Rob Rouse (born 1974) is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...
.
Overview
Rouse grew up in
Gawsworth,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
.
He trained as a geography teacher at the
University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
and got into comedy in his final year at university. Having fully qualified as a teacher, he decided that teaching was not for him after spending two days as a supply teacher. Instead, he decided to move to London to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. Since winning Channel Four's prestigious '
So You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny? (SYTYF) is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 in the United Kingdom.
The finals are held every August at The Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Past wi ...
' competition at the
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 Fe ...
in 1998, an award previously won by
Phil Kay
Phil Kay (born 1969) is a Scottish stand-up comedian.
Biography
Education
Kay was educated at Craigclowan Preparatory School in Perth, Scotland, and at nearby Glenalmond College.
Early career
Kay became known to the public when he won the ...
,
Dylan Moran
Dylan William Moran ( ; born 3 November 1971) is an Irish comedian, writer, actor, artist and poet. He is best known for his observational comedy, the comedy series ''Black Books'' (which he co-wrote and starred in), and his work with Simon Peg ...
,
Lee Mack,
Tommy Tiernan
Tommy Tiernan (; born 16 June 1969) is an Irish comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for hosting ''The Tommy Tiernan Show'' (2017–present) and playing Gerry in the sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022).
Early life
Tiernan was born in ...
and
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books.
Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...
, he has been a regular performer at major venues on both the London and national circuit.
Rouse is married to comedian and author
Helen Rutter. The couple have two children and live in the
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...
.
Television work
Rouse started his career in television as a "warm-up" on the hit BBC sitcom ''
Coupling'', where he entertained the studio audience between filming.
Rouse starred in the first series of the
BBC Three sitcom ''
Grownups'' and Guilty Pleasures, a new chat show which he hosted. He also has a role (uncredited) in ''
Penelope'', a feature film premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
in September 2006.
In 2005 Rouse was one of the presenters of ''
The Friday Night Project
''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...
'', that later became ''
The Sunday Night Project
''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...
'', an entertainment show for
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 ...
. He also starred in ''
Spoons
Spoons may refer to:
* Spoon, a utensil commonly used with soup
* Spoons (card game), the card game of Donkey, but using spoons
Film and TV
* ''Spoons'' (TV series), a 2005 UK comedy sketch show
*Spoons, a minor character from ''The Sopranos''
...
'', a Channel 4 sketch show.
His other acting work includes a role in ''Tunnel of Love'', a prime time comedy-drama for
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 ...
and a starring role in the BBC3 sitcom ''The Bunk Bed Boys''. Rouse was also a member of the cast of ''The Pilot Show'' for
E4.
Rouse is also a popular TV panelist and has made appearances on ''
8 Out of 10 Cats'', and ''
Bognor or Bust
''Bognor or Bust'' is a 2004 UK television panel game, on the subject of news and current affairs. Produced by 4DTV for ITV, the show conventionally gave contestants the opportunity to win prizes, yet was comedic in style. It combined members of ...
'' amongst others.
In 2007 he starred as Robert Thornton in the Paramount Comedy shorts "The Former Ambassador Robert Thornton" 10 episodes. Rouse also stars in
Mad Mad World
''Mad Mad World'' is the second studio album by Canadian rock singer Tom Cochrane, originally released in 1991 in Canada and in the United States on February 17, 1992. The first single from the album, "Life Is a Highway", became a hit in late 19 ...
on
ITV1 that started in the spring of 2012.
He appears in the
BBC #REDIRECT 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 ex ...
series
Upstart Crow
Upstart or upstarts may refer to:
* HMS ''Upstart'', a Royal Navy U-class submarine
*Upstart (company), an online lending marketplace
*Upstart (software), a process management daemon used in several operating systems.
* Upstart (sculpture), a publi ...
, a BBC 2 sitcom about Shakespeare, written by
Ben Elton, alongside
David Mitchell,
Harry Enfield,
Mark Heap
Mark Heap (born 13 May 1957) is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in television comedies, including, ''Brass Eye'', ''Big Train'', ''Spaced'', ''Jam (TV series), Jam'', ''Green Wing'', ''Friday Night Dinner'', ''Upstart ...
and
Liza Tarbuck
Liza Tarbuck ( ; born 21 November 1964) is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter.
Early life
Liza Tarbuck was born in Liverpool. She is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck and his wife Pauline, with an older siste ...
.
Stand-up comedy
Rouse first made his name on the live circuit, winning Channel 4's prestigious ''So You Think You're Funny?'' competition at the
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 Fe ...
in 1998.
As part of the successful trio Big and Daft, Rouse took three shows to the Edinburgh Festival culminating in 2001 with the sell-out Big and Daft Christmas show. Big and Daft went on to host their own weekend show on BBC London Live.
His 2002 solo
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
show was a sell out, gathering positive reviews. The following year he returned to Edinburgh with another hit show and finished the year with a performance at London's
Soho Theatre.
Throughout 2004 Rouse continued touring his live show and performed the
Melbourne Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
.
Other work
In 2015, Rouse and Rutter started their comedy self-help podcast ''Rob and Helen's Date Night'', charting a series of odd dates including horse riding, life-drawing in front of a fire, and the couple recording
Rage Against the Machine's ''
Killing in the Name
"Killing in the Name" is a protest song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, and appears on their 1992 self-titled debut album. It was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992. It features heavy drop-D guitar riff ...
'', which they recorded live in their garage.
Rouse and Rutter starred in the play ''The Ladder'', written by Rutter, which premiered at the
Edinburgh Fringe in 2018. It is based on an accident Rutter had getting her hand stuck in a ladder at home and Rouse's attempts at helping her.
The couple return to Edinburgh in 2019 with their show ''Funny in Real Life''.
Filmography
Film
Television
Radio
Awards
*So You Think You're Funny Winner, Edinburgh Festival, 1998
References
External links
*
How to act Shakespeare Rouse on ''Upstart Crow''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rouse, Rob
English male comedians
English television presenters
Living people
1974 births
English male television actors
21st-century English male actors
20th-century English comedians
21st-century English comedians