Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performance style that fused elements of

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

observational comedy Observational comedy is a form of humor based on the commonplace aspects of everyday life. It is one of the main types of humor in stand-up comedy. In an observational comedy act, the comedian makes an observation about something which is common eno ...

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such ...

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming o ...

and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

. When performing, he usually wears browline glasses and a

dress shirt A dress shirt, button shirt, button-front, button-front shirt, or button-up shirt, is a garment with a collar and a full-length opening at the front, which is fastened using buttons or shirt studs. A button-down or button-down shirt is a dres ...

with a distinctive oversized

collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

and cuffs. He won the

Perrier Award Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier was part of th ...

for Best Newcomer at the 1992

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

, and began his career in radio and television comedy with the radio series '' Harry Hill's Fruit Corner'' (1993–1997). He has hosted his own television comedy show ''

Harry Hill's TV Burp ''Harry Hill's TV Burp'' (also known as just ''TV Burp'') is a British television comedy programme broadcast between 2001 and 2012 on ITV. The show was produced by Avalon Television and was written and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. Each ep ...

'' (2001–2012), and has narrated '' You've Been Framed!'' since 2004. His other projects include '' The Harry Hill Movie'', released in 2013.

Early life, education and medical career

Hill was born as Matthew Keith Hall in

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

, on 1 October 1964 and grew up in

Staplehurst Staplehurst is a town and civil parish in the borough of Maidstone in Kent, England, south of the town of Maidstone and with a population of 6,003. The town lies on the route of a Roman road, which is now incorporated into the course of the A ...

, Kent, where he attended the local primary school. At the age of 14, Hill moved with his family to

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

for two years and attended

Island School Island School ( Chinese: 港島中學) is a co-educational international school located in Hong Kong. It is the founding school of the English Schools Foundation, and is still a member. The school has been accredited by international organisatio ...

there. He was later educated at Angley School and then Cranbrook School in Kent and

St George's Hospital Medical School St George's, University of London (legally St George's Hospital Medical School, informally St George's or SGUL), is a University located in Tooting in South London and is a constituent college of the University of London. St George's has its ...

. He received his

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United Kin ...

medical degree from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

in 1988. Hill worked as a house officer at

Doncaster Royal Infirmary Doncaster Royal Infirmary is a district general hospital of 800 beds, located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is managed by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History Early history Doncaster Royal Infir ...

, before quitting the medical profession because he "didn't feel in control of what was happening"; he is still registered on the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by ...

's list of

Registered Medical Practitioner A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the ...

Career

''Harry Hill's Fruit Corner'' (1993–1997)

Hill achieved his breakthrough in 1992, when he won the Perrier Award for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Shortly after, a radio show starring Hill was commissioned by

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's ...

entitled '' Harry Hill's Fruit Corner''. Hill hosted the show as himself, and each week, he was joined by various guest performers, as well as regular character actors including

Al Murray Alastair James Hay Murray (born 10 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor, musician and writer from Hammersmith. In 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy, and in 2007 he was voted the 16th gre ...

and

Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the ''Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Ma ...

. The show featured a variety of other celebrity guests during its run including

Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...

and

Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promine ...

. Each episode is interspersed with Hill's stand up routines. ''Fruit Corner'' ran for four series on

''Harry Hill's Fruit Fancies'' (1994)

Hill made his television breakthrough in 1994, when he starred in

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 a ...

black-and-white silent-comedy series ''Harry Hill's Fruit Fancies''. In a similar format to ''Fruit Corner'', Hill performed a series of sketches, with celebrity guests making cameo appearances. The series ran for six episodes on

between October and December 1994. For Christmas that year, a VHS containing a 100-minute compilation of the best material from the series, as well as unseen sketches, was released by BBC Video.

''Saturday Live'' (1996)

Hill was a regular on '' Saturday Live'', which was broadcast in 1996 on ITV for eight episodes.

''Harry Hill'' (1997-2000)

Harry Hill got his own television series 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 ...

in 1997. Among the regular characters were Harry Hill's big brother, Alan, played by Al Murray, and his adopted son, Alan Jr., played by Matt Bradstock.

also appeared in many episodes as Harry's "Chicken Catcher" – and each week, he would come up with an excuse as to why he has not yet captured a chicken, followed by a performance of the song "Hey Little Hen". In later series, Hill and Kwouk appeared in sketches as

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...

and

Gianni Versace Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-u ...

. Hill's screen wife Mai Sung also made several appearances on the show, mainly on the theme of trying to steal his

Abbey National The Abbey National Building Society was formed in 1944 by the merger of the Abbey Road and the National building societies. It was the first building society in the United Kingdom to demutualise, doing so in July 1989. The bank expanded thro ...

bank savings book. Another character that featured on the show was Stouffer the Cat, a glove puppet cat made from blue rubber. Stouffer would normally sit in a throne, supported by a rubber arm in the style of

Rod Hull Rod, Ror, Ród, Rőd, Rød, Röd, ROD, or R.O.D. may refer to: Devices * Birch rod, made out of twigs from birch or other trees for corporal punishment * Ceremonial rod, used to indicate a position of authority * Connecting rod, main, coupling ...

, and was employed to intimidate guests during Hill's standup routines. Some of Stouffer's catchphrases are "he got a big face" and "sorted – respect due". At the end of each episode, an event called "The Badger Parade" was supposed to take place. The parade featured a number of

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move ...

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

s that included "

Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate (born 3 September 1970) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a defender and midfielder. He has been the manager of the England national team since 2016. Southgate won the League Cu ...

badger" and "

Tasmin Archer Tasmin Archer (born 3 August 1963) is a British pop singer from Bradford, England. Her first album, ''Great Expectations'', spawned the hit "Sleeping Satellite", which reached number one in the United Kingdom and Ireland. She won the Brit Awar ...

badger", among others – however, every week, there would be some kind of problem, resulting in the badgers being unable to perform. In place of the badger parade, Hill would usually sing a song, with a guest that he had invited onto the show. A

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prop ...

book relating to the series was released in October 1998, entitled ''Harry Hill's Fun Book''. The series was cancelled in April 2000, but was revived by ITV in March 2003, as '' The All-New Harry Hill Show''. It was broadcast it along with episodes of ''TV Burp''. Regular features on the ITV version included the Hamilton Challenge, featuring

Neil 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".. ...

and

Christine Hamilton Mary Christine Hamilton (''née'' Holman; born 10 November 1949) is an English media personality and author. She is married to Neil Hamilton, the former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton. Hamilton and her husband have become p ...

, and a butterfly in blue jeans. The Channel 4 series was revisited in August 2012, for a retrospective documentary entitled ''Whatever Happened to Harry Hill?''.

''Harry Hill's TV Burp'' (2001–2012)

In October 2001, Hill moved to ITV in a lucrative deal, in which he created an all new show, ''

'', where he would take a look at the week's television, showing clips from various British television programmes, and framing them with commentary or intercutting additional footage. The series would feature a regular stable of all new characters, including the Knitted Character; a small knitted rabbit, Wagbo, a demon love child whose parents are reportedly Wagner Carillho and Mary Byrne of '' X Factor'' fame, an interpretation of Heather Trott from ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', played by Steve Bernham, as well as a doll of ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with various professional backg ...

'' star

Alan Sugar Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar (born 24 March 1947) is a British business magnate, media personality, author, politician and political adviser. In 1968, he started what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics com ...

, who would regularly rap before clips of ''The Apprentice'' were introduced. The show was piloted in December 2001, before running for fifteen full series between 2002 and 2012, before being cancelled to allow Hill to work on other projects. Hill would occasionally say his catchphrase "Chippy chips!" and the show became known for another catchphrase "You get the idea with that." and Hill's actual sideways look at a topic, the show developed a cult following and was popular with the entire family. It is an industry rumour still that in the last few years of the show that some of the programs Hill would focus on - especially the soaps - would deliberately try to get featured on the show by giving prominence to bald members of teams (or experts) in all kinds of shows or obviously pushing for rhyming dialogue so as to get it in Poetry Corner. The show won a number of BAFTA awards, and spawned five ''Best of TV Burp'' DVD compilations, and a book based on the series, which was released for Christmas 2009.

''You've Been Framed!'' (2004–present)

Since 2004, Hill has narrated the comical clips show '' You've Been Framed!'', often shortened to ''YBF!'', replacing Jonathan Wilkes on the show. Hill has narrated 14 series to date. New episodes of ''You've Been Framed!'' are still being made and currently air early on Thursday evenings on ITV.

''Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard'' (2005)

In October 2005, Hill wrote and starred in '' Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard'', a thirteen part show broadcast in the

CITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...

children's television slot, on ITV. While many of his well known characters, such as Stouffer and Garry Hill, his fictional layabout son from his first marriage, remained, it also showcased several new characters, including Speed Camera Boy, an outsider who is half boy and half speed camera, and Evelynne Hussey, a one-woman band who played a number of different instruments. While the show featured a game show element, ''Help the Aged'', it was very similar in structure to '' Harry Hill''. In the show, Hill wore a pale yellow, custard coloured shirt, with a giant collar, instead of his usual white collar. The series was never released on DVD; however, it did spawn ''Harry Hill's Whopping Great Joke Book'', a book of children's jokes, released in 2006. The book was also made available as an iPhone application. A second book, ''Harry Hill's Bumper Book of Bloopers'', was released for Christmas 2011.

''The Harry Hill Movie'' (2013)

'' The Harry Hill Movie'' premiered in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

on 20 December 2013. The film also stars

Matt Lucas Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain'' (2003–2006, 2020) and '' Come Fl ...

Julie Walters Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a B ...

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 ...

Sheridan Smith Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith OBE (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as ''The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), ''Two Pints of ...

Simon Bird Simon Antony Bird (born 19 August 1984) is an English comedian, actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Will McKenzie in the multi-award-winning E4 comedy series ''The Inbetweeners'' (2008–2010), as well as its two films ...

Marc Wootton Marc James Wootton (born 8 February 1975) is an English actor, comedian and writer, best known for his role as Mr Poppy in the ''Nativity!'' film series. Wootton has also appeared in ''High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman'', ''La La Land'', '' Ni ...

Jim Broadbent James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the feature film '' Iris'' (2001), as well as winning a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe for ...

, and band

The Magic Numbers The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled '' The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up a ...

. The film sees Hill embark on a road trip to

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

with his Nan (

) when he discovers that his hamster only has one week to live. The 88 minute film was directed by

Steve Bendelack Steve Bendelack is an English filmmaker and television director who has worked primarily on comedy programmes. Originally an assistant to Peter Fluck and Roger Law on satirical TV puppet show ''Spitting Image'', Bendelack went on to direct the s ...

. To date, it has made $3,647,870 at the box office. This was also released on DVD on 14 April 2014.

''Stars in Their Eyes'' (2015)

Hill presented a revived version of the ITV talent show ''

Stars in Their Eyes ''Stars in Their Eyes'' is a British television talent series, based on Joop van den Ende's Dutch format ''Soundmixshow''. It featured a singing contest in which members of the public impersonate showbiz stars. The show premiered on 21 July 1 ...

''. The series aired for six episodes from 10 January until 14 February 2015. The revival has proved divisive. Fans of the original format were extremely critical of it, saying that Hill had made the show about himself rather than the contestants. In April 2015, it was announced that the show had been axed by ITV, due to extremely poor ratings.

''Harry Hill's Tea Time'' (2016–2018)

''Tea Time'' saw Hill welcome guests to a spoof comedy kitchen and ask them to cook bizarre things. A new entertainment series for

Sky 1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

, the first series debuted on 16 October 2016, and was viewed by 400,000 viewers. Ratings slipped the following week, when only 180,000 watched. Guests for the first series included

Paul Hollywood Paul John Hollywood (born 1 March 1966) is an English celebrity chef and television presenter, widely known as a judge on ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2010. Hollywood began his career at his father's bakery as a teenager and went on to ...

, Joey Essex, Gok Wan,

Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also ...

and

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 m ...

. ''Harry Hill's Tea Time'' was commissioned for a second series which began airing in January 2018.

''Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule'' (2017–2019)

In March 2017, Hill began presenting 6x30minute episode of '' Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule'', which aired on ITV on Thursday nights, 8.30 to 9 pm. The

panel show A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...

sees Harry welcoming two teams of two celebrity guests as they are tasked with saving planet Earth from

alien invasion The alien invasion or space invasion is a common feature in science fiction stories and film, in which extraterrestrial lifeforms invade the Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under an intense state, harvest people ...

by sending evidence (via the "fun capsule" of the title) that Earthlings are good fun and therefore worthy of saving from destruction. Harry alludes to the premise of the show as being rather tenuous in a running joke during each show's introduction, before introducing the two teams of guests, usually a mix of comedians and television stars. In a similar style to ''

'', the show includes various clips from television and film, often attributed or related somehow to the current guests. The guests also partake in sketches and songs based on or directly spoofing the funny or bizarre items featured. There is a regular slot entitled "Local News Round Up", accompanied by its own theme tune, which involves each of the guests taking turns to read out bizarre headlines from local newspapers. Alan the Alien also appears as a green extra terrestrial's arm, emerging from a box to aid Harry in some way. The series has received positive reviews, with many pointing out the similarities to ''TV Burp''. The show moved to Saturday Evenings between 7.30 pm and 8.00 pm for a second series, aired in 2018, and a third in 2019.

''Harry Hill's World of TV'' (2020)

In 2020, Harry Hill started presenting '' Harry Hill's World of TV''. Using archive clips, this ''TV Burp''-style show pokes fun at television, with each episode themed around a specific genre.

Novels

In 2002, Hill published a novel entitled ''Flight From Deathrow'', based around the unlikely (fictional) antics of real-life celebrities and politicians, as seen through the eyes of a storyteller who drifts in and out of a coma. His second book, '' Tim the Tiny Horse'', was published in October 2006, and featured the tale of a small horse who has to wear glasses because of poor eyesight. Hill's third book, ''The Further Adventures of the Queen Mum'', was published in October 2007, and was a comic take on the life and times of the Queen Mother. His fourth novel, '' Tim the Tiny Horse at Large'', which is a sequel to ''Tim the Tiny Horse'', was published in October 2009. In 2010, Hill released ''Livin' the Dreem'', a fictional account of a year in his life with frequent references to pop culture. The book was reprinted in May 2011, with additional entries for events occurring between January and April of that year. ''A Complete History of Tim (the Tiny Horse)'' was published in November 2012 which contains the first two ''Tim the Tiny Horse'' novels, with four new stories.

Other projects

Hill has recorded voice-overs on television commercials. Advertisements that Hill has provided a voice over for include the holiday adverts for Boots in 2004, the "Bring on the Branston!" adverts for the Branston Pickle brand during 2006 to 2007, adverts for the

Green Flag Green Flag or Green Flag Rescue, is a British roadside assistance and vehicle recovery provider, which is part of the Direct Line Group. Formed in 1971, as the National Breakdown Recovery Club, as an alternative to the AA and RAC, it used ...

car breakdown service, and adverts for the new yogurt, ''Danio by

Danone Danone S.A. () is a French multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock market index. Some of the company's products are ...

''. He also sang in 2001 "

This Charming Man "This Charming Man" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Released as the group's second single in October 1983 on the independent record label Rough Trade, it is defined by Mar ...

" by

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since th ...

Stars in their Eyes ''Stars in Their Eyes'' is a British television talent series, based on Joop van den Ende's Dutch format ''Soundmixshow''. It featured a singing contest in which members of the public impersonate showbiz stars. The show premiered on 21 July 1 ...

. In February 2001, and again in April, Hill appeared on ''

Lily Savage's Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...

''. Hill has also appeared as a guest on the

series ''

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'' is a BBC radio comedy panel game. Billed as "the antidote to panel games", it consists of two teams of two comedians being given "silly things to do" by a chairman. The show was launched in April 1972 as a pa ...

'', in the ''

ChuckleVision ''ChuckleVision'' is a British children's comedy television series created by Martin Hughes and the Chuckle Brothers for the BBC. It starred Barry and Paul Elliott as the Chuckle Brothers and occasionally their older brothers, Jimmy, and Brian ...

'' episode "Mind Your Manors", the first episode of the twentieth series, and as Joon Boolay in the

Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group Limited broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is primarily dedicated to imported programmes from the United States, and holds the domestic rights to HB ...

sitcom ''

This is Jinsy ''This is Jinsy'' is a British comedy series. The pilot was first broadcast on 1 March 2010 on BBC Three. The programme is about the bizarre residents of the fictional island of Jinsy which is based on Guernsey, where the two writers are from. ...

''. In October 2006, Hill presented his own episode of long running ITV series, ''An Audience With...'', in which he revived several characters from ''Harry Hill''. On 4 October 2004, he also appeared in an episode of ''

Room 101 The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are the four ministries of the government of Oceania in the 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', by George Orwell. The use of contradictory ...

''. In November 2010, Hill released his debut comic album, 'Funny Times'. The album was preceded by the singles 'I Wanna Baby', 'SuBo', and 'Ken!', which features

William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...

, as his ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'' character, Ken Barlow, is the feature of the song. Since October 2010, Hill has had his own comic strip in ''

The Dandy ''The Dandy'' was a British children's comic magazine published by the Dundee based publisher DC Thomson. The first issue was printed in December 1937, making it the world's third-longest running comic, after '' Il Giornalino'' (cover dated 1 O ...

'', entitled ''

Harry Hill's Real Life Adventures in TV Land ''Harry Hill's Real Life Adventures in TV Land'' was a British celebrity comics comic strip, published in ''The Dandy'' between 2010 and 2011, featuring a cartoon-version of comedian Harry Hill, his sidekick, Knitted Character, and often spoofe ...

'', drawn by

Nigel Parkinson Nigel Parkinson is a British cartoonist who works for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd and mainly draws for ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy''. Biography Parkinson is the official artist for Dennis the Menace in ''The Beano''. His career in comics began ...

. Hill was directly involved in its creation and is co-credited with Parkinson. Between October and December 2010, Hill starred in a weekly online comedy series on the

ChannelFlip ChannelFlip Media Ltd was a London-based Multi Channel Network which works with both traditional and online celebrities to create brand friendly content. Shows and talent ChannelFlip works with UK-based comedic TV and online talent. * Robert Lle ...

website, entitled ''Harry Hill's Little Internet Show''. Ten episodes of the show were broadcast online.

Awards

In 2003, ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' listed Hill as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy. In 2005, in a poll to find ''The Comedian's Comedian'', he was voted amongst the Top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. In 2007, Hill was voted #5 on Channel 4's hundred greatest stand ups. On 13 December 2006, Hill won two Highland Spring

British Comedy Awards The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards ( ...

, over the favourites

Ant and Dec Ant & Dec are a British television presenting duo, consisting of Anthony McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) and Declan Donnelly (born 25 September 1975), from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Formed after their meeting as child actors on CBBC's ...

, which Hill made light of in his acceptance speeches. In 2008, he won two BAFTAs, and another in 2009 for Best Entertainment Performance. In 2009, he won two

, making it his sixth award. He also won again in 2011, but was unable to be there and sent Wagbo to collect it on his behalf. He was also nominated for 3 other awards, including the People's Choice Award, which was won by Miranda Hart.

Personal life

Hill married artist Magda Archer in 1996, in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its nam ...

, London. They have three daughters: Kitty Clover, Winifred Millicent and Frederica Aster, all born in Kensington and Chelsea. Hill and his family live in

Whitstable Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent adjoining the convergence of the Swale Estuary and the Greater Thames Estuary in southeastern England, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay. The 2011 Census reported a population of ...

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 ...

. In February 2006, Hill was a victim of

identity theft Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term ''identity theft'' was c ...

; a sum of £280,000 was stolen from his bank account. In September 2008, Hill worked with

Fairtrade A fair trade certification is a product certification within the market-based movement fair trade. The most widely used fair trade certification is FLO International's, the International Fairtrade Certification Mark, used in Europe, Africa, Asi ...

to release ''Harry's Nuts'', a brand of fairtrade peanuts. On 17 July 2014, Hill was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts by the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

, in recognition of his contribution to television and the arts. On 25 August 2016, Hill became a patron of Action Duchenne which funds research for

Duchenne muscular dystrophy Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects boys. Muscle weakness usually begins around the age of four, and worsens quickly. Muscle loss typically occurs first in the thighs and pelvis follow ...

, and fights for improved standards of care. Hill is a supporter of the Labour Party and

canvassed Canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with individuals, commonly used during political campaigns. Canvassing can be done for many reasons: political campaigning, grassroots fundraising, community awareness, membership driv ...

for the party during the 2015 general election.

Filmography

;Television ;Radio ;Musicals ;Film

Home releases

Stand-up shows

* ''Live'' (16 October 1995) VHS * ''Man Alive – Live'' (27 October 1997) VHS * ''First Class Scamp – Live'' (16 November 1998) DVD/VHS * ''Birdstrike! – Live'' (20 November 2000) VHS * ''In Hooves – Live'' (21 November 2005) DVD * ''Sausage Time – Live'' (7 February 2013) DVD

Television

* ''Fruit Fancies'' (11 December 1994) VHS * ''Harry Hill's TV Burp Gold'' (10 November 2008, 61 minutes, Rating: 12) DVD * ''Harry Hill's TV Burp Gold 2'' (9 November 2009, 61 minutes, Rating: 12) DVD * ''Harry Hill's TV Burp Gold 3'' (1 November 2010, 64 minutes, Rating: PG) DVD * ''Harry Hill's TV Burp: The Best Bits'' (14 November 2011, 60 minutes, Rating: 12) DVD * ''Harry Hill's Cream Of TV Burp'' (26 November 2012, 63 minutes, Rating: PG) DVD

Film

* '' The Harry Hill Movie'' (14 April 2014, 88 minutes, Rating: PG) DVD & Blu-Ray Disc

Discography

Audiobooks

* ''Fruit Corner'' (2 October 1995) * ''Hooves'' (20 March 2006) * ''Man Alive'' (20 February 2007) * ''Flight from Deathrow'' (2 April 2009) * ''Livin' the Dreem'' (4 November 2010)

Music

* ''The First Meeting Of The International Recipe Card Top Trump Society'' (2008) * ''Funny Times'' (29 November 2010)

Television advertisements

References

External links

Official Site
– Official Website
Chortle
Harry Hill on Chortle * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Harry 1964 births Living people 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English medical doctors 20th-century English writers 21st-century English comedians 21st-century English male actors 21st-century English medical doctors 21st-century English writers Alumni of St George's, University of London Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners British expatriates in Hong Kong British male television writers English comedy writers English male comedians English male television actors English radio personalities English television personalities English television writers English victims of crime Male actors from Kent Male actors from Surrey People educated at Cranbrook School, Kent People educated at Island School People from Staplehurst People from Woking The Dandy people 21st-century British medical doctors