Ricky Grover
Encyclopedia
Ricky Grover (East London) is an English
actor. His stepfather was an armed robber and his mother a hairdresser
. Grover became a ladies' hairdresser and a boxer
, before becoming a stand-up comedian
, actor
and occasional television presenter.
, Fist of Fun
, 'Orrible
, The 11 O'Clock Show, Honky Sausages
and Black Books
. He also provided the voice acting for the character of Yangus in the English language
version of the PlayStation 2
game Dragon Quest VIII.
His 1996 short film
Punch won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival
.
In 2000, he won the Best Actor award at the Brest
European Short Film Festival for his performance in Hungry (1998)
One of his most regular characters is "Bulla", a violent offender who originally featured on The 11 O'Clock Show. Many elements of this character were adapted for the short lived and poorly-received 'Orrible. He had a guest appearance in Top Buzzer
. In 2011 he starred and co-wrote the feature length film Big Fat Gypsy Gangster
with Maria Grover.
Since July 2003, Grover has written a column, "Raging Bull", for the monthly magazine Loaded
. He has also appeared as a bandit
in a Virgin Mobile
advert.
In 2006, Grover presented the documentary F*** Off I'm Fat as part of BBC Three
's first "Body Image" season. In 2007 he presented a peak-time Tonight With Trevor McDonald
report on obesity and a BBC Two
episode of Grandad's Back in Business in which he mentored two stand-up comedians.
Since July 2009 he has played the part of Matron Hilary Loftus in the BBC Four
medical 'docu-sitcom' Getting On
, directed by Peter Capaldi
.
He had a role in the vampire film Dead Cert (directed by Steven Lawson)
and in the horror drama Tony (directed by Gerard Johnson). which was released in UK cinemas on 5 February 2010
Ricky Grover also had a role in an episode of Not Going Out
in 2011, playing a drug dealing butcher. An article in The Sun newspaper on 11 June 2011 confirmed that Grover had joined the BBC soap EastEnders
as Heather Trott's new love interest.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor. His stepfather was an armed robber and his mother a hairdresser
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
. Grover became a ladies' hairdresser and a boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, before becoming a stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and occasional television presenter.
Career
Grover has appeared in television programmes including Red DwarfRed Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
, Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun was a popular British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring . A lot of the show's comic material was adapted from Lee and Herring's radio programme Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World.Each episode of Fist of Fun featured several disparate sketches...
, 'Orrible
'Orrible
'Orrible is a British television sitcom produced by the BBC. Broadcast in 2001, it was written by and starred Johnny Vaughan. Vaughan appears as a taxi-cab driver and wannabe small time criminal in Acton . Despite the BBC having high hopes and heavily promoting the series, it was panned by critics...
, The 11 O'Clock Show, Honky Sausages
Honky Sausages
Honky Sausages was a 1990s English comedy that aired on the BBC and Play UK about the most obscene family ever to grace the TV.-Outline:There's happy homemaker Honky Mum played by Laila Morse , her television-obsessed husband Honky Dad, aging punk rocker Honky Grandad, hooligan son Honky One,...
and Black Books
Black Books
Black Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
. He also provided the voice acting for the character of Yangus in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version of the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
game Dragon Quest VIII.
His 1996 short film
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
Punch won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
.
In 2000, he won the Best Actor award at the Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
European Short Film Festival for his performance in Hungry (1998)
One of his most regular characters is "Bulla", a violent offender who originally featured on The 11 O'Clock Show. Many elements of this character were adapted for the short lived and poorly-received 'Orrible. He had a guest appearance in Top Buzzer
Top Buzzer
Top Buzzer was a British sitcom written by Johnny Vaughan, styled as television's first ever "dope opera". It was shown on MTV in 2004 and later repeated on Five. It was released on DVD on 24 October 2005. It revolves around two small-time cannabis dealers, Lee and Sticky , and their customers...
. In 2011 he starred and co-wrote the feature length film Big Fat Gypsy Gangster
Big Fat Gypsy Gangster
Big Fat Gypsy Gangster is a straight-to-DVD British comedy film written by and starring Ricky Grover. The film centeres around Grover's character Bulla from The 11 O'Clock Show, after his released from prison...
with Maria Grover.
Since July 2003, Grover has written a column, "Raging Bull", for the monthly magazine Loaded
Loaded (magazine)
Loaded, first published in 1994, is a British magazine for men that is considered to be the "original lads' mag". Its motto is "For men who should know better".-History:...
. He has also appeared as a bandit
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
in a Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations...
advert.
In 2006, Grover presented the documentary F*** Off I'm Fat as part of BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
's first "Body Image" season. In 2007 he presented a peak-time Tonight With Trevor McDonald
Tonight (TV series)
Tonight is a British television newsmagazine, produced by ITV Studios and ITN for the ITV network. Since 1999, Tonight replaced the long-running investigative series World in Action...
report on obesity and a BBC Two
BBC 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...
episode of Grandad's Back in Business in which he mentored two stand-up comedians.
Since July 2009 he has played the part of Matron Hilary Loftus in the BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
medical 'docu-sitcom' Getting On
Getting On
Getting On is a satirical British sitcom based in an NHS hospital. It is written by its core cast, Jo Brand, Vicki Pepperdine, and Joanna Scanlan, and is directed by Peter Capaldi. It first aired in July 2009...
, directed by Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film...
.
He had a role in the vampire film Dead Cert (directed by Steven Lawson)
and in the horror drama Tony (directed by Gerard Johnson). which was released in UK cinemas on 5 February 2010
Ricky Grover also had a role in an episode of Not Going Out
Not Going Out
Not Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006. Starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart and Katy Wix, it was initially written by Mack, Andrew Collins, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans and Peter Tilbury, but now features contributions from other...
in 2011, playing a drug dealing butcher. An article in The Sun newspaper on 11 June 2011 confirmed that Grover had joined the BBC soap EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
as Heather Trott's new love interest.
Filmography
- Punch (1996)
- Bring Me the Head of Mavis DavisBring Me the Head of Mavis DavisBring Me the Head of Mavis Davis is a British comedy film directed by John Henderson, originally released in 1997.-Plot:The film stars Rik Mayall as a rock manager who recruits Jane Horrocks...
(1997) - Hungry (1998)
- Love, Honour and ObeyLove, Honour and ObeyLove, Honour and Obey is a 2000 mock gangster film starring several members of the Primrose Hill set. It was jointly written and directed by Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis as a follow-up to their 1998 film Final Cut...
(2000) - Revolver (2005)
- CargoCargo (2006 film)Cargo is a 2006 thriller film. It was directed by Clive Gordon, produced by Andrea Calderwood and Juan Gordon, and written by Paul Laverty...
(2006) - TonyTony (2009 film)Tony is a 2009 English drama film written and directed by Gerard Johnson and starring Peter Ferdinando. The film also had the alternative title of Tony: London Serial Killer.-Plot:...
(2009) - Big Fat Gypsy GangsterBig Fat Gypsy GangsterBig Fat Gypsy Gangster is a straight-to-DVD British comedy film written by and starring Ricky Grover. The film centeres around Grover's character Bulla from The 11 O'Clock Show, after his released from prison...
(2011)
Books
- Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed Malcolm HardeeMalcolm HardeeMalcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
& John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 0-09-188924-3.