Renton Skinner
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Daniel Renton Skinner (born 25 January 1973) is an English actor and comedy writer, working in stage, film and television. Skinner often performs as the character Angelos Epithemiou and is also one half of the Brian and Roger podcast.


Early life

Born in London, Skinner attended the independent
Reed's School Reed's School is an independent secondary boarding school for boys with a mixed sixth form located in Cobham, Surrey, England. There are currently around 700 day pupils (620 boys, 80 girls) with 100 full-time boarders (80 boys, 20 girls). The s ...
in Surrey, and graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Drama from Middlesex University London (1994–97). His credits include the 24-hour play ''The Warp'' with
Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety in the 1 ...
. After this he started writing and performing comedy regularly with Stephen Evans and
Neil Edmond Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...
in a sketch troupe called The Benders.


TV appearances

Skinner has appeared in numerous TV comedies, including '' Mike Bassett: Manager'' (
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...
), ''
The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series o ...
''
Christmas special Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared in in literature and Christmas music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth of material, with both adaptatio ...
s (
BBC1 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, ...
), ''
My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...
'' (
BBC1 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, ...
), ''
Yonderland ''Yonderland'' is a British sitcom television series that was broadcast on Sky 1 from November 2013 to December 2016. It was produced by Sioned Wiliam, and was created by, written by and starred the main performers from CBBC's series ''Horrible ...
'' ( Sky1) and ''
Coupling A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment or end mov ...
'' ( BBC2). He was also a regular writer and performer on ''
Katy Brand's Big Ass Show ''Katy Brand's Big Ass Show'' is a British comedy programme on ITV2. The show features comedian Katy Brand in skits of real life situations and stereotypes, as well and celebrities such as Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, A ...
'' for ITV2. He appeared in series 1,2 and 3 of ''
The Armstrong & Miller Show ''The Armstrong & Miller Show'' is a British sketch comedy television show produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC One. It features the double act Armstrong and Miller and a number of notable scriptwriters including Andy Hamilton, co-creato ...
'' on the
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 exam. ...
...
in 2007, 2009, and 2010 respectively (initially as "Renton Skinner"). He also played Reggie's chauffeur in the remake of ''
Reggie Perrin ''Reggie Perrin'' is a modern update of the 1970s BBC sitcom ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', which starred Leonard Rossiter. The revival stars Martin Clunes and was first broadcast on 24 April 2009. Series 1 was released on DVD in R ...
''. He has appeared twice in BBC1's sitcom ''
My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...
'', both as a policeman in series 5's "The Mummy Returns" and in series 10's "Desperately Stalking Susan". He also had a part in episode 4 of series one of ''
Mongrels A mongrel, mutt or mixed-breed dog is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed and including those that are the result of intentional breeding. Although the term ''mixed-breed dog'' is sometimes preferred, many mongr ...
'' as an American reporter, and appeared as Captain Length-Width with his '' Shooting Stars'' host,
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 & Mort ...
in the
CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
show ''The Ministry of Curious Stuff''. In 2013, he appeared as a police officer in ''
The Wrong Mans ''The Wrong Mans'' is a British BBC Television comedy-drama series, co-produced with the American online television provider Hulu. It premiered on BBC Two on 24 September 2013 and in the United States on 11 November 2013. Considered a crit ...
'' with ''
Yonderland ''Yonderland'' is a British sitcom television series that was broadcast on Sky 1 from November 2013 to December 2016. It was produced by Sioned Wiliam, and was created by, written by and starred the main performers from CBBC's series ''Horrible ...
'' co-star
Mathew Baynton Mathew John Baynton (born 18 November 1980) is an English actor, writer, comedian, singer, and musician best known as a member of the British Horrible Histories troupe in which he starred in the TV series ''Horrible Histories''; as well as an a ...
. In 2014, he appeared in '' House of Fools'' as Bosh and ''
Friday Night Dinner ''Friday Night Dinner'' is a British television sitcom written by Robert Popper and starring Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal, and Mark Heap. The comedy is focused on the regular dinner experience of the middle-class Bri ...
'' as Jeremy Phillips. In 2015, he appeared alongside
Katherine Parkinson Katherine Jane Parkinson (born 9 March 1978) is an English actress. She appeared in Channel 4's '' The IT Crowd'' comedy series as Jen Barber, for which she received a British Comedy Best TV Actress Award in 2009 and 2014, and was nominated twice ...
in BBC sitcom '' The Kennedys''. Since 2017, he has appeared in comedian
Tracey Ullman Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman, 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director. Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows '' A Kick Up the Eighties'' ( ...
's BBC One sketch comedy series, ''
Tracey Ullman's Show ''Tracey Ullman's Show'' is a British sketch comedy television series starring Tracey Ullman. ''Tracey Ullman's Show'' premiered on BBC One on 11 January 2016. The programme marks her first project for the broadcaster in over thirty years, and ...
'' and ''
Tracey Breaks the News ''Tracey Breaks the News'' is a British topical comedy programme starring Tracey Ullman. It premiered on BBC One on 27 October 2017 following a one-off special that aired on 23 June. After the success of the one-off special on 13 September 201 ...
''. In 2018, Skinner appeared in the second episode of series 9 of ''
Not Going Out ''Not Going Out'' is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006, and has 12 series making it the second longest running British sitcom (in series) behind the longest running sitcom worldwide, Last of the Summer Wine. It sta ...
'' as a madman hellbent on revenge. In 2019, Skinner had a recurring role in Channel 5 first homegrown drama "Cold Call" alongside
Sally Lindsay Sally Jane Lindsay (born 8 July 1973) is an English actress and television presenter known for her roles as Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', Lisa Johnson in the Sky One comedy series '' Mount Pleasant'' a ...
. In 2021, he appeared on an episode of ''
This Time with Alan Partridge ''This Time with Alan Partridge'' is a British sitcom first broadcast in 2019 on BBC One. It stars Steve Coogan as the inept broadcaster Alan Partridge in a spoof of current affairs programmes such as ''The One Show'' and '' Good Morning Brita ...
'' as an acquaintance of Alan's who engaged in
chemsex Party and play (PnP), also called chemsex or wired play, is the consumption of drugs to facilitate or enhance sexual activity. Sociologically, it refers to a subculture of recreational drug users who engage in high-risk sexual activities under t ...
parties.


Angelos Epithemiou

Skinner appeared as Angelos Epithemiou on series 6 of '' Shooting Stars'' as a permanent member of Team B, replacing
Johnny Vegas 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 us ...
. In series 7 and 8, he replaced George Dawes as the score keeper. The character's signature tune is "Drop the Pressure (Jack Beats 'Rinsed Out Rave' Remix)" by Project Bassline. He is (apparently) of
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
origin and resides in
Neasden Neasden is a suburban area in northwest London, England. It is located around the centre of the London Borough of Brent and is within the NW2 ( Cricklewood) and NW10 (Willesden) postal districts. Neasden is near Wembley Stadium, the Welsh Har ...
. Epithemiou is
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. He was originally introduced by Bob Mortimer as a competition winner, as well as a burger van owner from 'somewhere in the North East', although this aspect of his character was gradually sidelined. As the character developed, Epithemiou showed an ongoing obsession with
Ulrika Jonsson Eva Ulrika Jonsson (born 16 August 1967) is a Swedish-British television presenter and model. She became known as a TV-am weather presenter, moved on to present the ITV show ''Gladiators'', and as a team captain of the BBC Two show '' Shooting ...
, and revealed that his burger van had been destroyed by his brother Agathius. He also appeared in a series of YouTube clips alongside David Earl whose character Brian Gittins employed him at his cafe, and who was increasingly envious of the fame Epithemiou was gaining on ''Shooting Stars''. Skinner appeared on BBC Three show ''World Cup 2010's Most Shocking Moments'' with other celebrities, reviewing and making jokes about incidents in the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
. This was one of the first appearances on TV since performing as the character Epithemiou on ''Shooting Stars''. In 2010, Skinner took the Epithemiou character on a UK tour titled ''Angelos Epithemiou & Friends Christmas Show''; due to popular demand, venues introduced additional dates throughout December 2010. He appeared four times on ''
Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' is a British football-based comedy/talk show, produced by Sky Sports. First broadcast in 1995, the programme currently airs on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football at 10.30am on Saturdays during the f ...
'' during 2011 and 2012, and was a guest panellist on the BBC music quiz show ''
Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hos ...
'' in December 2011. In August 2011, Skinner appeared as Epithemiou in
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, ...
's ''Fun & Filth Cabaret'', part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He ended each of the shows with a ''
HARDtalk ''HARDtalk'' is a BBC television and radio programme broadcast on the BBC News Channel, on BBC World News, and on the BBC World Service. Broadcast times and days vary, depending on broadcasting platform and geographic location. ''HARDtalk' ...
''-style interview. In December 2011, Skinner won the Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist at The British Comedy Awards for his work as Epithemiou over the previous year. In the same month, he appeared as Epithemiou on the Christmas special of ''
The Rob Brydon Show ''The Rob Brydon Show'' was a British chat show hosted by comedian Rob Brydon. The first series started on 17 September 2010 and consists of six regular episodes, a compilation episode and a Christmas special. The second series had six regular e ...
''. In 2012, he starred in his own show, ''The Angelos Epithemiou Show'', on
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 ...
. He also appeared as John Meringue in the Reeves and Mortimer quiz show ''Vic & Bob's Lucky Sexy Winners''. Epithemiou took part in Channel 4's '' Come Dine with Me'' on 4 January 2013. He served tinned mushroom soup with white sliced bread for the starter and employed a burger van to cook his main dish. The only dish he cooked was a swiss roll for dessert: however his guests were told to go home halfway through their desserts and had to finish their food in their taxis on the way home. Epithemiou appeared alongside
Debbie McGee Debra Ann McGee (born 31 October 1958) is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the assistant and widow of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and for three years was artistic director of her ...
on ''
Pointless Celebrities ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay subsidiary Remarkable Television for the BBC. It is hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but obscure answers t ...
'' in December 2018, raising money for
motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most commo ...
. On 1 December 2019, Epithemiou appeared on Channel 4's ''
Sunday Brunch ''Sunday Brunch'' is a British television programme presented by Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer. It is broadcast live on Channel 4 on Sunday mornings and features cookery and interviews with celebrity guests. Format The programme began on 25 ...
'' but only for the start of the show when guests are introduced followed by the first cooking item which he interrupted part-way through by walking into shot to announce that he was leaving. Angelos Epithemiou’s character and its place in English comedy history is analysed in
Guy Mankowski Guy Mankowski (born 6 January 1983) is an English writer. He is the great grandson of the author and broadcaster Harry Mortimer Batten. He was educated at St John's College, Portsmouth and Ampleforth College. He read Applied Psychology at Durh ...
's book 'Albion's Secret History: Snapshots of England's Pop Rebels and Outsiders'.


Radio

Skinner played several roles 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' ...
comedy series '' Deep Trouble'', written by
Ben Willbond Benjamin Thomas Willbond (born 18 January 1973) is an English actor and screenwriter best known as a member of the British Horrible Histories troupe in which he appears in the TV series ''Horrible Histories'', '' Yonderland'' and ''Ghosts''. He ...
and
Jim Field Smith Jim Field Smith (born 20 February 1979) is an English film and television director, writer and producer. Early career Smith was a member of the British sketch comedy group Dutch Elm Conservatoire, who were nominated for the prestigious Perrier A ...
. In 2014, he appeared weekly on comedy internet radio station Fubar Radio alongside
Barry from Watford Alex Lowe (born 15 January 1968) is an English actor, comedian and voice artist. He is the creator and performer of the character Barry from Watford on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2 show and Iain Lee's shows, as well as also being the creator ...
in ''The Barry & Angelos Show''.


Film

Skinner can be seen in
Tim Plester Timothy Marc Plester (born 10 September 1970) is a British actor, playwright, and filmmaker, best known for the documentaries ''Way of the Morris'' and ''The Ballad of Shirley Collins'' - plus a multifarious number of cameo roles for film and TV ...
's 2006 short film ''World of Wrestling'' as a fictionalised version of wrestler Dave "Fit" Finlay. In June 2014, it was announced that Skinner would play Simmons in
Ben Wheatley Benjamin Wheatley (born 7 May 1972) is an English filmmaker and screenwriter. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and tel ...
's upcoming film '' High-Rise''. Skinner appeared in Swallows and Amazons alongside Andrew Scott and Rafe Spall as a Russian Agent. He also appears in the 2016 documentary ''Notes on Blindness'' as the subject, John M. Hull, in recreations.


Stand-up DVDs

*''Angelos Epithemiou & Friends Live'' (21 November 2011)


Personal life

Skinner is married to comedienne
Olivia Lee Olivia Lee is a British comedian, actress and writer. Early life Lee is from a Jewish family. She studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Career Lee landed a presenting job alongside Simon Amstell on Channel 4's ''T4''. She l ...
. They met on a celebrity episode of ''Come Dine with Me'', when Skinner was in character.


References


External links


FUBAR Radio
* *
Paramount comedy short-cuts website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Dan Renton 1973 births Alumni of Middlesex University Living people People from Hammersmith Male actors from London People educated at Reed's School 21st-century English male actors English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors