Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 28 May 1954) is a British comedian,

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter, radio dramatist,

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

and actor.

Early life and education

Hamilton was born in Fulham, southwest London. He was educated at Westminster City School which was then a

voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

and later read

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 ...

at Downing College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the

Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society The Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society (CULES) is a student drama society at Cambridge University. Notable alumni include Douglas Adams, John Cleese, Prince Edward, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Andy Hamilton and Graeme Garden. CULES is a no ...

(CULES).

Career

Hamilton first came to notice while performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the 1970s. In the mid-1970s he sustained himself by taking jobs at

Harrods Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to ot ...

and the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

before joining the BBC in 1976. His early radio work, mostly on BBC Radio 4 included '' Week Ending'', '' The News Huddlines'' and '' The Million Pound Radio Show'' (with Nick Revell). He has since appeared regularly in '' Chelmsford 123'', '' Have I Got News for You'', '' The News Quiz'', '' QI'', and ''

If I Ruled the World "If I Ruled the World" is a popular song, composed by Leslie Bricusse and Cyril Ornadel, which was originally from the 1963 West End musical '' Pickwick'' (based on Charles Dickens's ''The Pickwick Papers''). Background In the context of the ...

''. Hamilton is frequently invited as a panellist on '' The News Quiz'' and as a guest panellist on ''

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 ...

''. He is the voice of Dr Elephant, the dentist in the children's show '' Peppa Pig''. He was also the original voice of Bob Fish, who is also a dentist, in the cartoon '' Bob and Margaret''. Hamilton is also the voice of Captain Squid, the pirate in the children's show ''

Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom ''Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom'' is a British preschool animated television series. The show was created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker, and produced by Astley Baker Davies and Entertainment One (the companies responsible for ''Peppa Pig'' ...

''. On 16 March 2007, he co-presented

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 ...

's ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented ...

'' programme alongside usual presenter Martha Kearney as part of that day's Comic Relief fundraising activities, after defeating Richard Hammond and Kelvin MacKenzie in a poll. Since 1995, Hamilton has written and played the lead role of Satan in the Radio 4 sitcom ''

Old Harry's Game ''Old Harry's Game'' is a UK radio comedy written and directed by Andy Hamilton, who also plays the cynical, world-weary Satan. "Old Harry" is one of many names for the devil. The show's title is a humorous play on the title of the 1982 TV ser ...

''. He toured with his UK stand-up show ''Hat of Doom'' in 2008. In 2009, Hamilton presented the BBC Four series '' It's Only a Theory'' with Reginald D. Hunter. BBC Radio 4 broadcast two, four-part series, ''Andy Hamilton Sort of Remembers'', in 2017 and 2018. Series 1 comprised the topics of childhood, politics, the human body, and animals, based on his own personal experiences of them.

Personal life

Hamilton is tall. He has no thumb on his right hand. He joked that it was amputated when he was five "by a surgeon who felt that symmetry was over-rated" to the audience of ''Andy Hamilton Sort of Remembers'' on Radio 4 in October 2017.'' Drop the Dead Donkey'' Series 1 DVD He married Libby Asher in 1988, and they have three children together; as of 2005, they were living in Wimbledon, south London. He is a supporter of

Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football ...

Writing

Hamilton has written for:

Television

*'' Not the Nine O'Clock News'' (1979) *'' Shelley'' (1979) *''

Scotch and Wry ''Scotch and Wry'' is a Scottish television comedy sketch show produced by BBC Scotland and starring Rikki Fulton and a revolving ensemble cast which over the years included Gregor Fisher, Tony Roper, Claire Nielson, Juliet Cadzow and John Be ...

'' (1980) *''

Who Dares Wins ''Who Dares Wins'' (Latin: ''Qui audet adipiscitur''; el, Ο Τολμών Νικά, ''O tolmón niká''; french: Qui ose gagne; it, Chi osa vince; Portuguese: ''Quem ousa vence''; German: ''Wer wagt, gewinnt'') is a motto made popular in the ...

'' (1983) *''

Alas Smith & Jones ''Alas Smith and Jones'' is a British comedy sketch television series starring comedy duo and namesake Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones that originally ran for four series and two Christmas specials on BBC2 from 1984 to 1988, and later as ''Smi ...

'' (1984) *''

The Kit Curran Radio Show ''The Kit Curran Radio Show'' is a British sitcom created and initially written by Andy Hamilton, and screened on ITV in 1984. A second series in 1986 was co-written with Guy Jenkin, the title reduced to simply ''Kit Curran''. Set in the ficti ...

'' (1984) *'' Kit Curran'' (1986; with

Guy Jenkin Guy Jenkin (born 27 April 1955) is a British film director and comedy writer who is best known for working together with Andy Hamilton on sitcoms and comedies such as ''Drop the Dead Donkey'' (1990–1998), '' Outnumbered'' (2007–2014), and '' ...

) *'' Scotch & Wry'' (1986) *'' Drop the Dead Donkey'' (1990; co-creator with

) *''Eleven Men Against Eleven'' (1995) *'' Never Mind the Horrocks'' (1996) *''Underworld'' (1997) *'' Bob and Margaret'' (1998-2000) *'' Bedtime'' (2001–2003) *''The Exam'' (2002; for the National Theatre Connections Anthology) *'' Trevor's World of Sport'' (2003) *'' The Armstrong and Miller Show'' (2007) *'' Outnumbered'' (2007–2014; co-written with

) *''

The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, ser ...

'' *'' It's Only a Theory'' (2009) *''Just Around The Corner'' (2012; Pilot only; co-written with

) *'' Ballot Monkeys'' (2015) *''

Power Monkeys ''Power Monkeys'' is a 2016 British political comedy series which appeared on Channel 4 in the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the 2016 UK EU membership referendum, and also lampooned the ongoing 2016 United States Presidential election camp ...

'' (2016) *'' Kate & Koji'' (2020–present)

Radio

*'' The Million Pound Radio Show'' (with Nick Revell) *'' The News Huddlines'' *''

'' (creator, in which he also stars as Satan) *'' Trevor's World of Sport'' (radio version broadcast years: 2004, 2005 and 2007) *'' Revolting People'' (co-creator with

Jay Tarses Michael Jay Tarses (born July 3, 1939) is an American screenwriter, producer, actor. He created and produced '' The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' and '' The Slap Maxwell Story'', co-created ''Buffalo Bill'' (with Tom Patchett), and was an e ...

, in which he also stars as Sergeant McGurk) *'' Week Ending'' *''Andy Hamilton Sort of Remembers'' (2017)

Film

*''

What We Did on Our Holiday ''What We Did on Our Holiday'' is a 2014 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. The film, starring David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, and Billy Connolly, was inspired by, but not related to, the BBC show '' O ...

'' (2014)

Books

*''The Thatcher Papers'' (

New English Library The New English Library was a United Kingdom book publishing company, which became an imprint of Hodder Headline. History New English Library (NEL) was created in 1961 by the Times Mirror Company of Los Angeles, with the takeover of two small ...

, 1980) (with Alistair Beaton) *

References

External links

Andy Hamilton
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* *
Andy Hamilton Biography at bbc.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Andy 1954 births Living people Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge Comedians from London English male comedians English male voice actors English radio personalities English radio writers English stand-up comedians English television directors English television personalities English television writers Male actors from London People educated at Westminster City School People from Fulham British male television writers