Michael Joseph Pennington (born 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, overweight appearance, angry comedic rants, and use of surreal humour. Vegas' television roles have included Al in the

ITV Digital ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network. Its main shareholders were Carlton Communications plc and Granada plc, owners ...

and

PG Tips PG Tips is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom manufactured by Ekaterra. Brand name In the 1930s, Brooke Bond launched PG Tips in the tea market in the United Kingdom under the name ''Pre-Gestee'' - a variant of the original name "Digestive Te ...

adverts, Moz in the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...

dark comedy ''

Ideal Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considered ...

'', Geoff Maltby ("The Oracle") in the ITV sitcom ''

Benidorm Benidorm is a town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotel ...

'', and Eric Agnew in the

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, ...

sitcom '' Still Open All Hours''. He is also a frequent guest on panel shows such as '' QI'' and '' 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown''.

Early life

Vegas was born Michael Joseph Pennington on 5 September 1970, in the

Thatto Heath Thatta ( sd, ٺٽو; ) is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh. Thatta was the medieval capital of Sindh, and served as the seat of power for three successive dynasties. Thatta's historic significance has yielded several monuments in and ...

area of

St Helens, Lancashire St Helens () is a town in Merseyside, England, with a population of 102,629. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, which had a population of 176,843 at the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census. St Helens i ...

. He has an older sister and two older brothers, alongside whom he was brought up as

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. At the age of 11, he attended the boarding school and seminary St Joseph's College in

Up Holland Up Holland (or Upholland) is a village close to Skelmersdale and civil parish in the West Lancashire district, in the county of Lancashire, England, 4 miles west of Wigan. The population at the 2011 census was 7,376. Geography The village is ...

to train for the priesthood, but came back homesick after four terms. Whilst competing on Channel 4’s festive special The Greatest Snowman (2021), Vegas revealed that he had to play Santa Claus as his father was stuck at work. Vegas was only 13, so knew most of the kids. As a teenager Vegas excelled at athletics and regularly represented Merseyside in national competitions in the 800 and 1500 metres. Vegas says his athletics career came to a sudden end, aged 16, when

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

opened its first restaurant in St Helens. Vegas earned a BA in Art and Ceramics from

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

in the

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Gre ...

area of London, then returned to his home town and took various odd jobs; he worked in an Argos warehouse, sold boiler insurance door-to-door, packed bottles of Cif in a factory, and was a barman at a local pub. Between 1994-97, he was a member of Cluub Zarathustra, a comedy performance group led by Stewart Lee, Roger Mann, and Simon Munnery.

Career

Television and radio

In 1996, Vegas made his television debut as a contestant on '' Win, Lose or Draw'' in the UK under his real name, but made references to the fact he wanted to be a comedian and that his stage name was "Johnny Vegas".ITV James Martin's Saturday Morning: Johnny Vegas' real name, two wives, and 'hard battle'
''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'', 28 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022 He featured on ''

The Big Breakfast ''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4. Originally presented by Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin, the show was latterly presented by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu. The p ...

'' during the programme's final months before it ended in March 2002. His appearance was briefly shown during

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 ...

's ''100 Greatest Stand-Ups'' and

's ''Almost Famous 2''. Vegas gained a wider audience as a regular member of '' Shooting Stars''. His character was a pitiable sort always nursing a pint of Guinness. In 2001 he appeared on the ''

Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. ...

'', in a comedians special and beat

Barry Cryer Barry Charles Cryer (23 March 1935 – 25 January 2022) was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory ...

to win the jackpot of £10,200. In 2002, Vegas starred in the

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's ...

sitcom ''Night Class'', which he co-wrote with Tony Burgess and Tony Pitts, with Dirk Maggs as director. Vegas played a former Butlin's redcoat teaching evening classes in pottery. It was a runner-up for best comedy at the Sony Radio Academy Awards. He starred in the

sitcom ''

'' as Moz from 2005 to 2011. In 2005 he played Krook in the BBC adaptation of Dickens’ Bleak House. Between 2007 and 2009, Vegas played Geoff Maltby, aka "The Oracle", in the ITV sitcom ''

'' and from 2015 to 2017. In 2012, Vegas played the role of Mr. Croombe in a television adaptation of David Walliams' children's novel ''

Mr Stink ''Mr. Stink'' is a book published in October 2009 and written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake. The book has been adapted as a stage musical and has been made into a television film of the same name by the BBC shown during ...

''. In 2014, Vegas voiced Fat Baz in the

ITV4 ITV4 is a British free-to-air television channel which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a line-up that consists of sports, cult clas ...

animated sitcom ''

Warren United ''Warren United'' is a British animated comedy series centred on Warren Kingsley, a football fanatic whose interest in the sport is starting to impinge on his family life. The show was cancelled after one series due to poor ratings. Warren Unit ...

''. In August 2014, Vegas took part in ITV's two-part documentary series ''Secrets from the Clink''. In May 2013, Vegas played the role of Lord Ratspeaker in a BBC radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's ''

Neverwhere ''Neverwhere'' is an urban fantasy television miniseries by Neil Gaiman that first aired in 1996 on BBC 2. The series is set in "London Below", a magical realm coexisting with the more familiar London, referred to as "London Above". It was de ...

'', adapted by Dirk Maggs. Since 26 December 2013, Vegas has played Wet Eric Agnew in the revived BBC sitcom '' Still Open All Hours''. Vegas has guest presented numerous episodes of '' Sunday Brunch'' for

. In August 2015, he narrated the four-part series ''Travel Guides'' for ITV. In 2016, he took part in ITV's celebrity driving show ''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" * ...

'', hosted by Vernon Kay. In August 2016, Vegas starred in a one-off comedy pilot called ''Home From Home'', playing the lead role of Neil Hackett. Filmed at Skiddaw View Holiday Park, the episode aired on

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 a ...

on 30 August 2016. In December 2016 it was announced that ''Home From Home'' had been commissioned for a full series to air on

in 2018. Beginning in September 2019 Vegas has starred as the voice of the title character in the surreal children's animated series '' The Rubbish World of Dave Spud''. He is a regular panellist on the quiz show '' QI'', having starred in 12 episodes as of 2019. Johnny has appeared as a guest panellist and team captain on Channel 4's '' 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', appearing in 11 episodes. On 9 September 2017 he gained critical acclaim for his long poem about a drunk patron during last calls before bars closing.

Film

In 2003, Vegas played Jackie Symes in the film ''The Virgin of Liverpool'', Alf Prince in the film ''Cheeky'' and Trevor in the film '' Blackball''. In 2004, he played Dave in the film '' Sex Lives of the Potato Men'' and voiced Uncle Stewart in the film ''

Terkel in Trouble ''Terkel in Trouble'' ( da, Terkel i knibe) is a 2004 Danish adult computer-animated musical comedy film starring Anders Matthesen. It is the first Danish computer animated feature film. The film is an adaptation of Matthesen's 2001 comedy album ...

''. In 2013, Vegas was the voice of Abu the hamster in the British film '' The Harry Hill Movie''. Vegas provided the voice for Asbo in the 2018

Aardman Animations 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 ...

film '' Early Man''.

Other projects

Vegas appeared in

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...

's '' The Erpingham Camp'' at the 2000

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh F ...

. In 2001, Vegas starred as Al in adverts for

with a puppet named

Monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

(voiced by

Ben Miller Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English actor, comedian, and author. He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two serie ...

). In 2007, he reprised the role in adverts for

tea. Having achieved fame in entertainment, Vegas received plaudits for his ceramic work. ''Ceramic Review'' praised him, leading to a role in ''Pot Shots'' (collaborating with

Roger Law Roger Law (born 6 September 1941, in Littleport, Cambridgeshire), is a British caricaturist, ceramist and one half of ''Luck and Flaw'' (with Peter Fluck), creators of the popular satirical TV puppet show ''Spitting Image''. Roger Law was a ...

), a film made for an international gathering of potters. This led to his work being acquired for a collection at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

and a commission from Old Spice to design a bottle for their

aftershave Aftershave is a product applied to skin after shaving. Traditionally it is an alcohol-based liquid (splash), but it can be a lotion, gel, or even a paste. It often contains an antiseptic agent such as denatured alcohol, stearate citrate or ...

. In 2014, he directed a music video for Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. That year he also published his autobiography. In May 2017, it was announced Vegas would be starring in new comedy feature ''

Eaten by Lions ''Eaten by Lions'' is a 2019 British comedy film written and directed by Jason Wingard. The film stars Antonio Aakeel as Omar and Jack Carroll as Pete. The film is the feature-length adaptation of the director's 2013 short film 'Going to Mecc ...

'' opposite

Antonio Aakeel Antonio Aakeel is an English actor, known for his leading role in the 2018 comedy film '' Eaten by Lions'', for which he was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow by Screen Daily. He also appeared in ''Tomb Raider'' and the BAFTA award- ...

and Jack Carroll, directed by Jason Wingard.

Personal life

In August 2002, Vegas married Catherine "Kitty" Donnelly; in a satire of celebrities selling exclusive pictures of their weddings to publications for high prices, he sold pictures of the ceremony to the adult comic '' Viz'' for £1. They separated in late-2006 and divorced in 2008. In April 2011, he married Irish television presenter Maia Dunphy in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...

. In January 2015, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. They separated in late-2017, reconciled in November 2018, and separated again some time before April 2020. Vegas continues to live in his home town of St Helens, and has been outspoken about the pride he takes in it; he is well-known for being active in supporting the local community. He fulfilled a lifetime ambition by appearing for

St Helens RFC St Helens R.F.C. is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside who compete in the Super League, the top tier for rugby league in Great Britain. They are the current Champions, having won the last 4 consecutive titles, and becom ...

Keiron Cunningham Keiron Cunningham (born 28 October 1976) is a professional rugby league coach and former player. A Great Britain and Wales international representative , he played his entire professional career at St Helens, making nearly 500 appearances for ...

's testimonial rugby league game, a friendly against Hull FC, in 2005. In December 2012, Vegas said that he had recently returned to the

faith in which his parents brought him up, and credited the faith for his good upbringing. In July 2014, Vegas was awarded an honorary doctorate from Edge Hill University. Vegas is a supporter of the Labour Party and has spoken about his appreciation for the NHS.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

References

External links

* * *
Sitting pretty
' by

Miranda Sawyer Miranda Caroline Sawyer (born January 1967) is an English author, journalist and broadcaster. Education and early life Sawyer was born in Bristol and grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire with her brother Toby, who is an actor. Sawyer was educated at ...

– ''

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 ...

'', 15 May 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vegas, Johnny 1970 births Living people 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English comedians 21st-century English male actors Alter egos Alumni of Middlesex University Comedians from Lancashire English male comedians English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors English Roman Catholics English socialists Male actors from Lancashire St Helens R.F.C. players