Simon Brodkin, performs on the stand-up circuit and in comedy television series. He is best known for playing a character called Lee Nelson, but also performs as other comedy characters. Performing solo stand-up since 2004 (or earlier), he has also written for and appeared on the television shows Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder in 2009, Lee Nelson's Well Good Show in 2010 and Lee Nelson's Well Funny People in 2013.On the 19th July 2015 he was arrested and released on bail in Zurich for conspiring to cause anarchy. Despite this, the following day he was removed from the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich after throwing a wad of notes (most of which appeared to be money) towards Sepp Blatter, as he was about to start his news conference on the future of FIFA. This led to Blatter delaying his conference for around 5 minutes, then when the conference commenced, Blatter apologised for Brodkin's actions.
Brodkin performed his first solo show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006, titled Simon Brodkin: Everyone But Himself. In his Lee Nelson stand-up routine, Brodkin's character typically interacts with his audience, telling them about his life, asking them questions, then replying with responses that reflect his world view, his own ignorance or his own stereotypically antisocial attitudes. His act is peppered with slang words. In character as Lee Nelson, he briefly stood as a candidate in the South Shields by-election, 2013.
Brodkin also performs a selection of other characters,[3] including Jason Bent, an unintelligent Premiership footballer with a Merseyside accent. Other characters have included the sleazy and incompetent Dr. Bob. Brodkin is Jewish. When an audience in 2007 gasped at a joke which they perceived to be anti-Semitic, he said "It’s OK, I’m Jewish. My relatives died for that joke.
