Pat Condell

Pat Condell was born on 23 November 1949 in Dublin, Ireland into an impoverished family. He was raised in England. He endured a difficult childhood as his father was a compulsive gambler who died of leukemia when Pat was quite young. After attending a series of different Church of England schools, he dropped out at the age of 16 to fend for himself. After struggling for years doing odd jobs, he eventually became a comedian and found success in this profession. On the personal front, he is a vegetarian because he cares about animals. He has been happily married for 40 years and is still very much in love with his wife.

From a conventional point of view, Pat Condell ventured into comedy a bit late in life. Already 32 when he made his debut as a comedian, his first performance on stage was in a comedy sketch called ‘Mountbatten’s Plimsoll.’ Around this time he also started writing poetry for the ‘Time Out’ magazine. Over the years he got the chance to perform on the London alternative comedy circuit which made him a much popular figure. He got a big break when he performed at the Comedy Store in the early 1990s. His stature as a comedian increased manifold and he was invited to appear as a regular panelist on BBC Radio 1’s ‘Loose Talk.’ He won the Time Out Comedy Award in 1991. He had become really famous by the mid-1990s, performing up to 200 shows a year.

A self-professed atheist, he is very outspoken in criticizing the negative elements of all organized religions. This, of course, doesn’t go down very well with certain sections of the society and he is often subjected to harsh criticisms. However, he is not bothered about his detractors and claims that he doesn’t care if someone is offended by his words.

Pat Condell’s popularity as a comedian peaked to newer heights when he made his self-titled YouTube channel in February 2007. He describes himself as “Godless and Free,” and claims to make videos “advocating secularism, democracy, and free speech.”

He proved to be a prolific YouTuber, posting over a 100 video monologues within four years! Over a period of time, his videos were translated and subtitled into 14 languages on the dotSUB collaborative platform. By September 2009, he had become one of the top ten most subscribed YouTubers in the United Kingdom and the most subscribed to comedian of all time in the UK. His videos have also been featured on websites such as ‘Little Green Footballs,’ ‘LiveLeak,’ ‘Jihad Watch,’ and ‘Geert Wilders,’ among others.

Pat Condell has never shied away from voicing his opinions even if they come across as hard-hitting or scandalous. He has kindled controversies many times with his anti-Islamic remarks. His monologues titled ‘The Trouble with Islam,’ ‘Muslim Punishment For Homosexuality,’ No Mosque at Ground Zero,’ and ‘Justice for Osama,’ have been the target of many hateful comments. He even receives death threats due to the controversial and anti-religious nature of his videos. He once said in a video that Islam is "a religion of war" and that "Muslim women in Britain who cover their faces are mentally ill." Commissioner Elliot Cohen described Condell's comments as "insulting, degenerating and racist." Pat Condell, however, seems to be totally unaffected by the hate and threats he receives.