The comedian who hallucinated Freemasons while filming a hit TV show
In short: Before becoming a staple of British comedy, Paul Merton faced a surreal crisis. While appearing on the hit show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, he was secretly battling a severe psychiatric breakdown caused by malaria medication. His experience in a psychiatric ward didn't just break him—it became the foundation for his legendary career.
In the late 1980s, while Merton was establishing himself as a breakthrough performer on the original British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, he suffered a significant medical and psychological crisis. He was prescribed Lariam, a medication for malaria, which triggered severe psychiatric problems. These side effects led him to be admitted to the Maudsley psychiatric hospital for six weeks, where he experienced hallucinations, including conversations with friends and a conviction that he was being targeted by the Freemasons.
Remarkably, Merton continued to appear on the television show during his period of hospitalization. This period of instability eventually provided the raw material for his later work. In 2012, he toured with the show 'Out of My Head,' which utilized his time at Maudsley as a central framework. He transformed his real-life misadventures and interactions with hospital staff and patients into sketches performed alongside his wife, Suki Webster, and fellow comedians.
Merton's comedy style—characterized by deadpan, surreal, and dark humor—is often linked to this history. His career has since been defined by high-profile roles, including a long tenure as a captain on Have I Got News for You since 1990 and hosting Room 101 from 1999 to 2007. Even his most prestigious accolades, such as his 2003 BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance, are built upon a career that began with a literal and figurative descent into the surreal.
His journey from a clerical officer at the Tooting employment office in 1980 to a comedian voted among the 'ten greatest wits of all time' in a 2007 poll highlights a unique trajectory. By turning a traumatic medical side effect into a comedic asset, Merton mastered the art of finding humor in the most unsettling aspects of the human experience.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Paul Merton
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