'Simpsons' Moe based on Rich Hall

LONDON, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. comedian Rich Hall claims "The Simpsons" character Moe is based on him.

Moe is the ill-tempered barkeep who frequently appears in the animated U.S. television series. His deadpan humor and gravelly speech were also brought to the big screen for the summer blockbuster "The Simpsons Movie," thanks to voice actor Hank Azaria.

"('Simpsons' creator) Matt Groening was a fan of my stuff. Other people said: ‘You look and sound just like Moe,’" Rich told the Sun. "Then Matt confirmed it. It’s an honor, once you get over the shock of seeing yourself as a horrible, yellow caricature."

Rich, who is a regular on BBC’s "Never Mind The Buzzcocks," added: "I suspected that Moe was based on me because I used to write with George Meyer back when he was one of the original writers on the show."