Neil Bratchpiece Explained

Other Names:The Wee Man
Birth Date:24 October 1983
Birth Place:Motherwell, Scotland
Occupation:Comedian, actor
Years Active:2007–present
Known For:Playing The Wee Man

Neil Bratchpiece (born 24 October 1983) is a Scottish comedian, actor and writer who initially found fame through his comedy persona as The Wee Man.[1] He rose to prominence in 2007 when he appeared in the YouTube video "Here You (That'll Be Right)" by NEDS Kru which became a viral success. He has made regular stand-up and comedy club appearances, including alongside his brother and father. His performances have included "Comedian Rap Battle" sketches Insane Championship Wrestling performances. Over several years, Bratchpiece has been an active YouTuber, appearing in character in multiple videos.

Early life

Bratchpiece was born in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland on 24 October 1983, into a family of Jewish descent[2] and attended Dalziel High School. His father Mark, and brother David were both stand-up comedians. Bratchpiece started his involvement in comedy whilst at school, winning the Glasgow heat of the Fanta Teen Comedy Awards with a friend, then performing in the finals at the Comedy Store in London.[3] [4] He studied English, Film and Television Studies at the University of Glasgow.[5] [6]

Viral YouTube video

The Wee Man character first rose to prominence when he appeared in the viral YouTube video "Here You (That'll Be Right)" by NEDS Kru which had a million views by the start of August 2007.[7] [8] By 2021, the video had garnered over 4.5 million views[9] and featured the character fulfilling the role of a stereotypical Scottish "ned", drinking Buckfast Tonic Wine.[10]

Live performance

Bratchpiece continued to perform regular shows with family members.[11] [12] A later regular show was styled around a pub quiz.[13] By 2012 they had performed at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival for ten consecutive years.[4] They were booked as a comedy act for the RockNess 2012 festival.[14] In 2014 he performed in Keir McAllister's dark comedic play Hindsight.[15]

He was involved with "Comedian Rap Battle" performances, which brought a Scottish take on rap battling. Performing in Glasgow initially, the rhythm was different to normal comedy performances,[16] but with Ro Campbell he took the concept to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013,[17] and gained some praise.[18] He performed at the T in the Park in 2014.[19]

Writing

Bratchpiece had entered sketch writing through an unusual route,[20] however he established himself as a regular performer on the Scottish stand-up comedy circuit.[21] At the Scottish Comedy Awards, he won the category of best writer in 2017[22] and made the shortlist in 2019.[23]

Insane Championship Wrestling

Since 2010, The Wee Man character has appeared as a manager, occasional commentator and occasional wrestler for Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), a Scottish-based professional wrestling promotion.[24] [25] [26] In ICW, he managed a tag team called 'The Bucky Boys', consisting of Davey Boy and Stevie Boy, using a boisterous ned gimmick for the stable.[27] The team were featured prominently in a documentary produced by Vice magazine called 'The British Wrestler'.[28] The company has since risen to prominence through the BBC Scotland documentary Insane Fight Club.[29]

Television

Bratchpiece has made several television appearances, including BBC Scotland sitcom Scot Squad,[8] Episode 1.5 in 2014), and Channel 4 show Scotland in a Day.[30] He has also performed on radio, most notably as part of sketch group Endemic on BBC Radio 4 show Sketchorama.[20]

Other work

In May 2009, Bratchpiece travelled to Sweden with five other theatrical performers as part of an international cultural exchange.[31]

In 2014 Colin McCredie and Des McLean took part in his "Parliamo Glasgow" sketch, which also featured the wrestlers Mark Dallas, Drew Galloway and Grado.[32]

Other videos included "Manky Xmas", "Da Fleeto" and "Banter".[33] Cameos in subsequent videos have included Robert Florence, Tom Urie, Raymond Mearns, Gavin Mitchell, Janey Godley, and Rhino.

In 2015, he pulled a stunt with a stage invasion on English comedian Lee Nelson's Fringe show.[34]

Notes and References

  1. News: Profile - The Wee Man . Brian . Donaldson . . 29 November 2007 . 11 September 2015.
  2. Web site: Wee Man, comedian tour dates : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide. www.chortle.co.uk.
  3. News: The Diary . . 27 April 1999 . 23 December 2021.
  4. News: Bratchy, The Wee Man & Mark Bratchpiece: Bratchpiece Family Album . Cara . McGuigan . The Skinny. 1 March 2012 . 23 December 2021.
  5. News: NED role is a dead cert hit for Neil Bratchpiece . Brian . Beacom . . 15 April 2015 . 23 December 2021.
  6. Web site: Meet The Wee Man DamoWords Blog . blog.damowords.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627005256/http://blog.damowords.co.uk/?p=744 . 27 June 2018.
  7. News: A brave wee ned . Rick . Fulton . . Scotland . 9 August 2007 . 23 December 2021.
  8. News: Scottish comedian The Wee Man - a.k.a. Neil Bratchpiece - set for Ayrshire headline show . Michael . Reynolds . . 26 May 2016 . 23 December 2021.
  9. NEDS Kru ft. The Wee Man . YouTube. 25 April 2007. 23 December 2021.
  10. News: Herald Diary: Comedian Neil Bratchpiece left flummoxed by fan over Wee Man role . Lorne . Jackson . . Glasgow . 5 July 2020 . 23 December 2021.
  11. News: Lanarkshire joins the comedy festival circuit . . 1 October 2003 . 23 December 2021.
  12. News: Comedy twist with the Bratchpieces . The Herald . 15 March 2004 . 23 December 2021.
  13. News: The Bratchpieces reinvent the Humble Pub Quiz . Kirstin . Innes . . 6 August 2009 . 23 December 2021.
  14. News: Comedy acts announced for Rockness 2012 . Sian . Lower . . 23 April 2012 . 23 December 2021.
  15. News: Jojo Sutherland tells us why we should see Keir McAllister's Hindsight . The List . 25 March 2014 . 23 December 2021.
  16. News: Comedian Rap Battles – The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 15 Jan 2014 . Niki . Boyle . . 16 January 2014 . 23 December 2021.
  17. News: Rap Battles: "It's important to have fun at the Fringe" . Bernard . O'Leary . . 2 August 2013 . 23 December 2021.
  18. News: Rap Battles @ Bannermans . Bernard . O'Leary . . 19 August 2013 . 23 December 2021.
  19. News: T in the Park comedy preview . Jay . Richardson . . 7 July 2014 . 23 December 2021.
  20. News: Scots sketch comedy: Something completely different . Jay . Richardson . . 10 March 2013 . 23 December 2021.
  21. News: The state of the nation's comedy . Bruce . Morton . The Skinny . 17 February 2013 . 23 December 2021.
  22. Web site: Comedy Awaerds 2017. comedy.co.uk . 2 August 2017. 23 December 2021.
  23. News: Kevin Bridges and Still Game among Scots comedy stars nominated for awards . Maxine . McArthur . The Evening Times . 10 May 2019 . 23 December 2021.
  24. News: 'It's yersel'! ... or is it? New English play stars 'Lardo' and the 'Wee Man' . Andrew . Learmonth . . 12 March 2015 . 23 December 2021.
  25. Web site: Glasgow Lives, Neil: 'I got involved in wrestling through comedy'. Elaine. Livingstone. 29 November 2018. GlasgowLive. 23 December 2021.
  26. News: Insane Wrestling – an intimate portrait of the sport's toughest stars . Murdo . MacLeod . . 24 November 2015 . 23 December 2021.
  27. News: Interview: Mark Dallas and Neil Bratchpiece talk Insane Championship Wrestling: Barrowmania . Niki . Boyle . . 25 March 2015 . 23 December 2021.
  28. The British Wrestler . Rhys . James . . United Kingdom . 11 October 2012 . 23 December 2021.
  29. News: Insane fight club: Reinventing wrestling for a new generation . Steven . Brocklehurst . BBC News. 11 March 2014 . 23 December 2021.
  30. Web site: Explore film & TV > Films, TV and people > Scotland in a Day (2014) . https://web.archive.org/web/20200426103248/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/540f7bb97a97f . dead . 26 April 2020 . . bfi.org.uk . 23 December 2021.
  31. News: How the Wee Man had a Braw time abroad... . The Evening Times . 12 June 2009 . 23 December 2021.
  32. News: Taggart star Colin McCredie spoofs old screen role in new video from Glasgow comedy character The Wee Man . Paul . English . Daily Record . 6 August 2014 . 23 December 2021.
  33. Web site: The Wee Man - YouTube. www.youtube.com.
  34. News: Comedian Hilariously Gives Lee Nelson A Taste Of His Own Medicine . Rachel . McGrath . . 27 August 2015 . 23 December 2021.

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