law-abiding suburbanites in Louisiana. He recently appeared in the critically acclaimed movie/musical "Across the Universe" based on the music of the Beatles. On the soundtrack for the movie he sings, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite". Izzard has engaged in campaigning work, including opposing the closure of the departments of Drama and of Languages, Linguistics and Translation at the University of East Anglia and supporting the further integration of the UK into the European Union. In May 2005 he appeared on the BBC's political debate show Question Time, describing himself as a 'British European', comparing it to other cultural identities such as 'African American'. As part of his integration campaigning, he was one of the first people to spend a Euro in London. His pan-European approach has influenced his work: he regularly performs in French, an acquired language, and occasionally in German, in addition to English.

In July 2003, Izzard was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England for 'pro-Europe campaigning', 'his contribution to promoting modern languages and tolerance of other cultures and lifestyles' and for having 'transcended national barriers' with his humour. Critical reception In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, Izzard was voted amongst the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. In Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time, he was number 75. During the 1999 television special It's... the Monty Python Story which Izzard hosted, John Cleese said Izzard was the "Lost Python". Transvestitism Izzard describes himself as an 'executive' or 'action' transvestite and as 'a male tomboy'. He regularly cross-dresses both on and off stage and makes it clear that cross-dressing is, for him, not a sexual thing – he simply enjoys wearing make-up and clothing which is traditionally perceived in the West as female-only.

He dismisses claims that he is homosexual, saying he is either a straight transvestite or a male lesbian. He has also described himself as "a lesbian trapped in a man's body". Frequent Comedic Themes Izzard states that he does not write any of his material down [1]. Running characters and references in his comedy include: An impression of James Mason, often representing a hapless, dithering God or authority figure An impression of Sean Connery, whose character - which has ranged from Noah to Henry VIII - usually interacts with the Mason character The name 'Jeff' (for instance as in "Jeff Jeffty-Jeff. Born on the first of Jeff Nineteen-Jeffty-Jeff", whose computer password is 'JEFF', Jeff the God of Biscuits, or Jeff Broccoli) jam Eddie Izzard's Personal Life! All about his personal life! Eddie Izzard - Personal Life The british comedian Eddie Izzard was born on 7th of February 1962 in Aden, Yemen. Eddie Izzard is the child of John Izzard and Dorothy Ella, british citizens. Eddie Izzard's father was an accountant and his mother was a midwife and nurse.

Eddie Izzard has an two years older brother, Mark. Moving to Northen Ireland In 1963, when Eddie Izzard was only one year old, the british comedian's family left Aden and moved to Northern Ireland, where they lived until 1967. In 1967 Eddie Izzard and his family left Northern Ireland and moved to UK, South Wales, near Swansea - a place called Skewn, where the comedian's mother died of cancer in March 1968, a devastating moment for Eddie Izzard. When Eddie Izzard's mother died, the british comedian's father decided that Eddie Izzard and his brother should attend a boarding school, which happened the same year. Boarding School So, in 1968, at only six years old, Eddie Izzard and his brother went off to boarding, down in Porthcawl, a place called St John's School. In 1969 they left Wales and went back to live in Bexhill. Eddie Izzard and his brother went to school in Eastbourne.

Later he attended St Bede's Preparatory School and in 1975, at thirteen years old, the future comedian Eddie Izzard went to Eastbourne College. The same year, Eddie Izzard's father remarried. Becoming a straight transvestite In 1991 Eddie Izzard announced to the press that he is a straight transvestite. Eddie Izzrad often describes himself as "a male tomboy" or "action" transvestite. The transvestite british comedian Eddie Izzard usually cross-dresses both on and off the stage, but he always makes it clear that he simply enjoys wearing make-up, without being a sexual thing. Eddie Izzard denies that he is homosexual and the comedian says that he is a male lesbian or a straight transvestite. Eddie Izzard also thinks that because women are wearing pants is not a big thing that a man wears woman clothing. From 1968, after the death of his mother, Eddie Izzard started to discover the work of Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Monty Python and the early Benny Hill.

Later, the british comedian Eddie Izzard attended the University of Sheffield where he started practicing stand up comedy which led to him being kicked off his accountancy degree course. Quick Info Eddie Izzard - Personal Life Stand up comedy biography published in: Comedian Biographies Eddie Izzard | Download Music, Tour Dates & Video | eMusic Biography All Music Guide All Music Guide: The London Sunday Times has called him "the greatest British standup comedian of his generation", and the entity of Eddie Izzard is worthy of such praise. This comedian, actor, and transvestite has bewitched the world of comedy with a kitschy, campy, and cunning mix while adding a bit of British flair to American humor, and it's brilliant. Born in 1962 to an accountant father and a mother who was a nurse, Izzard spent his early childhood in Yemen. Both of his parents worked at the British Petroleum refinery in Aden, but they moved to Bangor, Ireland before Izzard turned five. Time spent in Northern Ireland was the happiest of times for him, but another household upheaval to Skewen, South Wales changed all that.

Izzard's mom died of cancer when he was just six, and he and his brother were sent to boarding school quickly thereafter. Such experiences would ultimately shape Izzard's charming, but crass persona. Izzard participated in various stage plays and skits throughout his early childhood and teenage years. At age seven, he realized that performing on-stage in front of an amazing crowd was what he wanted out of life. In 1980, Izzard landed at Sheffield University for an Accounting and Financial Management with Mathematics degree, but comedy was fueling his fire. He spent the next year-and-a-half writing and acting in various university comedy shows, landing a top gig at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. By early 1984, Izzard left college, moved to London, and performed street-side shows with a friend in Covent Garden and figured himself out. He came out a year later. Eddie Izzard was a transvestite. In three years time, Izzard was hot on the London Club circuit and by 1993, he was performing shows in the West End. He'd performed his first show in a dress in 1992 and was enjoying his stint in makeup.

By the time his one-man shows like Unrepeatable, Definite Article, and Glorious hit the states in the mid-'90s, Izzard was already a bona fide star in his native England. His 1998 HBO comedy special and mini-American tour for Dress to Kill was a critical hit in the U.S., and his 2000 production of Circle landed him sold-out dates across the county. Three Emmy nominations followed, earning Circle two awards for "Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program" and "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Comedy Program." With Emmys aside, Izzard's place on-stage and onscreen was in full effect by the early '90s. He had the lead spot in the David Mamet drama The Cryptogram in 1994, and starring roles in 900 Oneonta and Edward II. In 1996, Izzard landed his first movie role in The Secret Agent with Robin Williams. Appearances in Velvet Goldmine, Shadow of the Vampire, The Cat's Meow, and All the Queen's Men with Friends star Matt LeBlanc earned Izzard a prime spot among the new millennium mainstream.

Dress to Kill was issued on DVD on Anti/Epitaph in October 2002, marking Izzard's first video release in the U.S. His previous five performances (including Dress to Kill) were already out on video in the U.K,, but Izzard wanted to give something back to his American fans. His Broadway performance in Peter Nichols' A Day in the Death of Joe Egg earned him a Tony nomination for "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play" in May 2003. Stateside dates followed in the fall. Eddie Izzard Tickets | Totally Tickets Eddie Izzard Tickets 0.00 out of 100 based on 0 reviews 0 Rate Your Experience Add Review Edward John Izzard (born February 7, 1962) is a British stand-up comedian and actor. He has a very individual style of rambling, surreal monologue. He has turned his attention to acting as well as maintaining his demanding touring schedule. Izzard was born in Aden, Yemen, as the youngest son of John and Ella Izzard.

In 1963, shortly before Britain abandoned the capital of Aden, the Izzards moved to Northern Ireland. He lived in Bangor, County Down until 1967, when troubles started brewing there as well, and the family moved to Skewen, Wales, and Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England. His mother died in March, 1968, of cancer. Izzard found some degree of solace in comedy after the death of his mother. He drew particular comfort from the works of Monty Python, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and the early Benny Hill. He began to toy with stand-up at college and, after being ingloriously kicked out of school, he took his act to the streets. Having spent a great deal of the 1980's working as a street performer in Europe and the United States, Izzard moved his act into the standup comedy venues in Britain, first appearing at The Comedy Store in London in 1987. He refined his material throughout the '80's, and in the early '90s, he finally began earning some measure of recognition, though originally he did not perform in women's clothing.

His stand-up work brought him British Comedy Awards in 1993 (for Live at the Ambassadors) and 1996 (for Definite Article). After the British leg of the tour, he took Definite Article to major cities outside the UK including a successful stint in New York City. However, his US breakthrough did not really come until 1998, when Dress to Kill, which was shown on American television channel HBO, went on to earn Izzard two Emmy Awards in 2000. He only rarely appears on television, as he says it uses up material at too high a rate, whereas stage material can be continually re-used in front of different audiences for several months. In January 2006, the U.S. television network F/X announced the production of a new drama series (co-written by Izzard) called The Riches. Izzard and British actress Minnie Driver star as a married couple, Wayne and Dahlia Malloy, who have been part of a caravan of con-artist Irish travellers swindling their way across the States.

As the series begins, Dahlia has just been released from jail, and the Malloys decide to start a new life with their children as law-abiding suburbanites in Louisiana. He recently appeared in the critically acclaimed movie/musical "Across the Universe" based on the music of the Beatles. On the soundtrack for the movie he sings, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite". Izzard has engaged in campaigning work, including opposing the closure of the departments of Drama and of Languages, Linguistics and Translation at the University of East Anglia and supporting the further integration of the UK into the European Union. In May 2005 he appeared on the BBC's political debate show Question Time, describing himself as a 'British European', comparing it to other cultural identities such as 'African American'. As part of his integration campaigning, he was one of the first people to spend a Euro in London. His pan-European approach has influenced his work: he regularly performs in French, an acquired language, and occasionally in German, in addition to English.

In July 2003, Izzard was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England for 'pro-Europe campaigning', 'his contribution to promoting modern languages and tolerance of other cultures and lifestyles' and for having 'transcended national barriers' with his humour. Critical reception In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, Izzard was voted amongst the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. In Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time, he was number 75. During the 1999 television special It's... the Monty Python Story which Izzard hosted, John Cleese said Izzard was the "Lost Python". Transvestitism Izzard describes himself as an 'executive' or 'action' transvestite and as 'a male tomboy'. He regularly cross-dresses both on and off stage and makes it clear that cross-dressing is, for him, not a sexual thing – he simply enjoys wearing make-up and clothing which is traditionally perceived in the West as female-only.

He dismisses claims that he is homosexual, saying he is either a straight transvestite or a male lesbian. He has also described himself as "a lesbian trapped in a man's body". Frequent Comedic Themes Izzard states that he does not write any of his material down [1]. Running characters and references in his comedy include: An impression of James Mason, often representing a hapless, dithering God or authority figure An impression of Sean Connery, whose character - which has ranged from Noah to Henry VIII - usually interacts with the Mason character The name 'Jeff' (for instance as in "Jeff Jeffty-Jeff. Born on the first of Jeff Nineteen-Jeffty-Jeff", whose computer password is 'JEFF', Jeff the God of Biscuits, or Jeff Broccoli) jam bees pigs banjos badgers 'mmmmmrmmmmmm' - the sound of an E-type Jaguar Adolf Hitler (often referred to as a vegetarian) Toasters Engelbert Humperdinck (singer) the british pop star Taps Star Wars references (example - The Death Star Canteen) Azerbaijan Belgium the British monarchy the National Rifle Association, aka the NRA (he often pronounces it 'Riffle').

He has a number of mannerisms, such as: Saying "So... yeah..." when thinking what to say next (a fact subtly noted on the back of the 'Glorious' video box) Saying "and, uh..." as the audience pictures his bizarre imagery and starts laughing When his stream of consciousness appears to lose the audience, holding up an imaginary pad and pen and writing "Lost them there". Connecting two totally irrelevant topics and pausing as the audience picks up on it "...a Blue Horse on the outside, a Blue Horse from Mars! And then we could tell couldn't we ... Now, so anyway, sometimes, though, you want to buy a teatowel..." Making fun of his own pantomimes. (describing a hotel room in France) "Avec un vue de la mer.. a view of the sea [pantomimes looking at the ocean], un grand lit... a large bed [pantomimes smoothing the sheets]. Et, avec un douche [pantomimes a shower spraying on his head]...

with a spider." Similarly, a character in Izzard's sketch may comment on the joke ("no, that's the wrong punchline, you can't use that") or the audience ("they groaned at that one, do you realise that?"). Often randomly brings back or reworks material the audience initially found funny in his acts, such as his Scottish clarinet teacher Mrs. Badcrumble, and monkeys with guns in several of his stand ups, to name a few. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply. Eddie Izzard has a world to share Eddie Izzard has a world to share 1 Southgate Avenue, Southbank; 1800 641 107 12pm-4pm, 6pm-10:30pm See a clip from Eddie Izzard's stand up routine. Up Next Waiting for a transplant Waiting for a transplant Herald photographer Janie Barrett follows Tianna Formosa and her family as she waits for a life saving heart lung transplant. Up Next Would you wear the Shark Shield? Play Video Would you wear the Shark Shield? Shark interviews at Bondi.

Sharks in WA: Do beachgoers worry? Up Next A shark spotted via a drone. Up Next Shark interviews at Bondi Beach Play Video Shark interviews at Bondi Beach Shark interviews at Bondi DO NO PUBLISH - Save Our Sharks Play Video DO NO PUBLISH - Save Our Sharks Save Our Sharks. LIVE: Budget update from 12.15pm AEDT Play Video LIVE: Budget update from 12.15pm AEDT LIVE: Budget update from 12.15pm AEDT Treasurer Scott Morrison releases MYEFO - revealing how his May budget is faring half way through the financial year. Live from Canberra. Eddie Izzard performs See a clip from Eddie Izzard's stand up routine. "I'm not going to order food until your photographer leaves," he snaps. The British comedian had been briefed on the format of our interview - a relaxed lunch, conducive to a fun, wide-ranging chat - but it seems the full horror of this set-up only occurs to him as we sit down in the Melba restaurant at the Langham Hotel where he's staying. "It's standard 101, 'Don't eat food with a camera there'.

You must know that!" SHARE Link Street smart: Eddie Izzard. Once he's assured we won't photograph him mid-mouthful, he reluctantly orders a Caesar salad. He doesn't touch it until the camera has left the building. Izzard was in Melbourne late last year fresh from hosting the Sydney Just For Laughs Gala - an unusual type of a gig for him, I venture, keen to change the subject. "Different from your usual schtick?" "I don't do schtick - I do comedy," he chastises. "'Schtick' has such negative connotations - it's like the word 'hack'. You don't do hack writing, and I don't do schtick." Advertisement Back to the food. Is his healthy choice part of training for his now famous marathon regime? (In 2009, he ran in 43 marathons in 51 days across Britain for the Comic relief charity, after training for just five weeks; in 2013 he tried a similar feat in South Africa - 27 marathons in 27 days - but didn't make it, falling ill, but has plans to attempt it again.) SHARE Link The bill, please.

Izzard's current tour, Force Majeure, which opens in Melbourne next month, is also something of a marathon - he's performed the show in 25 countries on five continents, over the course of a couple of years. He's had numerous other projects - regular roles in TV series Hannibal and Powers, and three stints in upcoming films - in that time, but effectively he's been "on tour" since early 2013. It is, he says, "the most extensive comedy tour ever". "Most extensive as opposed to the highest numbers - it's already a record with 25 countries." Not content with this kind of groundbreaking feat, he's also performed the show in German and French, after crash courses and immersing himself in both countries. Impressive - even more so when you consider Izzard's material (not schtick) tends to be of the meandering, often surreal variety, and that he doesn't modify it for different countries. "I do like putting the word 'f--k' in the middle of words here and there," he says.

"People say 'oh the Germans have a different sense of humour' but it doesn't work like that at all - there's no German sense of humour, or British sense of humour ... What I've analysed and what is true is that there is broadly a mainstream sense of humour in every country and a more alternative sense of humour in every developed country. It's the references that screw everything up." Next, Izzard plans to master Spanish, Russian and Arabic, allowing him to further expand his potentially never-ending tour. "Once I've got Spanish I can add Central and South America, the Caribbean and I want to play Cuba, too," he says matter of factly. Blimey. "I am now an international minor celebrity - not a major; I'm like a B-plus, A-minus guy going round the world. I've ... built up my world standing brick-by-brick as opposed to hitting it big, 'good looking guy did that big international film' style. My thing is built with bricks and mortar, so when I play all these new cities they know about me," he says.

"I've made all the comedy universal - they all get it." Izzard got into comedy at university, abandoning an accountancy degree to work as a street performer, mostly as part of a double act. "We did failed tricks like escaping from a woolly jumper and making a bowl of cornflakes disappear by putting a cloth over it but then I'd put my head over the bowl under the cloth - 'they will disappear because I will eat them!' At its best it was 'hey they're crazy, those guys!' At its worst it was 'god it's rubbish'," he says. When he went solo he did a spot of escapology and obligatory unicycling, but eventually realised that it was words he wanted to use to entertain. "You can't be a very good wordsmith on the street because attention spans change - people are walking past and it's hard to control people. Adults become like children with attention spans and children become animals. Children are all over the place ... in my latest show I talk about human sacrifice and medieval kings, the first English republic ...

the silliness with intelligence that I can put into the layers of my comedy, you can't do on the street." From our table we can see several street performers on Southbank and as a crowd gathers around an acrobat, Izzard - who, despite keeping the conversation firmly on PR-friendly ground, has lightened up somewhat - is keen to talk me through the mechanics of working the street. His narration and anticipation of what the acrobat will do next is spot-on. "There's a lot of psychological stuff you need to work out," he says, correctly predicting the guy's moves and his crowd's reactions. Once Izzard moved to indoor venues, he quickly became a regular on the London comedy scene and by the early 1990s he was as well known for his surreal style as for his cross-dressing. Until recently, it was rare for his name to appear without the "transvestite comedian" prefix. "Transgender sort of arrived with Orange Is The New Black getting the cover of Time. No one says, 'so you're straight and you're an actor? Tell us about being straight?' That just doesn't happen.

There are so many gay and lesbian people out now, it's starting to be boring," he says, "which means humanity has won." Izzard is straight and describes himself as an "executive transvestite", who has a "boy mode" and a "girl mode"; the day we meet, although he's sporting perfectly manicured nails and medium-height heels, he's in "boy mode". He promises that for his next career move he'll break out the high heels. A long-time British Labor party member, Izzard plans to run in the mayoral election in London in 2020. Seriously. He's waiting to see what "happens in 2016", the next mayoral race, but is convinced he can make positive changes to and "be a cheerleader for the melting pot of London". "I've gotta stand against the extremists who are constantly saying hatred is the best way forward; they're not mentioning hatred but it's underlying all their policies. We've got UKIP now, which is just BNP in blazers. I have to stand against them," he says.

He hasn't outlined any policies yet but he has mapped out the next few years and plans to wind down his acting and comedy should he become Mayor of London. "I will put all my energies into it, which will mean giving up comedy and drama - but by that point my dramatic career and my stand-up career will be in amazing place. It already is," he pronounces. "Well, the comedy's good and the drama's getting better." It will be "annoying" to give up his comedy but he's determined to be "an ambassador for London". So fans should try and see his live shows in the next few years before this dramatic re-invention? "Yes. The plan is: learn Spanish, Russian, Arabic and then politics," he says earnestly. "I want to encourage people to be diverse and ... encourage them to go for their dreams - that's what I did." Eddie Izzard is at Hamer Hall February 9, 10 and 12.

Advertisement Eddie Izzard: Being trans is a ‘genetic gift’ | Attitude Magazine Celebrity Entertainment Eddie Izzard: Being trans is a ‘genetic gift’ British comedian, writer and transvestite Eddie Izzard this week spoke up about the growing public awareness of trans issues, saying that it’s been “kind of groovy for everything to catch up” with him more than 20 years after he first started publicly speaking about his own transvestism. Izzard, who describes himself as a “straight transvestite – a wannabe lesbian,” visited The Talk chat show and told co-hosts including Carnie Wilson and Sharon Osbourne that transgender people had historically been sidelined in the wider gay and lesbian rights movement. “Gay and lesbian communities have been coming out since the 50s, and transgender people were lost in there, like the poor relations,” he said. “It’s my genetics, it’s not a choice thing. I think all alternative sexuality is genetic – I knew when I was four. When you hear about someone who’s 35 and [realises they’re] gay, I don’t believe in that. So we’re just being truthful about this, it’s a genetic gift.

“Sometimes I’m in boy mode, then I can be in girl mode, then boy mode – it’s a superhero thing!” Watch the full segment below:

Question: Which British comedian describes himself as an executive transvestite?
Answer: Eddie Izzard