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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 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. ...

. Rhys Jones came to national attention in the 1980s for his work in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

television

comedy sketch Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and i ...

shows ''

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 ''

Alas Smith and Jones ''Alas Smith and Jones'' is a British comedy sketch television series starring comedy duo and namesake Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones that originally ran for four series and two Christmas specials on BBC2 from 1984 to 1988, and later as ''Smit ...

''. From 2008 to 2016, he presented the television bloopers show ''

It'll be Alright on the Night ''It'll be Alright on the Night'' is a British television bloopers programme screened on ITV and produced by ITV Studios. It was one of the first series created with the specific purpose of showing behind the scenes bloopers from film and TV. ...

'' for ITV, having replaced

Denis Norden Denis Mostyn Norden (6 February 1922 – 19 September 2018) was an English comedy writer and television presenter. After an early career working in cinemas, he began scriptwriting during the Second World War. From 1948 to 1959, he co-wrote the ...

, and being succeeded in 2018 by

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...

Early life and education

Griffith Rhys Jones was born on 16 November 1953 in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, the son of Gwynneth Margaret (née Jones) and Elwyn Rhys Jones, a medical doctor. His family moved due to his father's occupation to

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

when Rhys Jones was six months old.Matthew Stadle
"Griff Rhys Jones: 'I’m greedy for life – I do too many things'"
''The Daily Telegraph'', 3 November 2014. Rhys Jones attended Conifers Primary School in

Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town, parish and civil parish in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother inland from the English Channel, and north of the county town of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as ''Middeh ...

, West Sussex, before his family moved to Brentwood, Essex. He attended a junior school in

Epping Epping may refer to: Places Australia * Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Epping railway station, Sydney * Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, and the Brentwood School, also in Essex. After a short spell working as a petrol pump attendant, Rhys Jones gained a

gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is typically a year-long break before or after college/university during which students engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as travel or some type of regular work. Gap yea ...

job on the P&O ship ''

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

'', working for a company organising school trips. In his autobiography, ''Semi-Detached'', he describes how he was charged with helping to look after 600 Canadian schoolgirls, followed by a similar number of younger Scottish schoolchildren, and refers to the experience as being like "

St Trinians ''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquents. ...

at sea". He wrote to eight of the Canadians afterwards.Michael Odell
"This much I know: Griff Rhys Jones"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 5 November 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2007. Rhys Jones initially read History, later changing to

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, graduating with a 2:1.

Career

After Cambridge, Rhys Jones then joined

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

Light Entertainment as a trainee producer, with his responsibilities including the satirical show ''

Week Ending ''Week Ending'' was a satirical radio current affairs sketch show broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1970 and 1998. It was devised by writer-producers Simon Brett and David Hatch and was originally hosted by '' Nationwide'' presenter Michael B ...

'' and ''

Brain of Britain ''Brain of Britain'' is a BBC radio general knowledge quiz, broadcast on BBC Radio 4. History It began as a slot in ''What Do You Know?'' in 1953. The main part of the show was the "Brain of Britain" quiz itself, originally called "Ask Me An ...

''. He also appeared in 1974 in the Comedy series ''Oh no it isn't !'' on BBC Radio 4. Rhys Jones came in as a producer of Rowan Atkinson's show ''

The Atkinson People ''The Atkinson People'' is a 1979 BBC radio comedy series. The series, which was first broadcast sporadically in 1979 by the BBC's arts radio station Radio 3, features a satirical profile of a fictional famous person each week. It is notable a ...

'' with

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 ...

Clive Anderson Clive Stuart Anderson (born 10 December 1952) is an English television and radio presenter, comedy writer, and former barrister. Winner of a British Comedy Award in 1991, Anderson began experimenting with comedy and writing comedic scripts durin ...

and Rory McGrath, for the

...
and appeared twice on ''

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 ...

'' Rhys Jones filled in several minor roles in the first series of ''

'', and was brought in as a regular cast member from the second series onwards, replacing

Chris Langham Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is an English writer, actor, and comedian. He is known for playing the cabinet minister Hugh Abbot in the BBC sitcom '' The Thick of It'', and as presenter Roy Mallard in '' People Like Us'', first on B ...

. Rhys Jones says that the reason he got the part was not due to his appearance in the initial shows, or his talent, but because producer John Lloyd was dating his sister at the time. Rhys Jones became a regular from the commissioned second series. Rhys Jones was awarded the

Laurence Olivier Theatre Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

in 1984 for Best Comedy Performance in ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot in ...

'' and in 1994 for Best Comedy Performance for his performance in ''An Absolute Turkey''. He also played Toad in ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

'' at the National Theatre in 1990, as well as a number of other theatre roles. He provided the voices on the series of short cartoons ''

Funnybones ''Funnybones'' (''Sgerbyde'' in welsh) )is a British children's television comedy series, which originally aired on S4C in Wales, and on BBC One with BBC Two showing repeats elsewhere in the United Kingdom from 29 September to 15 December 1992. ...

''. Rhys Jones has continued his acting career, being cast in ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' and ''

Agatha Christie's Marple ''Agatha Christie's Marple'' (or simply ''Marple'') is a British ITV television programme loosely based on the books and short stories by British crime novelist Agatha Christie. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the firs ...

'' as well as starring in

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include ''Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scien ...

' drama series ''

Mine All Mine ''Mine All Mine'' is a British television series produced by Red Production Company for ITV. It was written by Russell T Davies and starred Griff Rhys Jones. The story takes place in Swansea, Wales. Overview Rhys Jones plays Max Vivaldi, an e ...

'' on ITV. ''

'' returned with Rhys Jones as the new presenter, taking over from

. The first programme with Rhys Jones as host aired in 2008. In January 2012, Rhys Jones returned to BBC sketch comedy ''The Ones'' alongside the likes of

Hugh Bonneville Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams (born 10 November 1963) is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series ''Downton Abbey''. His performance on the show earned him a no ...

Tom Hollander Thomas Anthony Hollander (; born 25 August 1967) is an English actor. As a child Hollander trained with the National Youth Theatre and was later involved in stage productions as a member of the Footlights and was president of the Marlowe Soc ...

and

Larry Lamb Lawrence Douglas Lamb (born 1 October 1947) is an English actor and radio presenter. He played Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy series '' Gavin & Stacey'' and Ted Case in the final series ...

, for one of a three episode series in which comedy legends take to the stage for a mix of stand-up and sketches.

Partnership with Mel Smith

After ''

'',

and Rhys Jones teamed up in 1984, and appeared in the comedy sketch series ''

''. (the show's title being a pun on the American television series ''

Alias Smith and Jones ''Alias Smith and Jones'' is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from January 1971 to January 1973. The show initially starred Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, outlaw cousins who are tryin ...

''). After the first series, the two men appeared on the in

Mike Hodges Michael Tommy Hodges (29 July 1932 – 17 December 2022) was a British screenwriter, film and television director, playwright and novelist. His films as writer/director include ''Get Carter'' (1971), ''Pulp'' (1972), '' The Terminal Man'' (197 ...

' science fiction comedy movie ''

Morons from Outer Space ''Morons from Outer Space'' is a 1985 British comedy-science fiction film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith, Joanne Pearce, Jimmy Nail and James B. Sikking. Plot The story begins on a small spaceship docking with ...

''. and then in 1989, the

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...

production '' Wilt''. Dressed as

bobbies In many countries, particularly those with a federal system of government, there may be several law enforcement agencies, police or police-like organizations, each serving different levels of government and enforcing different subsets of the appli ...

, in July 1985 Smith and Rhys Jones introduced

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

on stage at Live Aid. Smith and Rhys Jones were reunited in March 2005, for a Comic Relief sketch,. which led to a revival of their previous television series in ''The Smith and Jones Sketchbook''. Their final television appearance together was a Head To Head routine for the special of 2012 ''The One Griff Rhys-Jones''. With Smith, he co-founded the television production company Talkback Productions, now part of

RTL Group RTL Group (for "Radio Television Luxembourg") is a Luxembourg-based international media conglomerate, with another corporate centre in Cologne, Germany. The company operates 68 television channels and 31 radio stations in Germany, France an ...

and later in 2005, he established the production company

Modern Television Modern Television is a British production company based in Cardiff and London. It was founded in 2005 by Griff Rhys Jones and Simon Mansfield, who left in 2011. Since 2011 the Managing Director has been Sarah Broughton. Tom Hollander was cast t ...

. When Smith died in the summer of 2013, Rhys Jones wrote a piece about his comedy partner in the '' Radio Times'', saying it was "sheer bliss" to perform with Smith.

Production companies

In 1981, Rhys Jones along with

founded

Talkback Talkback or talk back may refer to: * ''Talkback'' (album), a 1983 album by the Canadian band the Spoons * ''Talk Back'' (Kembe X album), 2016 *Talkback, an alternate name for Marvel Comics superhero Chase Stein * Talkback (recording), an audio ...

, a production company which produced many British comedy series, including ''

Smack the Pony ''Smack the Pony'' is a British sketch comedy show that was originally broadcast between 1999 and 2003 on Channel 4. The main performers on the show were Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan and Sally Phillips. There were also regular appearances from ...

'', ''

Da Ali G Show ''Da Ali G Show'' is a British satirical television series created by and starring English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. In the series, Baron Cohen plays three unorthodox journalists: faux-streetwise poseur Ali G, Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev, ...

'', '' I'm Alan Partridge'', ''

They Think It's All Over "They think it's all over" is a quote from Kenneth Wolstenholme's BBC TV commentary in the closing moments of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, when England beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time to win the FIFA World Cup. In the final few seco ...

'', '' QI'' and ''

Big Train ''Big Train'' is a British television sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan. The first series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1998, while the second, in which Linehan was not involved, aired in 2002. Overview The series starre ...

''. In 2005, Rhys Jones created his own production company Modern Television, which has since made a number of productions with Rhys Jones as presenter and executive producer. In May 2014, Rhys Jones was executive producer on his production company's debut BBC drama '' A Poet in New York'' starring

as Dylan Thomas.

Documentaries

Rhys Jones has developed a career as a television presenter, beginning as the co-host on several

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

programmes. He presented ''Bookworm'' from 1994 to 2000, was the presenter of the

...
's ''

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

'' programme and has undertaken fundraising work for the

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in L ...

theatre conservation project. Since 2006, Rhys Jones has appeared in the BBC's ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a tw ...

'' series, alongside

Dara Ó Briain Dara Ó Briain ( , ; born 4 February 1972) is an Irish comedian and television presenter based in the United Kingdom. He is noted for performing stand-up comedy shows all over the world and for hosting topical panel shows such as ''Mock the W ...

and Rory McGrath. The series has included the trio rowing the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, as in the 1889 novel, sailing from London to the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

for a sailing boat race, borrowing numerous vessels to make their way from Plymouth to the Isles of Scilly. In later adventures, the three men took to the Irish Canals and Rivers on a trip from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

(Dara's Greyhound

Snip Nua Snip Nua was a racing greyhound who featured in the BBC television show '' Three Men go to Ireland''. Biography Born in the spring of 2008, Snip Nua was a racing greyhound who became famous because she featured in the BBC television show ''Three ...

also tagged along for the trip), went to Scotland, and sailed along the Balkan coast ending up in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

for a gondola race. His documentary series ''

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

'', for which he climbed 15 British peaks during 2006, was broadcast on

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, ...

29 July–26 August 2007. Rhys Jones visited his mother's home town in

Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taff Ferndale ( cy, Glynrhedynog) is a town and community located in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Neighbouring villages are Blaenllechau, Maerdy and Tylorstown. Ferndale was industrialised in the mid-19th centu ...

for an episode of the

series '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', broadcast on 20 September 2007. In the episode, he detailed early memories and stories of his grandparents' fruit and vegetable shop on the high street and his mother's childhood concert performances at Trerhondda Chapel. He presented a documentary series with 5 episodes ''A Pembrokeshire Farm'' which was broadcast on BBC4 in July/August 2007. Two years later he presented another 5 episode documentary series ''Return to a Pembrokeshire Farm'' which was broadcast on BBC4 in September/ October 2009. Both series concerned the renovation of a farm in Pembrokeshire which Rhys Jones had purchased with a view to restoring them. He presented a seasonal documentary, ''Charles Dickens and the Invention of Christmas'', which was broadcast on 23 December 2007 on BBC One.''Radio Times'', 22 December 2007 – 4 January 2008. Rhys Jones fronted ''Greatest Cities of the World'', which saw him visiting a different city each week. The first series, featuring London, New York City and Paris, aired on primetime ITV in October 2008. A second series featuring

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Sydney and Hong Kong was broadcast in April and May 2010. Rhys Jones has created and presented programmes about Arthur Ransome, Thomas Hardy, John Betjeman and

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

. During July to August 2009, Rhys Jones presented the BBC programme '' Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones''. which featured on the cover of ''Radio Times''. In 2010, Rhys Jones presented a programme called ''The Prince's Welsh Village'' that featured Prince Charles. In 2011, he presented the series ''Hidden Treasures of Art'', which examined the art of Australia, India and Africa over the course of three episodes. '' Britain's Lost Routes with Griff Rhys Jones'' was broadcast on

from 30 May to 20 June 2012. The show looked at lesser known routes around Great Britain. On 29 April 2012, Rhys Jones guest presented an episode of '' Perspectives'' on ITV, his chosen subject being ''

Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets ...

''. In 2013, Rhys Jones presented a documentary about his father's service as a medical officer with the

Gold Coast Regiment The Ghana Regiment is an infantry regiment that forms the main fighting element of the Ghanaian Army (GA). History The regiment was formed in 1879 as the Gold Coast Constabulary, from personnel of the Hausa Constabulary of Southern Nigeria, to pe ...

and the war in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, ''Burma, My Father and the Forgotten Army'', was broadcast on BBC Two on 7 July. In 2014, Rhys Jones fronted an eight-part ITV documentary series entitled ''A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones''. From 10 April 2015, he introduced a five-part documentary series for ITV, ''Slow Train Through Africa'', taking in life on and off trains from Morocco to South Africa, by way of Algeria, Tunisia, Kenya and Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. In December 2015, it was announced that Rhys Jones would present ''Griff's Great Britain'', a new eight-part series for ITV. In August 2022, Rhys Jones presented ''Griff's Canadian Adventure'' a new 6 part series for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

, where he travelled across Canada from Newfoundland to British Columbia.

Writing

Rhys Jones has written or co-written many of the programmes he has appeared in, and many spin-off books. In 2002, he began writing a book called ''To the Baltic with Bob'', describing his adventures on the high seas with his sailing friend Bob, as they make their way to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, port by port.The book was published in 2003, with Rhys Jones saying of the experience: "As a child you go out and play and you lose all track of time and space. It's harder and harder to attain that blissful state of absorption as you get older. I did a six-month sailing trip to St Petersburg with some mates just to get it back." His early life has been captured in his autobiography, ''Semi-Detached'', published in 2006 by

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.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, ...

series ''

'' was published in July 2007. Griff Rhys Jones IOW cropped

Other work

During 1999 to 2001, Rhys Jones featured in television adverts for the

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

range of cars, as a "

boffin Boffin is a British slang term for a scientist, engineer, or other person engaged in technical or scientific research and development. A "boffin" was viewed by some in the regular services as odd, quirky or peculiar, though quite bright and es ...

". In April 2001, he was dismissed by Vauxhall, after an embarrassing advert for the

Vauxhall VX220 The Opel Speedster is a mid-engined, targa-topped, two-seat sports car sold by German automaker Opel and introduced in July 2000. It was built in both RHD and LHD versions at the Lotus Cars plant in Hethel, Norfolk, England. It was presente ...

. He officially signed the deal in May 1999. Rhys Jones provided the voice over for Brentwood School's 450th anniversary DVD, reading a script written by fellow Old Brentwoodian

Jonathan Ruffle Jonathan Ruffle is a British writer, director and producer who has made TV and radio programmes for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. At one time Steve Wright's and Simon Bates’s radio producer on BBC Radio 1, he left to produce the acclaimed BBC ...

. Rhys Jones became President of

The Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registere ...

in February 2018, in succession to

Asa Briggs Asa Briggs, Baron Briggs (7 May 1921 – 15 March 2016) was an English historian. He was a leading specialist on the Victorian era, and the foremost historian of broadcasting in Britain. Briggs achieved international recognition during his lon ...

, following a period as vice president from 2009, and has participated in media campaigns for the society. Since 2007, he has been a Vice-President of the River Stour Trust, a registered charity led by volunteers who are dedicated to the restoration and conservation of the River Stour Navigation for the benefit and enjoyment of the public. In June 2008, it was announced that Rhys Jones was to become the President of

Civic Voice Civic Voice is the national charity for the civic movement in England. It was set up in 2010 following the demise of the Civic Trust. It is based in Birmingham at the Coffin Works. Its Executive Director and Joint Founder is Ian Harvey. The presi ...

, the nationwide charity that campaigns for better places in the built and green environment.Writer, actor and comedian Griff Rhys Jones becomes President of the Civic Trust
, civictrust.org.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2017. In August 2014, Rhys Jones was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''

'' expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.

Personal life

Rhys Jones met his wife, Jo, a graphic designer, while working at the

...
. He has described their first meeting by saying: "The day we met, I was semi naked and she was throwing water over me." The couple have two children, and live between homes in London (previously in Islington, now in a Grade I listed house in London's Fitzrovia in the West End) and

Holbrook Holbrook may refer to: Places England *Holbrook, Derbyshire, a village * Holbrook, Somerset, a hamlet in Charlton Musgrove * Holbrook, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a former mining village in Mosborough ward, now known as Halfway *Holbrook, Suffolk, ...

in Suffolk. Rhys Jones owned ''Undina'', the , fifty-year-old wooden sailing yacht which was used in '' Three Men in Another Boat''; he spent £500,000 on her restoration and in 2013 stated she was for sale for £195,000, "probably less". Around 2011, he bought a 1948 wooden yacht, ''Argyll'', which he races at regattas, including the

Fastnet Race The Fastnet Race is a biennial offshore yacht race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club of the United Kingdom with the assistance of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes and the City of Cherbourg in France. The race is named after the Fast ...

. He and Jo are keen gardeners, and he discussed their extensive garden in an October 2015 episode of ''

Gardeners' World ''Gardeners' World'' is a long-running British gardening programme, first broadcast on 5 January 1968. The 2022 series is the 53rd. Its first series was presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. Up until 2020 most of its e ...

'', part of which was filmed there. A former heavy drinker, Rhys Jones is a

teetotaller Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...

: "I don't drink so going to a party can become very tedious. By about 11 o'clock, everybody goes to another planet and you're not there with them, so I tend to avoid that sort of thing." He started running as a leisure pursuit in his early forties. In 2008, he presented two programmes called ''Losing It'' which were shown on BBC Two, in which he discussed his own problems with

anger management Anger management is a psycho-therapeutic program for anger prevention and control. It has been described as deploying anger successfully.Schwarts, Gil. July 2006. Anger Management', July 2006 The Office Politic. Men's Health magazine. Emmaus, PA: ...

. An active conservationist, Rhys Jones is the president of

, the national organisation representing Britain's civic societies. He also owns a small pack of alpacas. A resident of East Anglia, Rhys Jones was awarded an honorary degree by the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

in 2002.. Retrieved 3 March 2007. He was awarded honorary degrees by the

University of Glamorgan , image_name = University of Glamorgan arms.png , image_size = 220px , caption = University of Glamorgan coat of arms , motto = Success Through Endeavour , established = , closed = , administrative_staff = , chancellor = John Morris ...

, the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Es ...

and an honorary D.Litt from

Anglia Ruskin University Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public university in East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins are in the Cambridge School of Art, founded by William John Beamont in 1858. It became a university in 1992, and was renamed after John Ruskin in ...

. He is also a Fellow of the

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama , image_name = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.jpg , image_size = , motto = , established = 1949 , type = Public , staff = , vice_chancellor = , students = 779 (2017/18) , undergrad ...

, the Royal Society of Arts, and an Honorary Fellow of his ''alma mater'', Emmanuel College, Cambridge. In 2009 he was honoured by his father's former university, the

University of Wales College of Medicine The Cardiff University School of Medicine ( cy, Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Caerdydd) is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmou ...

(now part of Cardiff University). Rhys Jones was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to the National Civic Society Movement, charity and entertainment.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
TLS editor Peter Stothard remembers his schooldays with Rhys JonesGriff Rhys Jones – Official websiteGriff Rhys Jones Myspace appreciation group

Griff Rhys Jones – Vice President, River Stour Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhys Jones, Griff 1953 births Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge BBC radio producers Welsh comedy writers Welsh male film actors Welsh male television actors Welsh television presenters Welsh television writers Living people People educated at Brentwood School, Essex People from Babergh District Mass media people from Cardiff Welsh male comedians Laurence Olivier Award winners British male television writers Officers of the Order of the British Empire