Paul Foot

Paul Foot (born 24 December 1973) is an English comedian known for his musings, rants, "disturbances", and apparent aversion to pop culture. The Daily Express likened him to "a rare exotic bird", and six national newspapers including The Independent and The Age have described him as "a comedy genius". He was born and raised in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, and studied mathematics at Merton College, Oxford, where he first started performing stand-up.

After graduating from Oxford in 1995, Foot was head-hunted by a computer software company during the dot-com bubble, but he loathed the industry, recalling, "I had to read manuals on HTML and just write websites from scratch." He then pursued comedy through open mic slots. In 2003, Foot and Russell Brand appeared in a double act at Cafe Royal, and Foot's style had a strong influence on Brand, who was inspired by his eccentric hair, quirky mannerisms, and love for florid language.

Foot frequently performs live and has taken many shows to the Edinburgh Fringe, including Ash in the Attic (2010), which was directed by Noel Fielding and received a five-star review in The Age, with Australian Chortle calling it "One of the best comedy shows ever to have been performed in Melbourne". His 2012 show Kenny Larch Is Dead won the Best of Fest award at the Sydney Comedy Festival and Best International Show at the Perth comedy awards. His other shows include Still Life (2011), Words (2013), Image Conscious (2018), Swan Power (2021), and Dissolve (2023).