Clive Stuart Anderson (born 10 December 1952) is an English television and radio presenter, comedy writer, and former
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
. Winner of a British Comedy Award in 1991, Anderson began experimenting with comedy and writing comedic scripts during his 15-year legal career, before starring in ''
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...
'' on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
, then later
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. He has also hosted many radio programmes, and made guest appearances on ''
Have I Got News for You'', ''
Mock the Week
''Mock the Week'' is a British topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. The programme was present ...
'' and ''
QI''.
Early life
Anderson's mother was English and his parents met while serving in the RAF.
He was educated at Stanburn Primary School and
Harrow County School for Boys
Harrow may refer to:
Places
* Harrow, Victoria, Australia
* Harrow, Ontario, Canada
* The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland
* London Borough of Harrow, England
** Harrow, London, a town in London
** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency ...
then a grammar school which closed in 1975.
His group of contemporaries included
Geoffrey Perkins
Geoffrey Howard Perkins (22 February 1953 – 29 August 2008) was a British comedy producer, writer and performer. Best known as the BBC head of comedy (1995–2001), he produced the first two radio series of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galax ...
and
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster and former politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as '' Great British Railway Journeys'' and '' Great Continental Railway Jour ...
. His
Scottish father originally from Glasgow was promoted to manager
of the
Bradford & Bingley's Building Society, Wembley branch. Anderson attended
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...
, where, from 1974 to 1975, he was President of the Cambridge
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.
History
Footlights' inaugural ...
. He was
called to the bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
at the
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
in 1976 and became a practising
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
, specialising in
criminal law
Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...
. While still practising law, he continued performing, including taking a show to the
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
in 1981 with
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. Rhys Jones came to national attention in the 1980s for h ...
.
[
]
Career
Television
Anderson was involved in the fledgling
alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s and was the first act to come on stage at
The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California.
History
The Comedy S ...
when it opened in 1979.
He made his name as host of the UK version of the improvised television comedy show ''
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...
'', which ran for 10 series.
Anderson hosted his own chat show, ''Clive Anderson Talks Back'' (1989–1996), on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
, which ran for 10 series. Anderson moved to the BBC in 1996. After moving to
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
, the show's name was changed to ''Clive Anderson All Talk'' (1996–2001), and it ran for five series. In one incident in 1997, Anderson interviewed the
Bee Gees. Throughout the interview, he repeatedly joked about their songs from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' era, also referring to their original intended name as 'Les Tosseurs' but his comment, 'you'll always be Les tossers to me' ultimately prompted the band to walk out of the interview. Anderson once had a glass of water poured over his head by a perturbed
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
, to which Anderson remarked "I'm used to that; I've flown
Virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
". Alluding to the singer and actress
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
's alleged cosmetic surgery when she was a guest on the show, he asked her "You look like a million dollars – is that how much it cost?" He also said to
Jeffrey Archer
Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist, life peer, convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974), but did not ...
in response to his derogatory comment about the show, "you're a critic too... there's no beginning to your talents". Archer retorted that "The old ones are always the best," for Anderson to reply "Yes, I've read your books."
He has made ten appearances on ''
Have I Got News for You''. He has also frequently appeared on ''
QI''. In 2007, he featured as a regular panellist on the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
comedy show ''
News Knight
''News Knight with Sir Trevor McDonald'', more commonly referred to as simply ''News Knight'' is a British television panel show shown on ITV, at 22:00 on Sunday nights. Fronted by Sir Trevor McDonald and in a similar style to the BBC One prog ...
''. One heated exchange on ''Have I Got News for You'' occurred when he joked to fellow guest
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; né O'Meara; born 30 March 1965) is a British broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He began his Fleet Street career in 1988 at '' The Sun''. In 1994, aged 29, he was appointed editor of the ...
that the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' was now, thanks to Morgan (then its editor), almost as good as ''
The Sun''. When asked by Morgan, "What do you know about editing newspapers?" he swiftly replied, "About as much as you do."
In 2005, he presented the short-lived quiz ''
Back in the Day'' for
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. On 25 February 2008, he started to present ''
Brainbox Challenge'', a new game show, for
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
. Later that year, he presented a talent show-themed reality TV series produced by the BBC entitled ''
Maestro
Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning "master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera, in line with the ubiqu ...
'', starring eight celebrities. In 2009, Anderson was the television host of the BBC's ''Last Night of
the Proms
The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
''.
Appearances
Radio
Anderson presents legal show ''Unreliable Evidence'' on
Radio 4. He also covered the Sunday morning 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. show on
BBC Radio 2 through the end of January 2008.
A radio version of the TV series ''
Whose Line is it Anyway?
''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...
'' was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
It was announced in April 2008 that Anderson, who had previously filled in for host
Ned Sherrin
Edward George Sherrin (18 February 1931 – 1 October 2007) was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC. He appeared in a variety of r ...
from 2006 until Sherrin's death in 2007, would be taking over as permanent host of ''
Loose Ends''. He also hosted six series of ''
Clive Anderson's Chat Room
''Clive Anderson's Chat Room'' is a radio programme that started in October 2004 and series seven was aired in Autumn 2009. Hosted by Clive Anderson
Clive Stuart Anderson (born 10 December 1952) is an English television and radio presenter, ...
'' on BBC Radio 2 from 2004 to 2009. Anderson has appeared on BBC Radio 4's ''The Unbelievable Truth'' hosted by
David Mitchell.
Anderson also presented the radio show ''The Guessing Game'' on
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 November 197 ...
. Anderson has also appeared on
BBC Radio 5 Live's ''
Fighting Talk
''Fighting Talk'' is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. The show is broadcast on Saturday mornings for an hour between 1100 and 1200 and is based on a similar format to the ESPN show '' Around ...
''.
Comedy and newspaper writing
Anderson is a comedy sketch writer who has written for
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian.
Early life
Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...
, ''
Not the Nine O'Clock News
''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' is a British television sketch comedy show which was broadcast on BBC2 from 1979 to 1982. Originally shown as a comedy alternative to the '' Nine O'Clock News'' on BBC1, it features satirical sketches on then-cur ...
'', and
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. Rhys Jones came to national attention in the 1980s for h ...
and
Mel Smith
Melvyn Kenneth Smith (3 December 1952 – 19 July 2013) was an English comedian, actor and director. Smith worked on the sketch comedy shows ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' and ''Alas Smith and Jones'' with his comedy partner, Griff Rhys Jones. ...
.
[ One of his early comedy writing projects was '' Black Cinderella Two Goes East'' with Rory McGrath for ]BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
in 1978. As well as writing comedy, Anderson is also a frequent contributor to newspapers and was a regular columnist for '' The Sunday Correspondent''.[
]
Personal life
Anderson lives in Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was sit ...
, North London, with his consultant wife, Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson (born 1954 in California) is an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and director. She wrote and directed the feature film '' The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio'' (2005), and wrote the Nicolas Cage film '' It Could Happen t ...
, a physician who has spent her career in managing HIV/AIDS.
He supports Arsenal, and Rangers football teams. He is President of the Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972.
The Woodland Tr ...
and became Vice Patron of the Solicitors' Benevolent Association, a registered charity.
Awards
The show ''Whose Line is it Anyway?'' won a BAFTA award in 1990. Later, Anderson won both the "Top Entertainment Presenter" and "Top Radio Comedy Personality" at the British Comedy Awards
The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.
The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
in 1991.
References
External links
*
*
Representation at Curtis Brown Talent Agency
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Clive
1952 births
Living people
Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge
English barristers
English comedy writers
English game show hosts
English people of Scottish descent
English radio presenters
English television presenters
People from Stanmore
Members of the Middle Temple
People educated at Harrow High School
English television talk show hosts