Lee Hurst
Encyclopedia
Lee Hurst is an English stand-up comedian. He is perhaps best known as a panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over
, where he was a regular from 1995 to 1998.
In 1999, Hurst was voted no. 48 in Company magazine's "100 Millennium Men" – tagged as a list of 'The Sexiest Men of the Century'.
In 2003, he was considering standing as a candidate in the 2004 London mayoral election
. One of the factors behind his decision was a proposed redevelopment, which would have seen his club demolished.
After his comedy club
, Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club, closed in November 2007, it since reopened under the name The FymFygBar, with Hurst compèring
most Saturday evenings. Lee Hurst also had a brief stint as the resident compère of Southend-on-Sea based 'Funny Bunnys Comedy Club.'
The website chortle.co.uk reported in May 2010 that the club may be demolished and rebuilt as part of a new development proposed by Travelodge hotel chain.
Hurst suffers from a severe form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis
, a hereditary condition which causes acute back and joint pain.
comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over
. He appeared alongside David Gower
in 42 episodes over the first six series, from the first episode on 14 September 1995 until 1998.
In his 1997 stand-up tour, he openly admitted to not knowing anything about football, but is a supporter of East London football club West Ham United.
He reduced his TV appearances to allow more time for running his comedy club, Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club (which closed in November 2007). He has returned for two appearances as a guest on They Think It's All Over towards the end of its run for series 17 in 2004, and for the Comic Relief
24 Hour Panel People Special on 6 March 2011.
and The Warehouse, and guest appearances on That’s Showbusiness, The Stand Up Show and Have I Got News For You
. He has also appeared as a regular panellist on Don’t Give Up Your Day Job. He also fronted ITV
's short-lived revival of the entertainment show Saturday Live, which included comedians such as Alan Parker, Urban Warrior
and Harry Hill
.
, The Copperfield Comedy Company.
Hurst was the creator of Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment
, which ran for five series on Five between 1997 and 2000
Show. He was team captain on Hold The Front Page. He also presented Wriggling with Eels, a study of Cockney
comedians for BBC Radio 4
.
, and snatched a mobile phone from a member of the audience, then took it on stage and hurled it to the floor. Screaming "I’m fed up with you fucking people filming me and putting it on YouTube
.”
Hurst was fined £60, and ordered to pay compensation of £80 and £87 costs in February 2009.
They Think It's All Over (TV series)
They Think It's All Over was a British comedy panel game with a sporting theme produced by Talkback Thames and shown on BBC One. The show's name is taken from Kenneth Wolstenholme's famous 1966 World Cup commentary quotation, "they think it's all over...it is now!" and the show used the phrase as...
, where he was a regular from 1995 to 1998.
In 1999, Hurst was voted no. 48 in Company magazine's "100 Millennium Men" – tagged as a list of 'The Sexiest Men of the Century'.
In 2003, he was considering standing as a candidate in the 2004 London mayoral election
London mayoral election, 2004
The 2004 election to the post of Mayor of London took place on 10 June 2004. It was being held on the same day as other local elections and the UK part of the 2004 European Parliament elections, so Londoners had a total of five votes on three ballot papers. Polling opened at 07:00 local time, and...
. One of the factors behind his decision was a proposed redevelopment, which would have seen his club demolished.
After his comedy club
Comedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
, Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club, closed in November 2007, it since reopened under the name The FymFygBar, with Hurst compèring
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
most Saturday evenings. Lee Hurst also had a brief stint as the resident compère of Southend-on-Sea based 'Funny Bunnys Comedy Club.'
The website chortle.co.uk reported in May 2010 that the club may be demolished and rebuilt as part of a new development proposed by Travelodge hotel chain.
Hurst suffers from a severe form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis , previously known as Bekhterev's disease, Bekhterev syndrome, and Marie-Strümpell disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton with variable involvement of peripheral joints and nonarticular structures...
, a hereditary condition which causes acute back and joint pain.
They Think It's All Over
Hurst first became known to television viewers as a regular team member on the BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over
They Think It's All Over (TV series)
They Think It's All Over was a British comedy panel game with a sporting theme produced by Talkback Thames and shown on BBC One. The show's name is taken from Kenneth Wolstenholme's famous 1966 World Cup commentary quotation, "they think it's all over...it is now!" and the show used the phrase as...
. He appeared alongside David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
in 42 episodes over the first six series, from the first episode on 14 September 1995 until 1998.
In his 1997 stand-up tour, he openly admitted to not knowing anything about football, but is a supporter of East London football club West Ham United.
He reduced his TV appearances to allow more time for running his comedy club, Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club (which closed in November 2007). He has returned for two appearances as a guest on They Think It's All Over towards the end of its run for series 17 in 2004, and for the Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
24 Hour Panel People Special on 6 March 2011.
Other television credits
Hurst's other TV credits include presenting Shark Tank, Salvage SquadSalvage Squad
Salvage Squad is a television programme in which the "Salvage Squad" faced the challenge of restoring an item of classic machinery. The task was usually against a tight deadline, such as a public unveiling at a vehicle rally...
and The Warehouse, and guest appearances on That’s Showbusiness, The Stand Up Show and Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
. He has also appeared as a regular panellist on Don’t Give Up Your Day Job. He also fronted ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's short-lived revival of the entertainment show Saturday Live, which included comedians such as Alan Parker, Urban Warrior
Simon Munnery
Simon Munnery, also known by his stagenames of Alan Parker: Urban Warrior and The League Against Tedium, is an English comedy writer and experimental standup comedian...
and Harry Hill
Harry Hill
Harry Hill , is a Perrier Award–winning English comedian, author and television presenter. A former medical doctor , Hill began his career in comedy with the popular radio show Harry Hill's Fruit Corner.-Personal life:Hill was born in Woking,...
.
- Have I Got News For YouHave I Got News for YouHave I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
, (BBC), two appearances in 1994 and 1995, on Ian HislopIan HislopIan David Hislop is a British journalist, satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye...
's team - 1996 Saturday Live (ITV), 6 episodes
- 2002 Salvage SquadSalvage SquadSalvage Squad is a television programme in which the "Salvage Squad" faced the challenge of restoring an item of classic machinery. The task was usually against a tight deadline, such as a public unveiling at a vehicle rally...
, Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, (series 1)
Writing
Hurst has also written for other comedians. He was one of a number of writers for a one-off programme, in 1984, featuring David CopperfieldDavid Copperfield (comedian)
David Copperfield is best known from the BBC 1980s sketch show Three of a Kind, in which he starred alongside Tracey Ullman and Lenny Henry. His real name is Stanley Barlow. He was born and raised in Yorkshire, where he began his professional career performing in various cabaret venues. His big...
, The Copperfield Comedy Company.
Hurst was the creator of Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment
Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment
Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment is a game show that aired on Channel 5 from 3 April 1997 to 1 November 2000. It was originally hosted by Graham Norton, then it was hosted by Sean Cullen.-Transmissions:-External links:* at BFI...
, which ran for five series on Five between 1997 and 2000
Radio work
On radio, Hurst has guested on The Steve Wright Show, Euromix, Two Men and a Transmitter and The Robert ElmsRobert Elms
Robert Elms is an English writer and broadcaster. Elms was a writer for The Face magazine in the 1980s, and has a self-confessed love of clothes and fashion...
Show. He was team captain on Hold The Front Page. He also presented Wriggling with Eels, a study of Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
comedians for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
Awards Hosting
Hurst also enjoys work as an awards host, his agency JLA state he has "hosted awards ceremonies for the travel, IT, printing, commercial vehicle and, perhaps surprisingly, the beauty industry."Conviction for criminal damage
Hurst pleaded guilty to criminal damage in February 2009 after an incident in September or December 2008. He allegedly raced through the crowd at a stand-up comedy show he was performing at the Stoke Pub in GuildfordGuildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, and snatched a mobile phone from a member of the audience, then took it on stage and hurled it to the floor. Screaming "I’m fed up with you fucking people filming me and putting it on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.”
Hurst was fined £60, and ordered to pay compensation of £80 and £87 costs in February 2009.
Stand-Up videos
- Live (3 November 1997)
- Live At The Backyard Comedy Club (16 November 1998)