Talk:Richard Ayoade

Mother's name

According to the article his mother's maiden name is "Baassuik", which does not look Norwegian at all. It is possible that the "u" is supposed to be a "v". Baassvik, or better yet Båssvik, is an actual Norwegian name ("aa" is often substituted for "å"). Sadly I don't have any sources, apart from my own skills of deduction. Anonymous 12:23, 25 Octrober 2014 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.215.33.20 (talk)

I've removed all detail about his parents' names, as per WP:BLP: two of the supporting links are dead, leaving only the Irish Times article which doesn't name them. The link to the pdf document mentions people with the same surname as Richard, but since it doesn't say what relations they are, this would constitute original research ~dom Kaos~ (talk) 15:45, 8 July 2017 (UTC) pretty beautiful name — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:194:C200:1120:A891:7A30:DBEA:582E (talk) 03:29, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

Picture

Here's a (bad) picture, licensed under Creative Commons, of him. http://flickr.com/photos/eyedropper/321708524/sizes/s/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wmli (talk • contribs) 15:56, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

I uploaded the picture mentioned by Wmli above. If anyone else has a better picture, feel free to replace the current one. -Gr0ff (talk) 20:01, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

I am genuinely not sure that photo should be used. It's clearly a fan-stalker shot taken on the train in London. Is this 'wikipedia' quality? Boils (talk) 22:12, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

It's exactly wikipedia quality, there are standards above which it will not go. A decent image will have the Copyright Nazis kicking in the door post-haste. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.168.211.163 (talk) 02:09, 5 January 2009 (UTC)

Hmmm, I'm not convinced either. A fan shot at a public appearance is the sort of thing we are after, not a stalker shot when he's on his way to work. FreeMorpheme (talk) 19:23, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Potential Source?

I wonder if anything in this interview could be useful for the article:

Guardian interview 2008

Ka Faraq Gatri (talk) 20:19, 19 November 2010 (UTC)

There's also this from the National Post. Ka Faraq Gatri (talk) 20:37, 19 November 2010 (UTC)

Ayoade Pronunciation

The two pronunciation guides give different pronunciations for his name. I don't know which (if either) are correct. --deflective (talk) 08:57, 24 January 2011 (UTC)

SInce he is Nigerian (definitely Yoruba), that pronunciation EYE-oh-AH-dee is totally wrong. SuperSwift (talk) 15:15, 16 June 2022 (UTC)

I have ears like a bat’s for deciphering speech sounds, thanks to my grad school coursework. And every time I’ve heard him pronounce his own last name (e.g., at the beginning of every episode of Gadget Man), it’s been /ˌaɪuˈɑːdi/ “EYE-oo-AH-dee”. But I can't be 100% sure, so I'm not changing it. LemonPokeCake (talk) 18:15, 27 November 2022 (UTC)

Where was he born?

The first paragraph says Whipps Cross but the infobox says Hammersmith. TonySever (talk) 14:59, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

It seems both are wrong. He was born in Elephant and Castle, Southwark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD9bVahTGek&t=142s.

I've changed this in the article but unable to provide the YouTube link as citation. 2.27.179.153 (talk) 19:56, 14 February 2023 (UTC)

I'm not sure Richard is a trustworthy source - especially not when in conversation with Craig Ferguson. Freebmd.org.uk gives his birthplace as Hammersmith. Jean-de-Nivelle (talk) 21:28, 14 February 2023 (UTC)

He goes on to say he lived on the A40, the main road from London to Oxford, which passes through west London. That would fit with a birth registered in Hammersmith. Jean-de-Nivelle (talk) 00:01, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

Reddit AMA

Im a horrible Wiki editor, but today he's holding a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) will post relative info here that he answers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.160.118.126 (talk) 21:34, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

References

BAFTA award

He has just won a BAFTA for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for the IT Crowd. Where should this information go? Should there be a new section for the award or perhaps just under the IT Crowd? Igniparous (talk) 17:23, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Birthday

According to his latest tweets, his birthday listed on Wikipedia is incorrect.

https://twitter.com/richardayoade/status/477013679251394560

https://twitter.com/richardayoade/status/477013962383699968 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Daniel samuels (talk • contribs) 09:15, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Also, on Duck Quacks Don't Echo, he specifies he has a 'Wikipedia birthday' , but his real one is 25th Dec (no year mentioned). John Decker NZ (talk) 11:12, 8 August 2017 (UTC)

Christmas Day? The second tweet above has him saying he was born "mid-march, 49 years ago" (at a time when he was 37), so I'm guessing Richard finds it amusing and/or useful to joke about fake birthdays. This article is currently saying May 23rd with no source, so I've removed it. --31.48.187.186 (talk) 14:34, 10 October 2018 (UTC)

Unnecessary Complication

"Ayoade is also the brother-in-law of the singer and actress Billie Piper, who married Laurence Fox in 2007, but this statement is a misunderstanding of the relations by marriage concept. Ayoade's wife is the sister-in-law of Piper and Ayoade is therefore merely the husband of Piper's sister-in-law."

Ummm... okay? This sentence would get the writer laughed out of an editor's office. It has been changed. 73.173.114.38 (talk) 23:59, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

Ethnicity

For some reason, some editors keep stating Richard is of English ethnicity, which flies in the face of the fact that his Ethnicity is mixed race of Nigerian and Norwegian. The English are an ethnicity, legally and culturally so, English ethnicity is not gained by being born in England, just as japanese ethnicity is not from being born in Japan. Please stop this nonsense of marginalising the English people's ethnicity. If for some reason you feel his Nigerian/Norwegian ethnicity is somehow not good enough, this is your own problem and racism. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Margolis-Marmite (talk • contribs) 07:32, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Don't play games. He is of English nationality. Catfish Jim and the soapdish 11:02, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Listen here, there is no such Nationality of English, English is an ETHNICITY, to state someone is English is to state their ETHNICITY. Please stop accusing me of vandalism because you do not understand the difference between ETHNICITY and NATIONALITY. He may well have a BRITISH passport, but he sure as hell doesnt have an ENGLISH passport, because such passports do not exist. If you know he has a British passport and can verify so, then state his nationality is British, but he is not ENGLISH, his ethnicity is Norwegian and Nigerian

Please read here for better understanding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_people and remove your disgraceful threats to ban me for making the page more accurate. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Margolis-Marmite (talk • contribs) 12:32, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

And revert the edit, as its factually incorrect. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Margolis-Marmite (talk • contribs) 12:34, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

English people doesn't seem to support (or admittedly refute) your position at all. You are aware that the article doesn't specifically make any differentiation between his ethnicity and nationality? It just says "English".

I'd advise you to take a deep breath and calm down - especially when you start tossing racism accusations around. Chaheel Riens (talk) 12:45, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

I will try and explain this again, English is an ETHNICITY it's not a NATIONALITY, there is no nation of England, there is only ENGLISH ETHNICITY. To state someone is English is to state their Ethnicity. For example if I state you are a an apple, I am talking about the type of fruit you are, I am not making an observation about which country the apple was picked from.

BTW, dont assume you speak for the English people.

"dont [sic] assume you speak for the English people" - indeed. You could perhaps consider that yourself? I don't see anywhere in the above where I make any such claim. My comments are directed purely at the article content and phraseology therein. Any other inference is entirely of your own invention. Chaheel Riens (talk) 12:58, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

I've not suggested I'm speaking for the English, i'm making a statement of fact regarding the use of the term English and the miscatagorisation of a Nigerian/Norwegian as being English. But I get the feeling youre the kind of person who doesnt like facts. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Margolis-Marmite (talk • contribs) 13:04, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

That's entirely your own opinion, regardless of how inaccurate it is.

However, staying germane to the topic - can you provide any precedents or sources to back up your statement? Bear in mind that so far you haven't - your link to English people doesn't corroborate your statement, and there are several sources which support the use of "English":

• The Guardian uses the term "English comic"
• Indiewire says "English actor and writer"
• LA Weekly says "Directed by Richard Ayoade, English Sitcom Star"
• Rolling Stone: "veteran English comedian" (Although I'll admit that this article also uses the term "British")

Not all of the above are perfect sources, but they do show that the term "English" is used to describe him.

PS: Can you sign your posts please, using four tildes: ~~~~. Thanks. Chaheel Riens (talk) 13:45, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

The relevant Wikipedia policy is stated here: Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biographies#Context. Philip Cross (talk) 13:36, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Citing sources who dont understand that the word English when applied to a person states their ethnicity doesn't make them good sources, and removes you as a credible commentator on the matter. There is no nationality of English (fact), English can only be used from the context of ethnicity when applied to a human. I appreciate this is far too difficult for you to grasp, yet it remains true. Margolis-Marmite (talk) 14:01, 3 November 2017 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Margolis-Marmite (talk • contribs) 13:58, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Lucky for me then that Wikipedia places great stock on verifiability as well as truth: WP:TRUTH

And you're still not signing your posts. One could comment that an inability to perform such a simple task on Wikipedia might just remove you as a credible commentator on any matter... Chaheel Riens (talk) 14:06, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Off-topic The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

You dont appear to have anything useful to say on the topic, you appear to want to insult instead of discuss the actual topic. > look now signed.. feel better ? Margolis-Marmite (talk) 14:12, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

I did have something useful to say - that sources use the term "English". Just because you don't approve of such sources does not negate their existence. And yes, much better thanks. Next on your learning list: Outdenting: {{od}} Chaheel Riens (talk) 14:18, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

The point to the above (apart from the sources to support "English") is that you're receiving responses in similar attitude to your own. If you'd approached the topic more collaboratively, rather than assuming ignorance on others and that any transgression is an instant racist attack things would not have gone down this route. Chaheel Riens (talk) 14:30, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Stick to the topic or cease spamming us Margolis-Marmite (talk) 14:35, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Hah. Irony. Chaheel Riens (talk) 14:58, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

To be fair to Margolis-Marmite, I'll answer his question as to whether "English" is a nationality or an ethnicity. It's essentially both, by common and official usage. We refer commonly to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as the Home Nations. The 2011 census posed questions about nationality, giving English, Welsh, Scottish, etc. as options and in various combinations including with British... It's interesting to note that 32 million people stated that they were "English" only compared with 4.8 million who stated "English and British" and 10 million who stated only "British" (data from England and Wales only). Wales has a National Assembly and the Scottish government routinely refer to Scotland as a nation. I've seen the argument that the constituent countries of the UK are not nations used as a semantic device, particularly in relation to unionist politics, but it really holds no water. Catfish Jim and the soapdish 16:01, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Despite unsigned commentor Margolis-Marmite's attitude problem I do agree with him/her in part. If the article states Ayoade's nationality then that should certainly be British, if it states his ethnicity then that should indeed be Nigerian/Norwegian, but when talking in prose about who he is it's perfectly normal to describe him as "an English actor, comedian, writer, director and television presenter" since he was born and lives in England. That does not imply that English is a nationality (which it certainly is not) or that Ayoade is of English descent (which he isn't). If that's racism then I'm a monkey's uncle. nagualdesign 17:09, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Utterly disgusting. You write off an entire ethnic people and i'm guessing you would not call him a Jew if he lived in Israel, no he would be something else.. but you call him English who are just as valid an ethnicity. Disgraceful. The excuses around English being a nationality complete nonsense and transparently so. Revert the changes, do the right thing, he is clearly not English. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Margolis-Marmite (talk • contribs) 17:38, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Are you talking to me? nagualdesign 17:40, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Off-topic The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

No, the catflap. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Margolis-Marmite (talk • contribs) 17:48, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Well, if I may interject, please read Wikipedia:Civility and Wikipedia:Signatures. I'd also recommend stepping away from the keyboard for the time being, otherwise you will likely be banned if you continue on the path you're on. Sincerely, nagualdesign 18:01, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

The catflap has been pushing his weight around, threatening me on my talk page with a ban, simply because I made an edit he disagrees with.. Is this how admins are supposed to behave? Threaten a ban if someone makes an edit they dont agree with? Im suspecting he holds some sort of prejudice towards the English people. Margolis-Marmite (talk) 17:56, 3 November 2017(UTC)

You might want to have a read of WP:CIVIL. Catfish Jim and the soapdish 18:00, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

Are you threatening me again catflap? Margolis-Marmite (talk) 18:06, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

The warnings on your talk page are automated templates. Chill out a bit and try to edit without making personal attacks. Catfish Jim and the soapdish 18:11, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

You've just threatened me again there.. How the heck do people like you get administrative privilidges when you target people for bans because they have an opinion you dont agree with? WTF.

Stop icon You may be blocked from editing without further warning the next time you make personal attacks on other people. Comment on content, not on fellow editors. Catfish Jim and the soapdish 18:08, 3 November 2017 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Margolis-Marmite (talk • contribs)

The reality here is that Richard is not English, by any legal, biological or cultural measure he isn't English, yet I am being threatened with a ban if I edit this article to reflect the truth. Disgusting. Margolis-Marmite (talk) 18:20, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

The most recent templated warning you received is for making personal attacks. They don't affect me in the slightest, but civility is one of the five pillars of Wikipedia. If you want to contribute to the project you have to adhere to its policies. Catfish Jim and the soapdish 18:50, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

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"Regency era" quote

The 'Early life and education' section states 'he says that his parents would not approve of studies considered to be of the "Regency era"', which makes it sound like Ayoade's parents didn't want him to study the Regency era. The actual quote from the Guardian article makes it clearer that they considered the whole concept of a non-vocational degree as something archaic, or straight out of the Regency era. As the quote is easy to misunderstand and hard to explain, and the rest of the sentence already explains that 'a non-vocational degree seemed such an outlandish indulgence' to them, I'm going going to delete the part about the Regency era. Sadiemonster (talk) 08:35, 4 June 2018 (UTC)

Lead Section

Hello,

This article has been “issued a yellow card” (apologies for not knowing the official term) for an overly-detailed lead section. Editors are supposed to have a discussion before correcting it, hence the new topic.

Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section is a helpful resource. This is my first time taking on a Wikipedia edit of this magnitude, though my career requires me to write hundreds of pages of expository prose a year.

I’m not sure if it’s been worked on already, but it still strikes me as too dense so I’m guessing it hasn’t. Is anyone else interested in collaborating? If so, great! If not, I’m not afraid to go it alone but I’ll wait a while before getting started & I’ll post proposed changes here. LemonPokeCake (talk) 00:38, 9 December 2022 (UTC)

Number of children

He told Rob Brydon on his podcast that he has 2 children. 65.60.173.36 (talk) 21:44, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

Well... He says "two" here at 20:27 (and in a shortened version here at 12:07). But our 2017 Telegraph source says "three". (I also found a few other, more recent sources . They all say "three", but they're of rather low quality. Maybe they just copied it from this very Wikipedia article.)

What should we do? It's possible he was simply lying in that podcast. Our Telegraph source says he's "largely unwilling to talk about himself or his personal life -- which explains why you hear so little about his family life". Maybe he just doesn't want this information to be public. Or maybe one of the children died. Or maybe the sources are just wrong.

Maybe we should simply remove that information and wait for a new high-quality source. Feels a bit like the case of Emily St. John Mandel, who struggled to get her Wikipedia page updated after she was divorced. We don't want to repeat that... — Chrisahn (talk) 23:54, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

On 8 out of Cats Does Countdown season 27 episode 5, he goes so far as to correct Jimmy Carr when Jimmy says he has 3. Richard says he has 2 children, not three, and even says to update the Wikipedia page. This happened about 2 minutes into the episode. So unless he is intentionally spreading disinformation, this seems pretty clear. 73.92.94.100 (talk) 05:29, 1 February 2025 (UTC)

Thanks! That explains why several anonymous users edited this article last night – the episode was published roughly 12 hours ago . In this YouTube upload (which we can't use as a source because of WP:RSPYT), the relevant part starts at 1:40 (might be slightly different in the official version.) Jimmy Carr (in his introduction of Ayoade): "A lot of people think Richard might be a virgin, but he's got three children, so we know on at least three separate occasions he's stolen a child." Ayoade: "Two. Two children. Amend the Wikipedia page."

I bet Ayoade asked Carr (or the writers of the show) to give him an opportunity to say this very publicly, so he can get this article fixed. But that's too easy! Let's be strict and not accept that game show as a reliable source. I love everything you do, Richard, and I want you to arrange a weirdly meta interview about your Wikipedia page, just like Emily St. John Mandel! — Chrisahn (talk) 09:47, 1 February 2025 (UTC)

I also saw that youtube video and decided to check and see what was actually here. The '3' was added a few weeks after the Daily Telegraph article was published, so they didn't get it from this page at the time.

If the only firm source we have is a disputed number from seven years ago, maybe we shouldn't have a number listed. Wizmut (talk) 00:56, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

Frequent collaborators

I'm not sure the Frequent Collaborators section really works. Being cast in both his films doesn't equate to being a frequent collaborator. He does famously have several frequent collaborators (Matt Berry, Noel Fielding, Alex Turner etc) and since these aren't listed, the section is probably doing more to confuse than to clarify. I'd suggest removing it if others agree. Owen Ralph (talk) 10:03, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Agreed, the section is just a flashy presentation that he worked with some people twice. It is undue. Captainllama (talk) 11:43, 26 March 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for bringing this up. The section was WP:SYNTH. I usually would have waited a few days for other opinions, but the section was added two months ago by an editor who frequently uses misleading edit summaries (as in this case), has a long list of warnings about unsourced additions, and never communicates with others, so I went ahead and removed the section. — Chrisahn (talk) 13:20, 26 March 2025 (UTC)