Punt and Dennis are a

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

double act A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases f ...

consisting of

Steve Punt Stephen Mark Punt (born 15 September 1962)Mr Stephen Mark Punt
company-director-c ...

and

Hugh Dennis Peter Hugh Dennis (born 13 February 1962) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist who has appeared in the comedy double act Punt and Dennis with partner Steve Punt. He played Dr Piers Crispin in the ...

. The duo first met at the

Footlights Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University. History Footlights' inaugural ...

while studying at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in the early 1980s. Initially they were an amateur double act performing at various venues in London on the weekends due to Dennis' weekday job commitments. They have branched into acting and screenwriting.

Works

Radio and television

Punt and Dennis first appeared on television in

Jasper Carrott Robert Norman Davis (born 14 March 1945), best known by his stage name, Jasper Carrott, is an English comedian, actor and television presenter. Early life Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, in Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks G ...

's shows during the late 1980s. They were two of the four main performers in ''

The Mary Whitehouse Experience The ''Mary Whitehouse Experience'' was a British topical sketch comedy show produced by the BBC in association with Spitting Image Productions. It starred two comedy double acts, one being David Baddiel and Rob Newman, the other Steve Punt an ...

'', a comedy show on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

which then transferred to television. While the other two stars of the series, Rob Newman and

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 ...

, became major celebrities — playing to sell-out audiences at Wembley Arena—Punt and Dennis never attained the same level of prominence as a double act. Their own TV series, ''

The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show ''The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show'', known simply as ''Punt and Dennis'' throughout its second series, is a British stand-up and sketch show written by and starring comedians Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. The first series of 6 episod ...

'', did not meet the same success as ''

'', but won larger audiences and was given a higher profile than the other pairing's spin-off project ''

Newman and Baddiel in Pieces ''Newman and Baddiel in Pieces'' is a sketch comedy television show written by and starring comedians Robert Newman and David Baddiel, produced by Harry Thompson, and broadcast on BBC2 from 20 September to 20 December 1993. A spin-off from ...

''. The duo continued to collaborate despite each having forged their own separate careers — Dennis as a panellist and presenter and Punt as a screenwriter. Their more prominent works include long-running radio shows ''

It's Been a Bad Week ''It’s Been a Bad Week'' is a British radio comedy on BBC Radio 2, that first broadcast on 11 February 1999. It is presented by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, and is also referred to as ''Punt and Dennis: It's Been a Bad Week''. More than 100 epi ...

'' (

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

) and

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' ...

shows '' The Party Line'' and the currently running ''

The Now Show ''The Now Show'' is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises the week's news. The show is a mixture of stand-up, sketches and songs hosted by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. The show used to feature regular appearances by J ...

''. They also contribute to the satirical hit panel game ''

Mock the Week ''Mock the Week'' is a British topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. The programme was present ...

''. Punt is a programme associate while Dennis is a regular panellist alongside

Frankie Boyle Francis Martin Patrick Boyle (born 16 August 1972) is a Scottish comedian and writer. He is known for his cynical, surreal, graphic and often controversial sense of humour. A stand-up comedian since 1995, Boyle first gained widespread recognit ...

and later

Chris Addison Christopher David Addison (born 5 November 1971) is a British comedian, writer, actor, and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as a regular panellist on ''Mock the Week''. He is also known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of ...

Other

In 1992 they went on the road themselves and toured the UK with a show called 'Punt And Dennis - The Milky Milky Tour'. The name of the show was inspired by a character called Mr Strange that Hugh Dennis played in ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience''. The Milky Milky tour was filmed live on stage at Bristol's Hippodrome Theatre in 1992 and released on VHS Video. In 2007 they performed a UK tour of their comedy called ''Stuff and Nonsense''. In 2010 they announced November 2010 preview shows and a new tour for 2011 (that was titled 'They Should Get Out More') which ran from January to March. In 2014 they embarked on a new UK comedy tour called 'Ploughing on Regardless'.

References

British television comedy British comedy duos {{UK-tv-bio-stub