There were two distinct chapters to Sean Hughes’ career: the comedy prodigy and ubiquitous TV star, then – after a period of silence – the rumpled refusenik, a celebrity opt-out ploughing an ever grouchier (but just as funny) furrow along standup’s margins. Not many comics run away from commercial success, but at the turn of the century Hughes quit standup for several years. But really, Hughes didn’t belong in anyone’s club. He was never a shock merchant, but the best of his standup worked slyly to challenge comforting bromides, to raise disagreements and unease. “I just wanted to tell the truth,” he said of his comedy career, “and be listened to.” So he did, so he was – and it’s poignant to think that we can’t listen any longer.

Source: The Guardian October 16, 2017 13:59 UTC