Lee Hurst (born 16 October 1962) is an English comedian.
Hurst was a regular panellist on the comedy sports quiz ''
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 ...
'' from 1995 to 1997.
Career
Hurst took up comedy after being employed in a number of jobs after leaving school, including working for a building society, the
Department of Health and Social Security
The Department of Health and Social Security (commonly known as the DHSS) was a ministry of the British government in existence for twenty years from 1968 until 1988, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Services.
His ...
, and as a telephone engineer for
BT. He made his first appearance on stage at the
Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.
Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Micha ...
and later said that, at the time, "I only had four jokes and they were really crap but I told the first one and got a huge laugh. I couldn't believe it. I thought, 'This is all right'".
In February 2009 Hurst pleaded guilty to criminal damage after smashing an audience member's mobile phone at a comedy show in
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
in September 2008. Hurst said that he did it out of anger, claiming that his shows regularly appear on websites such as
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Television work
''They Think It's All Over''
Hurst got a break when he became the
warm-up act for ''
Have I Got News for You'' and producer
Harry Thompson
Harry William Thompson (6 February 1960 – 7 November 2005) was an English radio and television producer, comedy writer, novelist and biographer. He was the creator of the dark humour television series ''Monkey Dust'', screened between 2003 a ...
gave him the opportunity to appear on the show as a guest.
Hurst first became known to television viewers as a regular team member on the
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 ...
comedy sports quiz ''
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 ...
''. Hurst was one of the show’s original panellists despite openly admitting to knowing nothing about football or comedy. He appeared alongside
David Gower
David Ivon Gower (born 1 April 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 Te ...
in 42 episodes over the first six series, from the first episode on 14 September 1995 until 1997.
He reduced his TV appearances to allow more time for running his comedy club, Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club.
He returned for two appearances as a guest on ''They Think It's All Over'' towards the end of its run for series 17 in 2004, and for the 2011
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 episo ...
''
24 Hour Panel People''.
Other television credits
Hurst's other TV credits include presenting ''Shark Tank'', ''
Salvage Squad
''Salvage Squad'' is a British television programme, in which the "Salvage Squad" faced the challenge of restoring an item of classic machinery. The task was usually against a tight deadline, such as a public unveiling at a vehicle rally. In addi ...
'' and ''The Warehouse'', and guest appearances on ''That's Showbusiness'', ''The Stand Up Show'' and ''
Have I Got News for You''. He has also appeared as a regular panellist on ''Don't Give Up Your Day Job''. He also fronted
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 ...
's short-lived revival of the entertainment show ''
Saturday Live''.
*''
Have I Got News for You:'' two appearances in 1994 and 1995
*1996 ''
Saturday Live:'' 6 episodes
*2002 ''
Salvage Squad
''Salvage Squad'' is a British television programme, in which the "Salvage Squad" faced the challenge of restoring an item of classic machinery. The task was usually against a tight deadline, such as a public unveiling at a vehicle rally. In addi ...
:'' series 1
*''
The Wright Stuff
''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...
:'' three runs, in March 2012, November 2014 and February 2015
Writing
Hurst was the creator of ''
Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment'', which ran for five series on
Five
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
between 1997 and 2000.
Personal life
Hurst has a severe form of
arthritis
Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
called
ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis characterized by long-term inflammation of the joints of the spine typically where the spine joins the pelvis. Occasionally areas affected may include other joints such as the shoulders or hip ...
, a condition which causes acute back and joint pain.
Hurst lives in
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town in Kent, south-east England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient British trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons and next to the Swale, a strip of sea separa ...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
.
Politics
Hurst refuses to be interviewed by newspapers owned by
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
, was a critic of the
Blair government, and in one interview, stated that he stopped attending a back support group which helped him with his ankylosing spondylitis after he found out that it was run as a charity, explaining that "I believe it should be provided by the State through taxation. I'd be very hypocritical if I used their facilities when I won't do medical charity benefits".
In 2003, he considered standing as a candidate in the
2004 London mayoral election. One of the factors behind his decision was a proposed redevelopment, which would have seen his comedy club demolished.
In March 2021, Hurst
tweeted a sexual joke about climate activist
Greta Thunberg
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation.
Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded ...
, saying, "As soon as Greta discovers cock, she'll stop complaining about the single use plastic it's wrapped in". Thunberg was 18 years old at the time, and Hurst was 58. The tweet gained widespread criticism with fellow comedian
David Baddiel
David Lionel Baddiel (; born 28 May 1964) is an English comedian, presenter, screenwriter, and author. He is known for his work alongside Rob Newman in ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' and his comedy partnership with Frank Skinner. He has al ...
among those criticising the joke. Hurst responded by describing his critics as "the usual suspects". The tweet was reported, leading to Hurst getting suspended from
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, which he stated he had appealed. Twitter later reversed Hurst's suspension. He was again suspended from Twitter in June 2021 for inciting violence; in the week that a video of
Chris Whitty
Sir Christopher John MacRae Whitty (born 21 April 1966) is a British epidemiologist serving as Chief Medical Officer for England (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government since 2019. He has also been Gresham Professor of Physic sinc ...
being manhandled went viral, he tweeted that "whatever happened to
imis not enough".
Hurst opposes COVID vaccinations, lockdowns and mask wearing.
Stand-up videos
*''Live'' (3 November 1997)
*''Live at the Backyard Comedy Club'' (16 November 1998)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Lee
1962 births
Living people
People from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
20th-century English comedians
21st-century English comedians
British Telecom people
Male critics of feminism
Critics of the United Nations