Patrick Joseph McGuinness (born 14 August 1973) is an English actor, comedian and television presenter. He rose to fame with the help of

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 ...

, who invited him to appear in his programmes ''

That Peter Kay Thing ''That Peter Kay Thing'' is a series of six spoof documentaries shown on Channel 4 in 2000. It was written by Peter Kay, Dave Spikey, Neil Fitzmaurice and Gareth Hughes, and was directed by Andrew Gillman. The series was narrated by Andrew Sach ...

'', '' Phoenix Nights'' and ''

Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere ''Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere'' is a British sitcom starring and written by Peter Kay and Patrick McGuinness. It was broadcast on Channel 4 and began on 12 November 2004, running for six 30-minute episodes up until 17 December 2004. A spin ...

''. He is best known for his roles within

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 ...

, ITV and the BBC presenting game shows such as '' Take Me Out'' as well as, since 2019, being one of the three hosts of BBC's '' Top Gear''. In 2021, he became the new host of '' Question of Sport''.

Early life and education

McGuinness was born on 14 August 1973 in Farnworth,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

, to Irish parents from

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after ...

, and attended Mount St Joseph High School. It was from his school days in Farnworth that McGuinness formed his close friendship with fellow Trotter comedian

Career

Television

McGuinness made his television debut in 1995 as a contestant for the show '' God's Gift''. He also appeared in the second series of the Sky 1 show '' The Match''. On 15 May 2006, McGuinness hosted '' Inside Wayne Rooney'' on Sky 1, a programme where he completed different tasks to see the difference between him and the professional footballer. McGuinness' other television work includes his own ''Chuck Stryker: The Unknown Stuntman'' on E4 which he wrote and starred in opposite Jonathan Wrather and a few other familiar faces. McGuinness presented ''Stars in Their Cars'', a series for the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

in 2016.

Rory and Paddy

First airing on 13 August 2008, McGuinness co-starred in a television series with British comedian

Rory McGrath Patrick Rory McGrath (born 17 March 1956) is a British comedian, television personality, and writer. He came to prominence in the comedy show ''Who Dares Wins'' and was a regular panellist on the game show ''They Think It's All Over'' for many ...

, broadcast on Channel 5, '' Rory and Paddy's Great British Adventure''. This was a four-part series in which McGuinness and McGrath embark on a nationwide road-trip, "on a mission to explore Britain's sporting heritage by probing the hidden life of its towns and villages". The series focuses on arcane sports, such as cheese rolling. A second series began on 20 September 2010 on Channel 5.

Channel 4

On 29 November 2006, McGuinness guest hosted ''

The Paul O'Grady Show ''The Paul O'Grady Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Paul O'Grady, first shown on 11 October 2004. The programme is a teatime chat show consisting of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, a ...

'' while O'Grady took the week off. He presented the entertainment series ''

Hotel GB ''Hotel GB'' is a British reality television series broadcast on Channel 4 airing for five consecutive nights in October 2012. Presented by Paddy McGuinness live from ''Hotel GB'', the show's stars (all of whom feature in Channel 4 shows) take o ...

'' in 2012, however the show was later cancelled. On 18 January 2013, McGuinness presented '' Paddy's TV Guide'', consisting of eight episodes. In October 2014 McGuinness narrated the three-part charity series ''

Stars at Your Service Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts. Central to the program is a telethon tha ...

'' for

. In 2015, he presented the

daytime game show series '' Benchmark'' for 30 episodes as well as five celebrity editions.

ITV

In 2007, McGuinness presented ''Raiders of the Lost Archive'', where he and his guests watched TV shows they had appeared in years ago, which they had previously thought were lost. From 2010 until 2019, McGuinness hosted the ITV dating show '' Take Me Out''. He guest presented a number of episodes of '' This Morning'' in July 2010, a role to which he returned in 2011. He hosted the second series of '' 71 Degrees North'' with Charlotte Jackson in 2011. On 29 December 2012, he hosted a one-off special ''

Paddy's Show and Telly ''Paddy's Show and Telly'' is a British one-off game show that aired two editions on ITV on 29 December 2011 and 22 December 2012, hosted by Paddy McGuinness. Format The format of the show involves three rounds, and three different teams. The ...

''. The show returned for a second special, which aired on 22 December 2013. McGuinness hosted the comedy panel show '' Mad Mad World'' for seven episodes in summer 2012. Two episodes were recorded but never aired. McGuinness was one of the presenters of Christmas telethon ''

Text Santa ''Text Santa'' was a charity initiative set up in 2011 by ITV to support UK-based charities during the Christmas period. The appeal to the public is to donate money mainly via text donation and profits from merchandise. The telethons have been h ...

''. In 2012 and 2013, McGuinness co-hosted one hour of the telethon with

Christine Bleakley Christine Louise Lampard (''née'' Bleakley, born 2 February 1979) is a Northern Irish broadcaster. She has presented various television programmes with Adrian Chiles, such as '' The One Show'' (2007–2010) and '' Daybreak'' (2010–11), while ...

, although

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She gained recognition in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B, garage and hip hop group Mis-Teeq. The group disbanded ...

was his co-presenter for the 2014 appeal. In 2013, McGuinness co-presented talent show series ''

Your Face Sounds Familiar ''Your Face Sounds Familiar'' ( Spanish: ''Tu cara me suena'') is a Spanish interactive reality television franchise series where celebrity contestants impersonate singers. The format, similar to Dutch television series ''Soundmixshow'', was ...

'' with

. In 2014, McGuinness co-hosted the Saturday night game show '' Amazing Greys'' alongside

Angela Rippon Angela May Rippon (born 12 October 1944)"Angela Rippon," ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Detroit: Gale, (2008) ''Gale Biography In Context'' is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and tele ...

. In 2015, he regularly starred in the

ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, ...

comedy show ''

The Keith Lemon Sketch Show ''The Keith Lemon Sketch Show'' is a British television impressions/character sketch show that aired on ITV2 from 5 February 2015 until 10 March 2016. It stars Leigh Francis' character Keith Lemon portraying several celebrities. Episodes Seri ...

''. McGuinness played the role of policeman Ian in the ITV comedy ''

The Delivery Man ''The Delivery Man'' is the 21st studio album by Elvis Costello, released on Lost Highway Records, B0002593-02. It was recorded with the Imposters at Sweet Tea Studio in Oxford, Mississippi. It peaked at No. 40 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Cont ...

'', beginning in April 2015. In 2015, McGuinness guest starred in six episodes of ''

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 ...

'', playing the role of Dougie Ryan. The episodes were shown in August. On Christmas Eve in 2015 he presented one-off ITV special, '' The ABBA Christmas Party'' He starred in the ITV comedy series '' The Keith & Paddy Picture Show'' with

Keith Lemon Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

in 2017. It returned for a second series in April 2018. In January 2018, McGuinness presented ''The Greatest TV Moments of All Time'', a one-off special for ITV. McGuinness has appeared as a panellist on numerous episodes of

's shows ''

Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game on ITV2, broadcast since 24 September 2008. The show is written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon, and its current team captains Laura Whitmore ...

'' and '' Through the Keyhole''. In 2019, he replaced Fearne Cotton as team captain on the former show. He left after one series due to other work commitments. Paddy co-presented two episodes of ''Even Better Than the Real Thing'' on

BBC One 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, ...

. McGuinness presented '' Paddy McGuinness' Sport Relief Warm-Up'' and was one of the presenters for the 2018 Sport Relief show. He provided the voiceover for the BBC series ''Ready or Not'' in 2018. On 22 October 2018, it was announced that McGuinness would be co-presenting series 27 of '' Top Gear''. In May 2020, it was announced that '' Top Gear'' presenters

Freddie Flintoff Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff (born 6 December 1977) is an English television and radio presenter and former international cricketer. Flintoff played all forms of the game and was one of the sport's leading all-rounders, a fast bowler, middle-ord ...

and Paddy McGuinness would host a six-episode best-of series, featuring the presenters narrating classic episodes of the show, called ''Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover''. The first episode aired on 8 August 2020 and received negative reviews. In July 2021, it was announced that McGuinness will be replacing

Sue Barker Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres Straits islan ...

as host of BBC game show '' Question of Sport'' for its 51st series. On 1 December 2021 a frank and emotive documentary, Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family And Autism was screened on BBC 1.

Radio

McGuinness had his own radio show on Bauer City 1 stations across the North of England on Sunday mornings from 9am until 12 noon. His show ran from 2014 until 2017.

Tours

In 2005 and 2006, McGuinness toured the UK, performing 108 shows. ''Paddy McGuinness: The Dark Side Tour'' was his first solo stand-up tour. While on tour, he reprised his role of Lord Love Rocket from the award-winning comedy ''Phoenix Nights''. From 21 August to 11 December 2008, McGuinness was involved in a second tour – known as the ''Paddy McGuinness Plus You! Live'' – which included 76 scheduled dates around the UK and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The ''Plus You! Tour'' featured McGuinness, along with other variety acts that were chosen by him, through a competition that ran on his official website, hence the title of ''Plus You!'' In 2011, he went on his third stand-up tour, called ''Paddy McGuinness: Saturday Night Live Tour''. In January 2015, he announced that he would be touring across 2015 and 2016 with the "Daddy McGuinness" tour throughout the UK. The tour opened in

Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town and unparished area in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative centre. Scunthorpe had an estimated total population of 82,334 in 2016. A ...

on 28 September 2015 and the final date was at the

Hammersmith Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 27 February 2016.

Books

In September 2010, McGuinness released his first book, ''My Guide to the North: (and Scotland & Wales, oh, and less important places i.e. the South)''. On 28 October 2021, McGuinness released his autobiography, ''My Lifey''.

Other work

From 12 to 27 November 2010, McGuinness starred in the adult pantomime ''Panto's on Strike'' at the

Opera House An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

with

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

and Jonathan Wilkes. On 17 November 2010, he starred in a UK TV advertising campaign for

Victor Chandler Victor William Chandler (born 18 April 1951) is a British businessman, bookmaker, and former chairman of the company BetVictor, legally Victor Chandler International. Early life Chandler is the son of Victor Chandler Sr, and the grandson o ...

, a British bookmaker. In 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018, McGuinness took part in the charity football match

Soccer Aid ''Soccer Aid'' is a British annual (formerly bi-ennial) charity event that has raised over £38 million in aid of UNICEF UK, through ticket sales and donations from the public. The televised event is a friendly-style football match between tw ...

, which raises money for

Unicef UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to c ...

. The match is aired live on ITV. In 2012, McGuinness played Gary in '' Keith Lemon: The Film''. In 2013, McGuinness joined

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and desse ...

as their brand ambassador. In 2017, McGuinness joined Jackpot Joy as their brand ambassador, taking over from Dame Barbara Windsor.

Personal life

He married Christine Martin on 4 June 2011. The couple have three children; twins Penelope and Leo (b. 2013) and Felicity (b. 2016). During an appearance on ''

The Jonathan Ross Show ''The Jonathan Ross Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2011 and airs on Saturday evenings following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, ''Friday Night with Jona ...

'', McGuinness described fatherhood as "the most fantastic thing ever". In 2020 the family moved from their former £2.1 million home to a modern mansion in

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 tow ...

. All three of McGuinness's children are

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

, as is their mother. In 2021 they made a BBC documentary ''Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism''. In June 2018, McGuinness revealed that he had been diagnosed with

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

several years prior, at the age of 44. On 22 July 2022, it was announced that McGuiness and Chris had separated, after 11 years of marriage, but will remain living together in their family home. His brother is Tony Leonard who appeared ''Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere'' as Raymond the Bastard's henchman, a teammate of Paddy's on The F Word, and a featured audience member on ''Celebrity Juice''.

Filmography

;Television ;Film

Stand-up DVDs

* ''Live'' (6 November 2006) * ''Plus You! Live'' (17 November 2008) * ''Live 2011'' (21 November 2011) * ''Paddy Is back Live'' (14 November 2022) * ''Paddy McGuinness: Bigger, Stronger, Massive'' (31 April 2023)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Official TwitterPaddy McGuinness soundboard Paddy McGuinness signs for Victor Chandler
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuinness, Paddy 1973 births Living people 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English comedians 21st-century English male actors English game show hosts English male comedians English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Irish descent English stand-up comedians English television personalities English television presenters Male actors from Lancashire People from Farnworth Top Gear people English autobiographers