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John Docherty (born 1962) is a Scottish writer, actor, presenter and producer.


Career

He first performed at the 1980 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with the comedy sketch group The Bodgers which he formed with
George Watson's College George Watson's College is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871, and was merg ...
schoolfriends
Moray Hunter Moray Hunter (born 6 October 1957, Hawick, Scotland) is a Scottish comedian, writer and performer. He starred in the Channel 4 sketch show, '' Absolutely''. Alongside Jack Docherty he played one half of the eccentric double-act, Don and George ...
, Gordon Kennedy and
Pete Baikie Peter Baikie (born 1957) is a Scottish comedian and composer. He appeared in the British comedy sketch-show '' Absolutely'', composed the theme music and provided comedy songs for the show. He also created several musical comedy characters i ...
. They performed each year from 1980 to 1985. ''Arfington, Arfington'' their 1984 show and ''Mr Hargreaves Did It'' their 1985 show were both shortlisted for the
Perrier Comedy Award The Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Awards (formerly the Perrier Comedy Awards, and also briefly known by other names for sponsorship reasons) are presented to the comedy shows deemed to have been the best at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. ...
. In 1982 he dropped out of
Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...
where he was studying law, after he and Moray Hunter became staff writers 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. ...
...
radio comedy department contributing to various shows including '' Radio Active'', ''
In One Ear ''In One Ear'' was a late-night alternative comedy sketch show, broadcast between 1984 and 1986, on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom, broadcast live from the BBC Paris Studio in London, with a (sometimes edited) repeat later in the week. T ...
'', ''
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 ''
The News Huddlines ''The News Huddlines'' was a BBC Radio 2 topical comedy sketch show starring Roy Hudd that ran for fifty one series from 1975 until 2001. Each episode lasted for half an hour and consisted of topical sketches, songs and one-liners. Performers T ...
''. He also recorded one series with The Bodgers for Radio 4 called ''In Other Words...The Bodgers''. For the second series, producer Alan Nixon teamed them with
John Sparkes John Sparkes (born 6 January 1954) is a Welsh actor and comedian. He portrayed Barry Welsh, presenter of the HTV Wales series '' Barry Welsh Is Coming''. He has also had major roles in ''Naked Video'', '' Absolutely'', ''Fireman Sam'', ''Shau ...
and
Morwenna Banks Tamsin Morwenna Banks (born 20 September 1961) is a British comedy actress, writer and producer. She appeared in the Channel 4 comedy sketch show '' Absolutely'', and wrote, produced, and appeared in the British ensemble film ''The Announcemen ...
for ''Bodgers, Banks and Sparkes'', forming the cast that would go on to make the sketch show '' Absolutely'' 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 ...
. In addition to his radio work, he wrote for ''
Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ...
'' for four series between 1984 and 1987. During the same period he also contributed to various other comedy shows including ''
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 ...
'', and ''
The Lenny Henry Show ''The Lenny Henry Show'' is a comedy sketch show (and in its 1987–1988 incarnation, a sitcom) featuring Lenny Henry. It was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1988, and was later revived twice, in 1995 and 2004–2005. History Original vers ...
''. He was also script editor for the first series of ''
Vic Reeves Big Night Out ''Vic Reeves Big Night Out'' was a cult British comedy stage show and later television series which ran on Channel 4 for two series in 1990 and 1991, as well as a New Year special. Its live incarnation marked the beginnings of the collaboration ...
''. He wrote four series of '' Absolutely'' (1989–1992) and with Hunter the spin-off
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 ...
sitcom ''
Mr Don & Mr George ''Mr Don & Mr George'' is a Channel 4 sitcom, featuring two characters from the Scottish comedy sketch show '' Absolutely''. Moray Hunter (Don) and Jack Docherty (George) played two unrelated characters who happened to share a surname (McDiarmid). ...
'' (1993). With
Morwenna Banks Tamsin Morwenna Banks (born 20 September 1961) is a British comedy actress, writer and producer. She appeared in the Channel 4 comedy sketch show '' Absolutely'', and wrote, produced, and appeared in the British ensemble film ''The Announcemen ...
he co-wrote the C4 ''
Comedy Lab ''Comedy Lab'' is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998. Several pilots first shown on ''Comedy Lab'' have gone on to spawn full serie ...
'' "Model, Actress, Whatever..." directed by Rankin and, again with
Moray Hunter Moray Hunter (born 6 October 1957, Hawick, Scotland) is a Scottish comedian, writer and performer. He starred in the Channel 4 sketch show, '' Absolutely''. Alongside Jack Docherty he played one half of the eccentric double-act, Don and George ...
, two series of the BBC2 sitcom ''The Creatives''. In 2008 he and Hunter wrote the BBC2 series '' The Cup'' starring
Steve Edge Steve Edge (born 2 November 1972) is an English actor, writer and former stand-up comedian. He is most famous for his work on ''Starlings'', ''Phoenix Nights'', '' The Cup'', '' The Visit'', ''Peep Show'', ''Benidorm'' and the satirical magaz ...
. This was an adaptation of the Canadian sitcom '' The Tournament''. In 2012 he wrote and acted in "Stop / Start", a pilot for BBC Radio 4. This was then commissioned for a 6-part series which was broadcast on Radio 4 from 6 September 2013 with the title ''Start/Stop'' and ran for three series. It was made available as an audio download in October 2019 with the title changed to ''It's Not Us, It's Them'', although the reason for the change is unknown. A TV pilot of the show was broadcast under the name ''Stop/Start'' in March 2016 as part of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse series. As an actor Docherty is best known for his work on the
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 ...
cult comedy sketch show '' Absolutely''. Premiered in 1989 the show marked a shift away from the political satirical orthodoxy of the 1980s to the surreal, character based comedy of the 1990s. The recurring characters he portrayed included MacGlashan, Donald MacDiarmid, Peter Wells, Mr Nice and one of the
Stoneybridge Stoneybridge ( gd, Staoinebrig) is a village on the island of South Uist in Scotland. The Crois Chnoca Breaca standing stone is situated to the west of the village. Stoneybridge is within the parish of South Uist and the chapel was also situated ...
councillors. The sketch featuring the
Stoneybridge Stoneybridge ( gd, Staoinebrig) is a village on the island of South Uist in Scotland. The Crois Chnoca Breaca standing stone is situated to the west of the village. Stoneybridge is within the parish of South Uist and the chapel was also situated ...
council bidding for the Olympics was voted the 30th best of all time in The Top 50 Comedy Sketches on
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 ...
. He also starred with
Moray Hunter Moray Hunter (born 6 October 1957, Hawick, Scotland) is a Scottish comedian, writer and performer. He starred in the Channel 4 sketch show, '' Absolutely''. Alongside Jack Docherty he played one half of the eccentric double-act, Don and George ...
in the '' Absolutely'' spin off sitcom ''
Mr Don & Mr George ''Mr Don & Mr George'' is a Channel 4 sitcom, featuring two characters from the Scottish comedy sketch show '' Absolutely''. Moray Hunter (Don) and Jack Docherty (George) played two unrelated characters who happened to share a surname (McDiarmid). ...
''. He played the role of Ben Gray in two series of the advertising sitcom ''
The Creatives ''The Creatives'' is a British sitcom created by Jack Docherty and Moray Hunter which ran for two series between 2 October 1998 and 16 February 2000 on BBC Two. The series starring Roger Allam, Jack Docherty, Moray Hunter, Pippa Guard, Aislà ...
'' (1998 and 2000) on BBC2. Also in 2000 he co-starred with Mark Williams in ''
The Strangerers ''The Strangerers'' is a British television comedy-drama science fiction series written by Rob Grant (best known as co-creator of '' Red Dwarf'') and was broadcast on Sky One between 15 February and 11 April 2000. A single series was made ...
'', the
Rob Grant Robert Grant is an English comedy writer, television producer and co-creator of ''Red Dwarf''. Since ''Red Dwarf'', Grant has written two television series, ''The Strangerers'' and '' Dark Ages'', and four solo novels, his most recent being '' F ...
penned sci-fi series for Sky One, and provided one of the voices for the
Aardman Aardman Animations Limited (also known as Aardman Studios, simply Aardman or Aardman Animation and stylised as AARDMAN as of 2022) is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England. It is known for films made using stop-motion and clay ani ...
Oscar nominated short ''
Humdrum ''Humdrum'' is a 1998 British animated comedy short film directed by Peter Peake. It was released in 1998 and produced by Aardman Animations and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film and a BAFTA nomination in the sam ...
''. In 2013 he appeared regularly in the BBC3 sitcom ''
Badults ''Badults'' is a British sitcom series created and starring the members of Pappy's, along with Emer Kenny, Jack Docherty and Katherine Ryan in the Leading actor, lead roles. Written collectively by Pappy's, the first series piloted on 23 July 201 ...
''. In 1997 he was part of the launch of Channel 5 becoming Britain's first five nights a week chat show host on ''
The Jack Docherty Show ''The Jack Docherty Show'' was a weeknightly comedy chat show which first aired on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom between 30 March 1997 and 23 June 1999. Presented by comedian Jack Docherty, the programme was one of the first to air on the chan ...
''. The show also featured some of the first television work of writers
Kevin Cecil Kevin Robert Cecil (born 1969 in London) is a British screenwriter. Writing alongside Andy Riley (with whom he has been friends since attending Aylesbury Grammar School), he has won two BAFTA awards, the first for writing the Comic Relief one-o ...
and
Andy Riley Andy Riley (born 1970) is a British author, cartoonist, and Emmy-winning screenwriter for TV and film. Riley has written and drawn many best-selling cartoon books, including '' The Book of Bunny Suicides'' (2003) and its sequels, and ''Great L ...
,
Jesse Armstrong Jesse David Armstrong (born 13 December 1970) is a British author, screenwriter, and producer. He is a co-creator of the Channel 4 comedy series ''Peep Show'' (2003–2015) and '' Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016), and the creator of the HBO satirica ...
and
Sam Bain Sam Bain (born 3 August 1971) is a British comedy writer, best known for the Channel 4 sitcom ''Peep Show''. He attended St Paul's School in London before graduating from the University of Manchester, where he met his writing partner Jesse Armst ...
, and writer/performers David Mitchell and
Robert Webb Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb, alongside David Mitchell. Webb and Mitchell both starred in the Channel 4 sitco ...
. '' Not The Jack Docherty Show'', broadcast when Docherty was on holiday, featured guest hosts including Phill Jupitus, Rich Hall,
Melinda Messenger Melinda Jane Messenger (born 23 February 1971) is an English television presenter and former glamour model and Page Three girl. She presented the magazine programme ''Live from Studio Five'' and was formerly the co-presenter of the reality show ...
and, most notably,
Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comed ...
, who was signed by
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 ...
after his stint to host ''
So Graham Norton ''So Graham Norton'' is a British television chat show hosted by Irish personality Graham Norton. It aired on Channel 4 from 3 July 1998 to 1 March 2002. Theme The show was primarily adult-oriented, with host Norton dishing out many sexual in ...
''. Docherty quit the show in 1999 and Channel 5 did not replace him, ending their production of late night chat shows. In 2000, he hosted the BAFTA film awards in London. Notoriously, he began the night by revealing the
twist ending Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
to ''
The Sixth Sense ''The Sixth Sense'' is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient ( Haley Joel Osment) claims he can see and talk to the dead. Released ...
'', a move that did not go down well with the audience. In 2000 to 2001 he hosted the Radio 2 show '' Saturday Night Jack'' which reunited him with his '' Absolutely'' colleague
Pete Baikie Peter Baikie (born 1957) is a Scottish comedian and composer. He appeared in the British comedy sketch-show '' Absolutely'', composed the theme music and provided comedy songs for the show. He also created several musical comedy characters i ...
. He was also an occasional host of Radio 2's Friday night arts show. He plays Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson in BBC Scotland's comedy ''
Scot Squad ''Scot Squad'' is a British television mockumentary series about a fictional Scottish police force, made in a fly on the wall style. The show first aired on 27 October 2014 on BBC One Scotland. The show has aired seven series, including spec ...
''. His work as a producer includes the BBC Scotland film No Holds Bard (2008), and two series (2009 and 2010) of the
BBC1 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, ...
sitcom ''
The Old Guys ''The Old Guys'' is a British sitcom that revolves around two ageing housemates: Tom Finnan (Roger Lloyd-Pack) and Roy Bowden (Clive Swift). The pair live across the street from Sally (Jane Asher), whom they both find attractive. Tom moved in wi ...
''.


Absolutely Productions

He was a co-founder of
Absolutely Productions Absolutely Productions is a television production company formed in 1988 by Morwenna Banks, Jack Docherty, Moray Hunter, Pete Baikie, John Sparkes, and Gordon Kennedy, all of whom were the cast of British television comedy sketch show '' Absol ...
. The company was formed in 1989 to produce the eponymous sketch show 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 ...
and has since gone on to produce various comedy shows including ''
Mr Don & Mr George ''Mr Don & Mr George'' is a Channel 4 sitcom, featuring two characters from the Scottish comedy sketch show '' Absolutely''. Moray Hunter (Don) and Jack Docherty (George) played two unrelated characters who happened to share a surname (McDiarmid). ...
'', ''
Trigger Happy TV ''Trigger Happy TV'' is a hidden camera/ practical joke comedy television series. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for three series on the British television channel Channel 4 ...
'', ''
The Armstrong and Miller Show ''The Armstrong & Miller Show'' is a British sketch comedy television show produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC One. It features the double act Armstrong and Miller and a number of notable scriptwriters including Andy Hamilton, co-creator ...
'', ''
The Strangerers ''The Strangerers'' is a British television comedy-drama science fiction series written by Rob Grant (best known as co-creator of '' Red Dwarf'') and was broadcast on Sky One between 15 February and 11 April 2000. A single series was made ...
'', ''
Stressed Eric ''Stressed Eric'' is a British adult animated television series that was produced by Absolutely Productions for the BBC Two television channel in the United Kingdom and Television New Zealand. The series revolves around Eric Feeble, a middle c ...
'', ''
The Jack Docherty Show ''The Jack Docherty Show'' was a weeknightly comedy chat show which first aired on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom between 30 March 1997 and 23 June 1999. Presented by comedian Jack Docherty, the programme was one of the first to air on the chan ...
'' and ''
Meg and Mog Meg and Mog is a series of children's books written by Helen Nicoll and illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski. First published in the 1970s, the books are about Meg, a witch whose spells always seem to go wrong, her striped cat Mog, and their friend O ...
''.


References


External links

*
Biography
o
Absolutely.biz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Docherty, Jack 1962 births Living people Scottish people of Irish descent Writers from Edinburgh Scottish male television actors Scottish television presenters People educated at George Watson's College Scottish male comedians