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Robert Webb (actor)
Encyclopedia
Robert Webb is an English
actor
, comedian
and writer
, and one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb
, alongside David Mitchell
.
in Lincolnshire
. Webb's parents divorced when he was young. As a child Webb stated that he was "hugely spoilt". He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
in Horncastle. His elder brothers went to a local secondary modern school
. One became a bus fitter, and the other became a potato wholesaler. While Webb was in the lower sixth form preparing for his A-levels, his mother died of breast cancer
, and he moved in with his father and re-sat his A-levels. He went to Robinson College, Cambridge
at the age of 20 where he studied English and became vice-president of the Footlights
. He met David Mitchell
at an audition for a Footlights production of Cinderella
in 1993.
From this, the duo were given the chance to write for Alexander Armstrong
and Ben Miller
and for series two of Big Train
. After minor work on The Jack Docherty Show and Comedy Nation, their first break into television acting was in 2000, on the short-lived BBC sketch show Bruiser
, which they primarily wrote, and starred in. The show also featured Olivia Colman
, who would become a regular cast member of Mitchell and Webb projects, Matt Holness, later co-creator and star of cult program Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
, and Martin Freeman
, later of The Office
fame. Additional material for the show was provided by various people including Ricky Gervais
, Richard Ayoade
and James Bachman
.
In 2001 the two were commissioned for a sketch show of their own, entitled The Mitchell and Webb Situation
, which ran for six episodes on the now defunct channel Play UK
. Mitchell and Webb's next project came in 2003, with starring roles in the Channel 4
sitcom Peep Show
, as flatmates Mark Corrigan and Jeremy "Jez" Usborne respectively. The pair shared the 2007 Royal Television Society
Award for "Comedy Performance", and were jointly nominated for Best Television Comedy Actor at the 2006 British Comedy Awards. Webb was nominated for the Best Television Comedy Actor award again, this time without Mitchell, in 2009. Peep Show has aired seven series, making it the longest-running sitcom in Channel 4 history.
After the success of Peep Show Mitchell and Webb returned to sketch comedy with their BBC Radio 4
sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound
, which ran for four series. The show was adapted for television and became That Mitchell and Webb Look
, producer Gareth Edwards
described it as "the shortest pitch [he had] ever written". Towards the end of 2006 the pair made their first tour, with a show called The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb
. The tour was criticised as just "a succession of largely unrelated scenes" by The Guardian
s Brian Logan, who gave it a rating of two stars.
That Mitchell and Webb Look won them the BAFTA for "Best Comedy Programme or Series" at the 2007 awards, and they earned a further nomination for it in 2009. It was nominated for two British Comedy awards in 2006: "Britain's Best New TV Comedy" and the "Highland Spring People's Choice". Their stage tour The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb was nominated for the British Comedy Award for "Best Stage Comedy", and That Mitchell and Webb Sound won a Sony Silver Award. Their first film, Magicians was released on 18 May 2007. It was directed by Andrew O'Connor and written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. Webb played the role of modern magician Karl.
Mitchell and Webb's first comedy book This Mitchell and Webb Book was released in 2009, with a further book expected in 2010. They filmed Playing Shop a comedy television pilot for BBC2 about two men who operate a business out of their shed, which they also wrote. Although the BBC were happy with it, Mitchell and Webb scrapped it themselves, as they felt it was too similar to Peep Show. A new pilot had been commissioned, but the plan was later shelved.
The duo also fronted the campaign of the UK version of Apple Inc.'s Get a Mac
adverts, with Mitchell playing PC. The adverts have received much criticism. Writing in The Guardian
, Charlie Brooker
claimed that the use of Mitchell and Webb in the adverts was a curious choice. He compared the characters of PC and Mac in the adverts to those of Mark and Jeremy in Peep Show, stating that "when you see the ads, you think, 'PCs are a bit rubbish yet ultimately lovable, whereas Macs are just smug, preening tossers.'" The British Sitcom Guide also criticised the pair for "selling their souls". One journalist called the adverts "worse than not funny", and accused Mitchell and Webb of "an act of grave betrayal" for taking corporate work. In an interview with The Telegraph, Robert Webb responded to the duo's critics, stating that "when someone asks, 'Do you want to do some funny ads for not many days in the year and be paid more than you would be for an entire series of Peep Show?' the answer, obviously, is, 'Yeah, that's fine'". In the same interview, Mitchell also said "I don't see what is morally inconsistent with a comedian doing an advert. It's all right to sell computers, isn't it? Unless you think that capitalism is evil - which I don't. It's not like we're helping to flog a baby-killing machine".
(2004) and the Radio 4 sketch show Concrete Cow
. In 2005 he appeared in the Ben Elton
-scripted BBC One
sitcom Blessed as Ardal O'Hanlon
's 'perfect' counterpart.
He and Olivia Colman
also featured as a naturist couple in Confetti, a 2006 film about a competition for the most original wedding. Webb has since called the film "shit" on several occasions, although this appears to be because he was led to believe that his genitals would be pixellated out but only discovered at the screening of the film that they were not.
Also in 2008, Webb made his West End stage debut in the UK premiere of Neil LaBute
's Fat Pig
, co-starring as Tom alongside Kris Marshall
, Joanna Page
and Ella Smith
.
Webb won the 2009 series Let's Dance
for the charity Comic Relief
, parodying the audition sequence from the film Flashdance
. He also narrates the series Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum
. He hosted a 2010 Channel 4 series looking at the week's online news, Robert's Web
.
Between April 2010 and April 2011 Webb wrote a weekly column for the Saturday edition of The Daily Telegraph
. He later criticised those who commented on the online versions of his articles in an article for The New Statesman
.
He has appeared on several panel shows, including The Bubble
, Have I Got News For You
, Never Mind The Buzzcocks
and QI
. In January 2011, Webb appeared on a celebrity version of BBC quiz Mastermind
, answering nine questions correctly on his specialist subject (the novels of Ian McEwan
) and 11 correctly on the general knowledge round.
In 2011 he played Dan the geology lecturer in Channel 4 series Fresh Meat.
was the best man. They live in Kilburn, London (as does Mitchell). The couple have two daughters.
Webb has stated that he is a supporter of the Labour Party
.
As narrator
Panel shows
Other programmes
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
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb
Mitchell and Webb
Mitchell and Webb are a British comedy double act, comprising David Mitchell and Robert Webb . They are best known for starring in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show....
, alongside David Mitchell
David Mitchell (actor)
David James Stuart Mitchell is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is half of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, whom he met at Cambridge University. There they were both part of the Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo star in the...
.
Early life
Webb is originally from the village of Woodhall SpaWoodhall Spa
Woodhall Spa is a civil parish and village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England within a wooded area on the Southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, about south-west of Horncastle and about east-south-east of Lincoln...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. Webb's parents divorced when he was young. As a child Webb stated that he was "hugely spoilt". He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, is a selective, co-educational, foundation status Grammar School and Sixth Form College in the market town of Horncastle, Lincolnshire. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth's gained joint specialist status for science and mathematics inpartnership with Banovallum...
in Horncastle. His elder brothers went to a local secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
. One became a bus fitter, and the other became a potato wholesaler. While Webb was in the lower sixth form preparing for his A-levels, his mother died of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, and he moved in with his father and re-sat his A-levels. He went to Robinson College, Cambridge
Robinson College, Cambridge
Robinson College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.Robinson is the newest of the Cambridge colleges, and is unique in being the only one to have been intended, from its inception, for both undergraduate and graduate students of either sex.- History :The college was founded...
at the age of 20 where he studied English and became vice-president of the Footlights
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
. He met David Mitchell
David Mitchell (actor)
David James Stuart Mitchell is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is half of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, whom he met at Cambridge University. There they were both part of the Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo star in the...
at an audition for a Footlights production of Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
in 1993.
Mitchell and Webb
The two put together their first project in January 1995, a show about the First World War entitled Innocent Millions Dead or Dying: A Wry Look at the Post-Apocalyptic Age (With Songs). Webb later described it as being "fucking terrible".From this, the duo were given the chance to write for Alexander Armstrong
Alexander Armstrong (comedian)
Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong is a British comedian, actor and television presenter.-Early life and career:Armstrong was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, the youngest of three children, to Henry Angus Armstrong and his wife Emma Virginia Peronnet Thompson-McCausland, daughter of Lucius...
and Ben Miller
Ben Miller
Bennet Evan "Ben" Miller is an English comedian, actor and director. He is perhaps best known as one half of comedy double act Armstrong and Miller, along with Alexander Armstrong. Together the pair wrote and starred in Channel 4 sketch show Armstrong and Miller, and the more recent BBC television...
and for series two of Big Train
Big Train
Big Train is a surreal British television comedy sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, writers of the successful sitcom Father Ted...
. After minor work on The Jack Docherty Show and Comedy Nation, their first break into television acting was in 2000, on the short-lived BBC sketch show Bruiser
Bruiser (TV series)
Bruiser was a TV comedy sketch show produced for BBC Choice. It premiered on 28 February 2000 and ran for six episodes ending on 15 March 2000. The main writers were David Mitchell and Robert Webb...
, which they primarily wrote, and starred in. The show also featured Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman is an English actress, best known for her supporting roles in various comedy shows, such as Sophie Chapman in Peep Show and Harriet Schulenburg in Green Wing. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and has appeared in radio, television and theatre.-Personal life:Colman...
, who would become a regular cast member of Mitchell and Webb projects, Matt Holness, later co-creator and star of cult program Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is a British dark comedy show made for Channel 4 by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade. Following on from Garth Marenghi's Netherhead, which won the 2001 Perrier Awards, the show revolves around fictional horror author Garth Marenghi and his publisher Dean Learner...
, and Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman
Martin John C. Freeman is an English actor. He is known for his roles as John in Love Actually, Tim Canterbury in the BBC's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Office, Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. John Watson in Sherlock and Mr. Madden...
, later of The Office
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
fame. Additional material for the show was provided by various people including Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
, Richard Ayoade
Richard Ayoade
Richard Ellef Ayoade is a British comedian, actor, writer and director best known for his role as Maurice Moss in The IT Crowd.Ayoade was born an only child to a Norwegian mother, Dagny , and a Nigerian father, Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade. Ayoade studied at St...
and James Bachman
James Bachman
James Bachman is an English comedian, actor and writer.He has written for many U.K. radio and television programmes, including That Mitchell and Webb Look , That Mitchell and Webb Sound , Popetown , and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway...
.
In 2001 the two were commissioned for a sketch show of their own, entitled The Mitchell and Webb Situation
The Mitchell and Webb Situation
The Mitchell and Webb Situation was a British television sketch show shown on Play UK in 2001. Written by and starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, it lasted for one series of six episodes and was released on region 2 DVD in 2006 by Eureka Video...
, which ran for six episodes on the now defunct channel Play UK
Play UK
Play UK was a television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel was launched on 10 October 1998...
. Mitchell and Webb's next project came in 2003, with starring roles in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 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...
sitcom Peep Show
Peep Show (TV series)
Peep Show is a British sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The television programme is written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb themselves, amongst others. It has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2003. The show's seventh series makes it...
, as flatmates Mark Corrigan and Jeremy "Jez" Usborne respectively. The pair shared the 2007 Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Award for "Comedy Performance", and were jointly nominated for Best Television Comedy Actor at the 2006 British Comedy Awards. Webb was nominated for the Best Television Comedy Actor award again, this time without Mitchell, in 2009. Peep Show has aired seven series, making it the longest-running sitcom in Channel 4 history.
After the success of Peep Show Mitchell and Webb returned to sketch comedy with their 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...
sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound
That Mitchell and Webb Sound
That Mitchell and Webb Sound is a comedy sketch show on BBC Radio 4 which started on 28 August 2003. A second series was broadcast in 2005 with a third starting on 24 May 2007. The series became adapted for television as That Mitchell and Webb Look in 2006. The series is seen in some ways a...
, which ran for four series. The show was adapted for television and became That Mitchell and Webb Look
That Mitchell and Webb Look
That Mitchell and Webb Look is a British television sketch show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Shown on BBC Two since 2006, its first two series were directed by David Kerr, who also directed Mitchell and Webb's previous television sketch show The Mitchell and Webb Situation, whereas...
, producer Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards (producer)
Gareth Edwards is a radio and television producer and writer. He is the great-grandson of Hollywood pioneer Albert E. Smith, founder of Vitagraph Studios.TV and Radio Career...
described it as "the shortest pitch [he had] ever written". Towards the end of 2006 the pair made their first tour, with a show called The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb
The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb
The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb was a live stage tour undertaken by the comedy team of David Mitchell and Robert Webb, accompanied by their frequent collaborators James Bachman and Abigail Burdess, who played supporting roles.-Overview:...
. The tour was criticised as just "a succession of largely unrelated scenes" by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Brian Logan, who gave it a rating of two stars.
That Mitchell and Webb Look won them the BAFTA for "Best Comedy Programme or Series" at the 2007 awards, and they earned a further nomination for it in 2009. It was nominated for two British Comedy awards in 2006: "Britain's Best New TV Comedy" and the "Highland Spring People's Choice". Their stage tour The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb was nominated for the British Comedy Award for "Best Stage Comedy", and That Mitchell and Webb Sound won a Sony Silver Award. Their first film, Magicians was released on 18 May 2007. It was directed by Andrew O'Connor and written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. Webb played the role of modern magician Karl.
Mitchell and Webb's first comedy book This Mitchell and Webb Book was released in 2009, with a further book expected in 2010. They filmed Playing Shop a comedy television pilot for BBC2 about two men who operate a business out of their shed, which they also wrote. Although the BBC were happy with it, Mitchell and Webb scrapped it themselves, as they felt it was too similar to Peep Show. A new pilot had been commissioned, but the plan was later shelved.
The duo also fronted the campaign of the UK version of Apple Inc.'s Get a Mac
Get a Mac
The Get a Mac campaign is a television advertising campaign created for Apple Inc. by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the company's advertising agency, that ran from 2006 to 2009...
adverts, with Mitchell playing PC. The adverts have received much criticism. Writing in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brooker
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
claimed that the use of Mitchell and Webb in the adverts was a curious choice. He compared the characters of PC and Mac in the adverts to those of Mark and Jeremy in Peep Show, stating that "when you see the ads, you think, 'PCs are a bit rubbish yet ultimately lovable, whereas Macs are just smug, preening tossers.'" The British Sitcom Guide also criticised the pair for "selling their souls". One journalist called the adverts "worse than not funny", and accused Mitchell and Webb of "an act of grave betrayal" for taking corporate work. In an interview with The Telegraph, Robert Webb responded to the duo's critics, stating that "when someone asks, 'Do you want to do some funny ads for not many days in the year and be paid more than you would be for an entire series of Peep Show?' the answer, obviously, is, 'Yeah, that's fine'". In the same interview, Mitchell also said "I don't see what is morally inconsistent with a comedian doing an advert. It's all right to sell computers, isn't it? Unless you think that capitalism is evil - which I don't. It's not like we're helping to flog a baby-killing machine".
Solo work
Webb has also appeared in two series of the BBC Three sitcom The Smoking RoomThe Smoking Room
The Smoking Room is a British television sitcom written by Brian Dooley, who won a BAFTA for the series in 2005. The first series, consisting of eight episodes, was originally transmitted on BBC Three between 29 June and 17 August 2004. The Christmas Special was first transmitted on the same...
(2004) and the Radio 4 sketch show Concrete Cow
Concrete Cow
This article is about a radio show; for the sculptures located in Milton Keynes, see Concrete Cows.Concrete Cow was a BBC Radio 4 audience sketch show created by James Cary. Two series were broadcast in 2002 and 2003. It was mainly written by Cary with Adam Bromley, the producer. It also contained...
. In 2005 he appeared in the Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
-scripted BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
sitcom Blessed as Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon is an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his roles in television sitcoms as Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted and George Sunday in My Hero.-Early life:...
's 'perfect' counterpart.
He and Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman is an English actress, best known for her supporting roles in various comedy shows, such as Sophie Chapman in Peep Show and Harriet Schulenburg in Green Wing. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and has appeared in radio, television and theatre.-Personal life:Colman...
also featured as a naturist couple in Confetti, a 2006 film about a competition for the most original wedding. Webb has since called the film "shit" on several occasions, although this appears to be because he was led to believe that his genitals would be pixellated out but only discovered at the screening of the film that they were not.
Also in 2008, Webb made his West End stage debut in the UK premiere of Neil LaBute
Neil LaBute
Neil N. LaBute is an American film director, screenwriter and playwright.-Early life:LaBute was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Marian, a hospital receptionist, and Richard LaBute, a long-haul truck driver. LaBute is of French Canadian, English and Irish ancestry, and was raised in Spokane,...
's Fat Pig
Fat Pig
- Plot synopsis :Fat Pig tells us the story of Tom, a stereotypical professional in a large city, who falls for a very plus-size librarian named Helen. They meet in a crowded cafeteria at lunchtime and get to talking. Tom is taken with her brash acceptance of the way people see her and her...
, co-starring as Tom alongside Kris Marshall
Kris Marshall
Kristopher "Kris" Marshall is an English actor, best known for his role as Nick Harper in My Family, and as Adam in the adverts for BT Group since 2005.-Career:...
, Joanna Page
Joanna Page
Joanna Louise Page is a Welsh actress, best known for playing Stacey in the television series, Gavin and Stacey.-Early and personal life:...
and Ella Smith
Ella Smith (actress)
Ella Smith is a Welsh actress. She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and is a former member of the National Youth Theatre....
.
Webb won the 2009 series Let's Dance
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
Let's Dance for Comic Relief is a British television programme shown on BBC One, featuring celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charity Comic Relief. The programme is currently presented by Steve Jones and Alex Jones, who replaced previous host Claudia Winkleman in...
for the charity 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...
, parodying the audition sequence from the film Flashdance
Flashdance
Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
. He also narrates the series Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum
Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum
Young Dumb and Living Off Mum is an entertainment/reality series airing on BBC Three. The series follows a group of young adults who have been waited on hand and foot their whole lives. The series sees them living together in a house and fending for themselves...
. He hosted a 2010 Channel 4 series looking at the week's online news, Robert's Web
Robert's Web
Robert's Web is a topical comedy show hosted by Robert Webb looking at the latest news, happenings, videos and pictures from the internet in the last week....
.
Between April 2010 and April 2011 Webb wrote a weekly column for the Saturday edition of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. He later criticised those who commented on the online versions of his articles in an article for The New Statesman
The New Statesman
The New Statesman is an award-winning British sitcom of the late 1980s and early 1990s satirising the Conservative government of the time...
.
He has appeared on several panel shows, including The Bubble
The Bubble (UK TV series)
-Further reading:*...
, 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...
, Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
and QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
. In January 2011, Webb appeared on a celebrity version of BBC quiz Mastermind
Mastermind (TV series)
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...
, answering nine questions correctly on his specialist subject (the novels of Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan
Ian Russell McEwan CBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist and screenwriter, and one of Britain's most highly regarded writers. In 2008, The Times named him among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945"....
) and 11 correctly on the general knowledge round.
In 2011 he played Dan the geology lecturer in Channel 4 series Fresh Meat.
Personal life
Webb married fellow comedy performer Abigail Burdess in 2007 after meeting her on the set of a radio sketch show. David MitchellDavid Mitchell (actor)
David James Stuart Mitchell is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is half of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, whom he met at Cambridge University. There they were both part of the Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo star in the...
was the best man. They live in Kilburn, London (as does Mitchell). The couple have two daughters.
Webb has stated that he is a supporter of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
Film
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Confetti | Michael |
| 2007 | Magicians | Karl |
Television
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Jack Docherty Show | Various characters | Also writer |
| 1998 | Comedy Nation | Various characters | |
| 2000 | Meaningful Sex | Graham | |
| Bruiser Bruiser (TV series) Bruiser was a TV comedy sketch show produced for BBC Choice. It premiered on 28 February 2000 and ran for six episodes ending on 15 March 2000. The main writers were David Mitchell and Robert Webb... |
Various characters | Also writer | |
| 2001 | Fun at the Funeral Parlour Fun at the Funeral Parlour Fun at the Funeral Parlour was a comedy series broadcast on BBC Choice for two series in 2001 and 2002. It was set in a Welsh funeral directors called Thomas, Thomas, Thomas and Thomas.... |
Packham | Episode 1.4: "The Mountains of Doom" |
| The Mitchell and Webb Situation The Mitchell and Webb Situation The Mitchell and Webb Situation was a British television sketch show shown on Play UK in 2001. Written by and starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, it lasted for one series of six episodes and was released on region 2 DVD in 2006 by Eureka Video... |
Various characters | Also writer | |
| People Like Us People Like Us People Like Us is a British comedy programme, a spoof on-location documentary written by John Morton, and starring Chris Langham as Roy Mallard, an inept interviewer... |
Tom Wolfson | Episode 2.5: "The Bank Manager" | |
| 2002 | The Gist | Paul Ashdown | |
| 2003 | My Family | Arvo | Episode 4.14: "Sixty Feet Under" |
| 2003- | Peep Show Peep Show (TV series) Peep Show is a British sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The television programme is written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb themselves, amongst others. It has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2003. The show's seventh series makes it... |
Jeremy | Longest-running role |
| 2004 | 55 Degrees North 55 Degrees North 55 Degrees North is a BBC television drama series starring Don Gilet as DS Nicky Cole, a London detective relocated to Newcastle upon Tyne after exposing police corruption. Dervla Kirwan co-stars as Claire Maxwell, an ambitious solicitor.... |
Dog Handler | Episode 1.3 |
| 2004–2005 | The Smoking Room The Smoking Room The Smoking Room is a British television sitcom written by Brian Dooley, who won a BAFTA for the series in 2005. The first series, consisting of eight episodes, was originally transmitted on BBC Three between 29 June and 17 August 2004. The Christmas Special was first transmitted on the same... |
Robin | Appeared in all 17 episodes |
| 2005 | Twisted Tales | Colin | Episode 1.9: "Nothing to Fear"; also writer |
| Blessed Blessed (TV series) Blessed was a BBC television sitcom written by Ben Elton and starring Ardal O'Hanlon as Gary, a record producer, who is struggling to bring up two small children... |
Bill Hathaway | Appeared in all eight episodes | |
| 2006- | That Mitchell and Webb Look That Mitchell and Webb Look That Mitchell and Webb Look is a British television sketch show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Shown on BBC Two since 2006, its first two series were directed by David Kerr, who also directed Mitchell and Webb's previous television sketch show The Mitchell and Webb Situation, whereas... |
Various characters | Also writer; won BAFTA for Best Comedy Programme or Series; two British Comedy Award nominations |
| 2011- | Fresh Meat | Dan |
Non-fictional appearances
As voice-over- Cushelle (Adverts) - (2010)
As narrator
- Return To.. (2008)
- Young, Dumb and Living Off MumYoung, Dumb and Living Off MumYoung Dumb and Living Off Mum is an entertainment/reality series airing on BBC Three. The series follows a group of young adults who have been waited on hand and foot their whole lives. The series sees them living together in a house and fending for themselves...
(2009–2011) - History of Now: The Story of the Noughties (2010)
- Cutting Edge: My Daughter Grew Another Head and Other True Life Stories (2010)
- The Real Hustle: Around the World (2010)
- Mad and Bad: 60 Years of Science on TV (2010)
- Family Guy: Ground Breaking Gags (2011)
- The Sex Researchers (2011)
Panel shows
- 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...
- 2 appearances (2005, 2010 (as host)) - Rob Brydon's Annually RetentiveRob Brydon's Annually RetentiveRob Brydon's Annually Retentive is a British television show, first aired on BBC Three in July 2006. Devised by Paul Duddridge, it concerns the making of a comedy panel game show called Annually Retentive, themed around historical events, and hosted by Welsh comedian Rob Brydon...
- 1 appearance (2006) - Best of the WorstBest of the Worst (UK)Best of the Worst was a British panel game, which was broadcast on Channel 4 in 2006. The show was created by Giles Pilbrow and Colin Swash....
- 1 appearance (2006) - Would I Lie To You?Would I Lie To You? (TV series)Would I Lie to You? is a comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for BBC One. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007.-Format:The show was presented by Angus Deayton in 2007 and 2008, and by Rob Brydon from 2009 onwards...
- 2 appearances (2008, 2011) - Never Mind the BuzzcocksNever Mind the BuzzcocksNever Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
- 2 appearances (2008, 2010 (as host)) - The BubbleThe Bubble (UK TV series)-Further reading:*...
- 1 appearance (2010) - You Have Been WatchingYou Have Been WatchingYou Have Been Watching is a British comedy panel game presented by Charlie Brooker, produced by Zeppotron for Channel 4 and filmed at BBC Television Centre and Riverside Studios in London. It first aired on Tuesday 7 July 2009, for a weekly eight-episode run...
- 2 appearances (2010) - QIQIQI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
- 1 appearance (2011) - 24 Hour Panel People (2011)
- Alexander Armstrong's Big AskAlexander Armstrong's Big AskAlexander Armstrong's Big Ask is a comedy panel show hosted by Alexander Armstrong. The pilot was shown on Dave on 30 May 2011. The guests on the pilot were Robert Webb, Katy Brand and Griff Rhys Jones. After a positive reaction to the pilot, Dave ordered a full series which will be filmed in...
(2011)
Other programmes
- Britain's 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches (2005)
- ImagineImagine (TV series)Imagine is a wide ranging arts series first broadcast on BBC One in 2003, hosted and executive produced by Alan Yentob. Each series usually consists of 4 to 7 episodes, each on a different topic...
- 1 appearance (2006) - Friday Night with Jonathan RossFriday Night with Jonathan RossFriday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
- 2 appearances (2006, 2009) - The Graham Norton ShowThe Graham Norton ShowThe Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
- 2 appearances (2007, 2009) - Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out (2007)
- Time Shift - 1 appearance (2007)
- The Law Of The PlaygroundThe Law Of The PlaygroundThe Law of the Playground is a British television series broadcast on Channel 4 produced by Zeppotron in which various British comedians and celebrities recollect the past times of childhood at school...
- 6 appearances (2008) - Lily Allen and FriendsLily Allen and FriendsLily Allen and Friends is a British TV talk show presented by Lily Allen. The programme is produced by Princess Productions for BBC Three. It was first shown on 12 February 2008. The audience consists entirely of Lily's online friends, who sign up via the programme's website...
- 1 appearance (2008) - Saturday KitchenSaturday KitchenSaturday Kitchen Live is a 90 minute cookery programme, which is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday mornings. It is currently presented by James Martin; previous presenters have included Antony Worrall Thompson and Gregg Wallace. The programme is currently produced by Cactus TV...
- 1 appearance (2008) - Let's Dance for Comic ReliefLet's Dance for Comic ReliefLet's Dance for Comic Relief is a British television programme shown on BBC One, featuring celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charity Comic Relief. The programme is currently presented by Steve Jones and Alex Jones, who replaced previous host Claudia Winkleman in...
- Winner (2009) - The One ShowThe One ShowThe One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
- 1 appearance (2009) - My Life in Verse - 1 appearance (2009)
- This MorningThis Morning (TV series)This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
- 1 appearance (2010) - All Star Mr and Mrs - 1 appearance (2010)
- Let's Dance for Sport Relief - Judge (2010)
- Great Movie Mistakes - Presenter (2010)
- Great TV Mistakes - Presenter (2010)
- BBC BreakfastBBC BreakfastBBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
- 2 appearances (2010) - Robert's WebRobert's WebRobert's Web is a topical comedy show hosted by Robert Webb looking at the latest news, happenings, videos and pictures from the internet in the last week....
- Presenter (2010) - Peep Show & Tell (2010)
- Great Movie Mistakes 2: The Sequel - Presenter (2011)
- Celebrity MastermindCelebrity MastermindCelebrity Mastermind is a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. The show is a spin-off of the long running quiz show Mastermind, with the exception that all the contestants are celebrities. As with the main show, John Humphrys is the host and question-master...
- Contestant (2011) - Pop's Greatest Dance Crazes - Presenter (2011)