Paul Julian Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958) is a Welsh actor, writer and comedian. He was one of the main stars of the BBC sketch comedy series ''

The Fast Show ''The Fast Show'', known as ''Brilliant'' in the US, is a BBC comedy sketch show that ran from 1994 to 1997, with specials in 2000 and 2014. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, Joh ...

'', and has also starred with

Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and '' Harry & Paul'', and for the creation an ...

in the shows '' Harry & Paul'' and ''

Harry Enfield & Chums ''Harry Enfield & Chums'' (originally titled ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'') is a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse and Kathy Burke. It first broadcast on BBC2 in 1990 in the 9 pm slot on Thursday ...

''. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was in the top 50 comedy acts voted for by comedians and comedy insiders.

Early life

Whitehouse was born on 17 May 1958, in Stanleytown, Glamorgan.Comic Paul tells of talent change
WalesonSunday.co.uk. 28 October 2007 His father, Harry, worked for the

National Coal Board The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "v ...

and his mother, Anita ( Jones), was a singer with the

Welsh National Opera Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( cy, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru) is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales; it gave its first performances in 1946. It began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its ...

. The family moved to Enfield,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

, when he was four years old, which led to his discovering his talent for

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry ...

Career

Whitehouse attended 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 ...

"reading" for a degree in Development Studies from autumn 1976, where he made friends with

Charlie Higson Charles Murray Higson (born 3 July 1958) is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer. He has also written and produced for television and is the author of the ''Enemy'' book series, as well as the first five novels in the '' Young B ...

. The pair spent little of their first year studying, instead playing guitar and performing with their punk rock combo, the Right Hand Lovers. Whitehouse dropped out and

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

in a council flat in Hackney, east London and occasionally worked as a

plasterer A plasterer is a tradesman or tradesperson who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. The process of creating plasterwork, called plastering, has been ...

. After Higson graduated in 1980, he moved in with Whitehouse, working by day as a decorator and performing at night and the weekends with his new punk-funk group '' The Higsons.''On the move: Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'', 2 December 2007 The pair began working as tradesmen on a house shared by comedians

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starrin ...

and

Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in a ...

, which inspired them to start writing comedy. They moved to an estate where in a pub they met

, a neighbour with a stage act, and after he gained a place 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 ...

's '' Saturday Live'', the pair were invited to write for him. Whitehouse created Enfield's character ''Stavros'' (a London-based Greek kebab shop owner), and then Loadsamoney (an archetypal Essex boy made good in

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

's 1980s); he also appeared as Enfield's sidekick Lance on ''Saturday Live''. This success turned Whitehouse and Higson's career, and they began to appear on ''

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer ...

' Big Night Out'' and extensively for the BBC, with Whitehouse appearing on ''

A Bit of Fry and Laurie ''A Bit of Fry & Laurie'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series ...

'' as a man with a clinical need to have his bottom fondled, and '' Paul Merton: The Series'', then on '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', where he developed numerous characters including DJ Mike Smash of Smashie and Nicey, alongside Enfield as Dave Nice.

TV career

While watching a preview tape of highlights from Enfield's programme, Whitehouse and Higson were inspired to create a rapid-fire delivery comedy series which would evolve into ''The Fast Show'' (when shown in the United States on

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary ...

, the show was titled ''Brilliant''). Whitehouse's characters included Rowley Birkin QC, Unlucky Alf, Arthur Atkinson, Ron Manager and Ted. An online series of ''The Fast Show'' commissioned by Fosters led to six weekly episodes launched on 10 November 2011. In 2001 and 2002 Whitehouse and his Fast Show collaborator

Dave Cummings Dave Cummings (born David Charles Conners, March 13, 1940 – October 5, 2019) who billed himself the "oldest living male pornstar". Life and education Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, Cummings' background is unusual for a porn actor: he re ...

co-wrote two series of the BBC comedy drama ''

Happiness Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. ...

;'' Whitehouse also performed the lead role as a voice-over actor with a

mid-life crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 40 to 60 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's growi ...

. Whitehouse wrote, produced and appeared with Chris Langham in the 2005 comedy drama '' Help'', also for the BBC. In this series he took 25 roles, all patients of Langham's

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome prob ...

(except one, who is Langham's psychotherapist's psychotherapist). The pair's collaboration resulted in Whitehouse taking the witness stand on 24 July 2007 in the trial of Langham, in regard to the charge of holding explicit images and videos of minors. Langham claimed he downloaded this material as research for a character in the second series of ''Help'', but Whitehouse's testimony only partially corroborated this explanation. Whitehouse appeared in the BBC sketch series '' Harry & Paul'' (formerly ''Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul''), starring alongside Harry Enfield. Whitehouse starred alongside Charlie Higson in the

BBC2 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 ...

comedy series '' Bellamy's People'', with the first episode broadcast on 21 January 2010. The comedy evolved from 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 Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

program '' Down the Line''. The show originally had the working title of ''Bellamy's Kingdom''. In October 2014 Harry Enfield and Whitehouse returned to the characters of Frank and George in a sketch for

's testicular cancer awareness comedy series ''

The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night The Feeling Nuts movement is a social media campaign created by Check One Two in London, to encourage young men to regularly check their testicles for early signs of testicular cancer. The campaign went viral when the public and celebrities bega ...

''. In 2015 his sitcom ''

Nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

'', based on his Radio 4 series of the same name (see below), debuted on BBC2 on 10 March. In August 2015, Whitehouse, alongside Enfield, in celebration of their 25-year partnership, presented ''An Evening With Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse''. In June and July 2018 Whitehouse appeared with his long-time friend and fellow comedian Bob Mortimer in a delightful BBC2 six-part series, '' Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing''. The two friends, who both suffer from heart conditions, share their thoughts and experiences while fishing at a variety of locations around the UK, often with anecdotes about Paul's health and Bob's misadventures. The fourth series of ''Gone Fishing'' began broadcasting in 2021. The fifth series began in September 2022, and returned for a Christmas special in December 2022.

Radio

Whitehouse and Charlie Higson produced and appeared in a spoof phone-in show '' Down the Line'' on BBC Radio 4. The first series was broadcast May–June 2006. A second series was broadcast 16 January – 20 February 2007, during which they won a Sony Radio Academy Award. A third series was broadcast in January 2008, a fourth in January 2011 and a fifth in May 2013. In February 2014, Radio 4 broadcast ''Nurse'', written by Whitehouse and David Cummings and starring Esther Coles in the title role, with Whitehouse playing a variety of characters, including Graham Downs who had previously appeared in ''Down the Line''. The show would become the basis for the 2015 BBC Two TV series ''

''.

Theatre

Whitehouse and John Sullivan's son, Jim Sullivan, have written '' Only Fools and Horses The Musical'', which launched on 9 February 2019 at the

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

, London. Whitehouse stars as Grandad. In October 2022 he temporarily handed the part over to

Les Dennis Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor, and comedian. He presented '' Family Fortunes'' from 1987 until 2002. Early life Dennis was born Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liverpo ...

Other

He also starred alongside Eddie Large and Russ Abbot in episode 4 of ''

Horne & Corden ''Horne & Corden'' is a British sketch show written by Jon Brown, Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Inman and the cast, script edited by Sam Ward, and starring Mathew Horne and James Corden. It aired on BBC television in 2009. The first episode ...

''.

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 ...

2011 contained a new parody video of "

Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind) The music video "Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind)" is a parody of the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song "Empire State of Mind," replacing references to the "Empire State" of New York with references to the city of Newport in South Wales. The word "y ...

" directed by MJ Delaney featuring Whitehouse and other Welsh celebrities lip-syncing to the song. It is available to download via iTunes.

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awar ...

described Whitehouse as "the greatest actor of all time".. Depp and Whitehouse have appeared in five films together.

Influences

Whitehouse's main early influences were the sketches of

and

Dustin Gee Gerald Harrison (24 June 1942 – 3 January 1986), who performed under the name Dustin Gee, was a British impressionist and comedian, best known for his double act with Les Dennis. Early life and career Born Gerald Harrison in York, on Wednes ...

and

The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their The Goodies (TV series), ep ...

. In 2001, when asked about comedians who had influenced him, Whitehouse said that

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over fo ...

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...

and

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

were the main influences from when he was young''.'' He also cited his modern influences as

, of whom he said without meeting he would not have been doing what he does now, and the approach of Reeves and Mortimer who he described as "far and away the best comedians that we have had in this country for a long while."

Personal life

Whitehouse and his wife Fiona were married for eight years and had two daughters, Molly and Sophie, before they divorced in the early 2000s. He met his partner Mine Conkbayir, aged 23, when she was working in a shop while she studied. The couple have one daughter, Delilah. Whitehouse has four daughters, and is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

Notes

External links

BBC – South East Wales – Hall of Fame – Paul Whitehouse

BBC Comedy Guide
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehouse, Paul 1958 births 20th-century British male actors 21st-century British male actors Male actors from London Comedians from London Alumni of the University of East Anglia Living people Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners People from Enfield, London People from Islington (district) People from Rhondda Cynon Taf British male television actors British male film actors British comedy writers British male radio actors British male comedians British sketch comedians Squatters The Fast Show