Henry Normal

Henry Normal (real name Pete Carroll; born 15 August 1956) is an English comedian, television producer, poet and writer. He is Managing Director of Baby Cow Productions Ltd which he set up with Steve Coogan.

When living in Chesterfield, Normal chanced upon a local fanzine writer and knocked on the bedsit door of editor Faye Ray. The fanzine editor played Normal tapes of 'ranting' poets he had recently received including Steven 'Seething' Wells, Little Brother and Joolz. Normal went on to be a central figure in the local music scene and the performance poet was a regular fixture at local gigs.

In his early career, Normal toured with the band Pulp. With Mark Atwood he helped form the Live Poets Society whose motto was 'poetry so good you can actually understand it'. Established in Manchester, they performed in pubs and clubs throughout the north of England. Normal had an eccentric delivery style, and at a 1987 poetry convention in Corby performed with a paper bag over his head. Also in the 1980s, Henry Normal had short prose pieces published in small press magazines such as Peace & Freedom. He had a live album released in 1987 by In Tape, Ostrich Man.

In 1991 he starred in Channel 4's late night series, Packet of Three, which blended stand-up comedy with a peculiarly solipsistic sitcom about the staff working at a theatre for variety, called The Crumpsall Palladium. As the beleaguered, depressed theatre owner, Henry was assisted by stage manager Frank Skinner and kiosk attendant Jenny Eclair.

In 1999, Henry Normal and Steve Coogan established their TV comedy production company, Baby Cow Productions. TV programmes since produced by this award-winning company include:

• Human Remains (2000), starring Rob Brydon
• The Sketch Show (2001–2002), starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine and Jim Tavare
• I Am Not an Animal (2004)
• Sensitive Skin (2005), starring Joanna Lumley and Denis Lawson
• Gavin & Stacey (2007), starring James Corden and Ruth Jones
• Nighty Night
• The Mighty Boosh

He has written for TV and film. He co-wrote The Royle Family with Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, and was co-screenwriter for the 2001 film The Parole Officer, starring Steve Coogan.

Henry Normal's poetry collections include The Dream Ticket, Is Love Science Fiction?, Map of Heaven and Nude Modelling for the afterlife. He lives in Brighton.