Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957)
is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. Part of the
alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe ...
boom in the early 1980s, he and his comedy partner
Rik Mayall starred in the television sitcoms ''
The Young Ones'' (1982–1984), ''
Filthy Rich & Catflap'' (1987) and ''
Bottom'' (1991–1995), the last of which was written by Edmonson and Mayall, as well as the comedy feature film ''
Guest House Paradiso'' (1999), which Edmonson directed and co-wrote. Edmondson and Mayall also appeared in ''
The Comic Strip Presents...'' series of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. For two episodes of this they created the spoof
heavy metal band
Bad News, and for another Edmonson played his
nihilistic alter-ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different personality. Add ...
Eddie Monsoon, an offensive
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
n television star.
He played the lead role in
the Comic Strip's 1985 feature film, ''
The Supergrass''. In the 2000s, Edmondson appeared in ''
Jonathan Creek'', ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...
'', ''
Miss Austen Regrets'', as himself on ''
Hell's Kitchen'' and created the sitcom ''
Teenage Kicks''. Edmondson performed and wrote for the
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (2006–2007). In 2008 he formed a
folk punk band,
the Bad Shepherds, singing and playing
mandola and
mandolin
A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
. In 2011, he presented ''
The Dales'', and ''Ade in Britain'' in which he undertook a tour of numerous places in Britain. In 2013, Edmondson was crowned the winner of ''
Celebrity Masterchef''. From 2019 to 2020, he appeared ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television 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 East End of London, the ...
'' as
Daniel Cook., and in 2022, he played
Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, ''A Christmas Carol''. Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley, the G ...
in the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
's adaptation of ''
A Christmas Carol
''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...
''.
Early life
The second of four children, Adrian Charles Edmondson was born on 24 January 1957 in
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
,
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
,
to Dorothy Eileen Sturgeon (born 1930) and Fred Edmondson (1929–2014). As a child, Edmondson lived with his family in a variety of places including
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
,
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
, and
Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
, where his father was a teacher in the
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...
.
Edmondson attended
Pocklington School,
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...
, from 1968 to 1975, from age 11 to 18.
In an interview with the ''
Times Educational Supplement'' (''TES''), he stated that he did not enjoy his education at Pocklington, and that his group of friends considered the school's printed booklet of "endless" behavioural rules to be "a personal challenge to break".
Edmondson calculated that during his time at Pocklington, he received a total of 66 strokes of the
cane as well as frequent
slippering
Slippering is the term to describe the act of spanking the buttocks with a slipper, slide (footwear), slide, or Plimsoll (shoe), plimsoll. The verb "to slipper" means "to give a slippering". Slipperings are particularly associated with Britain a ...
s.
By the time he was in sixth form, with his parents were working abroad,
Edmondson began to enjoy himself, "which involved lots of drinking and smoking and petty acts of
vandalism
Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...
." He made some good friends at the school and had a favourite teacher.
Edmondson went to the
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. A ...
(now known as the University of Manchester) to study drama, where he met his future comedy partner
Rik Mayall, both graduating with a BA degree in 1978.
Edmondson and Mayall became best friends, also with fellow student
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles Elton is a British comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. One of the major figures in the alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, his early stand-up style was Left-wing politics, left-wing political satire ...
,
and soon became involved in the growing
alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe ...
genre.
Career
1980s
Under the name ''
20th Century Coyote'', Edmondson and Mayall became one of the star attractions at
The Comedy Store, and joined other upcoming comedians, including
Nigel Planer,
Peter Richardson,
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th g ...
, and
French and Saunders at the
The Comic Strip club.
The Comic Strip soon gained a reputation as one of the most popular comedy clubs in London and soon came to the attention of
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
.
Edmondson and the others were commissioned to act in 6 self-contained half-hour films, using the group as comedy actors rather than stand-up performers. The series, titled ''The Comic Strip Presents...'' debuted on 2 November 1982 (the opening night of Channel 4).
The first episode to be broadcast was "
Five Go Mad in Dorset
''Five Go Mad in Dorset'' was the first of three ''Five Go Mad'' specials from the long-running series of ''The Comic Strip, The Comic Strip Presents...'' television comedy films. It first aired on the launch night of Channel 4 (2 November 198 ...
", a parody of
Enid Blyton's
Famous Five, and Edmondson starred as one of the five.
Following this, the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
signed Edmondson, Mayall, Richardson, Planer, and Sayle to star in ''
The Young Ones'',
a sitcom of similar anarchic style and violent slapstick as ''The Comic Strip''. Edmondson and Mayall returned to their "Coyote" dynamic in the double act
the Dangerous Brothers
The Dangerous Brothers was a stage and TV act by anarchic comedy duo Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson, performing respectively as "Richard Dangerous" and "Sir Adrian Dangerous". Originally appearing on stage in London at the comedy club The Comic Stri ...
with Edmondson as "Sir Adrian Dangerous" in ''
Saturday Live'' (1985–1987).
In 1985 Edmondson starred with his wife
Jennifer Saunders in ''
Happy Families'', a rural comedy drama written by Ben Elton, which appeared on the BBC and told the story of the dysfunctional Fuddle family.
In 1987, Edmondson reunited with Planer and Mayall to star in ''
Filthy Rich & Catflap'',
a comic attack on showbiz, again written by Elton. He played "Edward Catflap", a coarse, drunken minder of light-entertainment nonentity "Richie Rich". In this show Edmondson displayed the same slapstick characteristics as Vyvyan in ''The Young Ones'' but was closer in personality to his later character "Eddie Hitler" in ''Bottom''.
The show was cancelled after one series. Edmondson was also slated to make a guest appearance along Mayall in the fifth episode of the
ITV sitcom ''
Hardwicke House''.
Due to the adverse reaction of both press and viewers, however, ITV withdrew the series after showing only two episodes and the remaining episodes – including Edmondson's scheduled guest appearance in episode 5 – have never been shown.
In 1988, Edmondson released a follow-up to ''How To Be A Complete Bastard'' called ''The Bastard's Book of the Worst''. In 1989 he made an appearance as
the Red Baron, nemesis to Mayall's character,
Lord Flashheart, in an episode of ''
Blackadder Goes Forth''.
1990s
Edmondson played Brad Majors in the 1990 West End run of ''
The Rocky Horror Show
''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...
'',
alongside
Tim McInnerny as Frank-N-Furter and
Ed Tudor-Pole as Riff-Raff. He also appears on the soundtrack album of the production. In 1991, he teamed with his comedy partner Rik Mayall once more, this time co-writing and co-starring in their own sitcom, ''
Bottom''.
Edmondson starred as "Edward Elizabeth Hitler" opposite Mayall's "Richard Richard". The series featured the slapstick, crude humour for which the pair had become famous but with more in-depth character analysis.
Edmondson played Estragon to Mayall's Vladimir in
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
's play ''
Waiting for Godot'' in the
West End, in a production that opened at the
Queen's Theatre on 30 September 1991. ''Bottom'' became very popular, but it was criticised for its often vulgar humour. The show was also turned into five UK stage tours (1993, 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2003).
In 1993, Edmondson starred alongside
Richard Briers in a black comedy called ''
If You See God, Tell Him'',
where Edmondson played Gordon Spry, whose uncle (Briers) is paralysed and has a greatly reduced attention span, and his erratic behaviour causes problems.
In September 1995, Edmondson released his first (comic) novel, ''The Gobbler''. In 1996, he played the role of Ace Face/Bellboy at the Who's performance of ''
Quadrophenia'' at London's
Hyde Park. A video game called ''Animal'', featuring Peperami's "the animal", was released the same year, with the character being voiced by Edmondson. From 1997 to 1998 he voiced engine stoker Jones, a major character in the animated series ''
Captain Star''.
In the 1998 ITV pantomime ''
Jack and the Beanstalk'', Edmondson played Jack's mother Dame Dolly alongside
Griff Rhys Jones,
Neil Morrissey,
Denise Van Outen,
Paul Merton,
Julian Clary and
Julie Walters.
2000s
Edmondson appeared regularly as Brendan Baxter in Series 4 of the BBC mystery series ''
Jonathan Creek'', broadcast in 2003–2004.
He had a lead role playing an NHS doctor in the comedy series ''
Doctors and Nurses'' first broadcast in early 2004. In ''Surviving Disaster'', a BBC docudrama about the 1986
Chernobyl disaster
On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...
, broadcast at the start of 2006, Edmondson played the role of
Valery Legasov.
In 2005 he appeared as a celebrity model on ''Star Portraits'' with
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...
.
That year, he also competed on "
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy" where he made it to the finale and came in 3rd place. From 2005 to 2008 he appeared as Percy "Abra" Durant in the medical drama ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...
''.
In 2008 he played Henry Austen in the BBC produced film ''
Miss Austen Regrets'',
and Vernon in the ITV sitcom ''
Teenage Kicks''.
In April 2009, he reached the final, coming second to
Linda Evans in the cooking show ''
Hell's Kitchen''.
Edmondson played the role of Captain Hook in the Canterbury Marlowe Arena pantomime during its Christmas 2009 run.
2010s
In an August 2010 edition of Radio 4's ''Chain Reaction'' programme he said to
Lee Mack
Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
that he had not really quit but was focusing more on music and farming. He also said that he and Mayall often spoke of a reunion when they are old men, or in fifteen years' time. Mayall appeared during Edmondson's winning performance of ''
The Dying Swan'' on BBC One's ''Let's Dance for Comic Relief'' on 5 March 2011, and in September 2011, Edmondson appeared on the Sunday morning cooking show ''
Something for the Weekend'' and told presenter
Tim Lovejoy that he and
Rik Mayall were planning to reunite and make another series of ''Bottom'', set in an old people's home.
In 2011, Edmondson hosted the
ITV documentary series ''
The Dales'', in which he followed a number of families who live and work in the
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales are a series of valleys, or Dale (landform), dales, in the Pennines, an Highland, upland range in England. They are mostly located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, but extend into C ...
, including the "Yorkshire Shepherdess"
Amanda Owen
Amanda Jayne Owen (née Livingstone; born September 1974) is an English Shepherd, shepherdess, writer and presenter.
Personal life
Owen lives and works on a remote farm, Ravenseat Farm, in Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales. children: Raven, Reu ...
. He also presented the ITV series ''Ade in Britain'' that year, where he travelled to different parts of 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in a
Mini Countryman towing a small caravan, often including a performed segment from local folk singers. A second series followed in 2013.
Edmondson appeared on the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
series ''
That's Britain!'' 2011.
In each episode, his task was to report as an "insider" in how a region of Britain works. A one-off special, ''Britain Beware'', about the history of British
public information films, was hosted by Edmondson in 2012.
In August 2012, the BBC announced plans for a 2013 television adaptation of Edmondson and Mayall's 1997 ''
Hooligan's Island'' tour,
but Edmondson announced later that year that he had pulled out of the project to pursue other interests.
Rik Mayall, Edmondson's long-time creative partner, died on 9 June 2014.
Edmondson had a minor role in the 2012 film ''
Blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells.
Blood is com ...
''.
Edmondson and Saunders reunited with their former Comic Strip colleagues in 2012 for a
Gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
Famous Five sequel, ''
Five Go to Rehab''.
Edmondson won the 2013
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
cookery series of ''
Celebrity MasterChef''. In 2014, Edmondson presented ''
Ade at Sea'',
a factual six-part programme for the
ITV network. In 2014, he played DCI Warner in the three-part mini-series ''
Prey
Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...
''.
He played the role of Gordon in the 2013 Chichester Festival Theatre production of Neville's Island. In 2014, he reprised the role for the show's West End run. In 2015, Edmondson voiced Stanley the
Dachshund
The dachshund ( or ; German: 'badger dog'), also known as the wiener dog or sausage dog, badger dog, doxen and doxie, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, with varie ...
in adverts for health and life insurance company Vitality.
In 2016, Edmondson took part in episode 4 of ''The Great Sport Relief Bake Off'' and won the title of Star Baker.
Edmondson starred in an adaptation of William Leith's bestseller ''Bits Of Me Are Falling Apart'' at the
Soho Theatre, London.
Edmondson's children's book ''Tilly and the Time Machine'' was published on 4 May 2017. From November 2017 into 2018, Edmondson played the character of
Malvolio in the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
's production of Shakespeare's ''
Twelfth Night''. Also in 2017, Edmondson appeared as Captain Peavey in the eighth film of the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' series, ''
The Last Jedi'', a casting decision made by the film's director
Rian Johnson
Rian Craig Johnson (born December 17, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film ''Brick (film), Brick'' (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget ...
, a self-proclaimed fan of Edmondson's work in ''The Young Ones'' and ''Bottom''.
In August 2018, Edmondson voiced the character of Bunny in the English version of the French/Belgian animated film ''
The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales...''. In September 2018, Edmondson featured as Sergeant Dogberry in the episode "Sigh No More" of
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles Elton is a British comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. One of the major figures in the alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, his early stand-up style was Left-wing politics, left-wing political satire ...
's ''
Upstart Crow''. From September 2018 to November 2018, Edmondson toured with
Nigel Planer in a play that they wrote together called ''Vulcan 7'' (restaged in 2023 as ''It's Headed Straight Towards Us''). In 2019, Edmondson appeared in ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television 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 East End of London, the ...
'' as
Daniel Cook.
Music career
In 1984, Edmondson formed the spoof heavy metal band
Bad News,
as part of ''The Comic Strip Presents...'' series with ''Comic Strip'' regulars
Rik Mayall,
Nigel Planer and
Peter Richardson.
The band proved popular, and they released two singles (neither of which reached the top 40) and two studio albums.
They also played a series of small gigs around the country, culminating in their performance at the
Monsters of Rock festival in 1986.
In 1986, Edmondson achieved a number one hit in the
UK singles chart when he and his co-stars from ''The Young Ones'' teamed up with
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...
to record a new version of "
Living Doll" for the inaugural
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
campaign.
Despite having been killed off in the final episode of the series, Edmondson played Vyvyan one last time in the video.
The same year he co-wrote the book ''
How to be a Complete Bastard'' together with Mark Leigh and Mike Lepine.
Edmondson has directed pop videos for "Fiesta" (1988) by
the Pogues
The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...
, "Prime Mover" (1987) by
Zodiac Mindwarp, "Like the Weather" (1988) by
10,000 Maniacs, "Please Help the Cause Against Loneliness" (1988) by
Sandie Shaw and "Hourglass" by
Squeeze (1987).
The latter won Best Video at the MTV awards. He also directed "Black Sheep Wall" (1989) by
The Innocence Mission, "This Town" (1989) by
Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
and "When I Grow Up" (1989) by
Michelle Shocked.
He also directed and appeared in "International Rescue" (1989) by
Fuzzbox and appeared in the music video "
Terry" (1983) by
Kirsty MacColl.
In 1991, Edmondson formed
the Bum Notes, who were a jazz instrumental band and conceived exclusively to perform theme music for ''Bottom''.
A fan of the
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Edmondson performed vocals with them as part of their 2006 reformation and countrywide tour. He also contributed vocals and writing for their 2007 album ''
Pour l'Amour des Chiens''.

Together with
Maartin Allcock, Andy Dinan and
Troy Donockley, Edmondson founded the band
the Bad Shepherds in 2008, performing punk and new wave classics on traditional folk instruments. The band released three albums and first toured in 2009, playing at places such as the
Trowbridge Village Pump Festival. The Bad Shepherds also headlined the first ever Looe Music Festival in 2011. They disbanded in October 2016.
In 2010, he founded the Idiot Bastard Band with
Simon Brint,
Rowland Rivron,
Neil Innes and
Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus (, ''Given name#Name at birth, né'' Swan; born 25 June 1962) is a retired English stand-up comedy, stand-up and Improv comedy teacher, improv comedian, actor, performance poetry, performance poet, cartoonist and podc ...
. The Idiot Bastard Band perform original comedy songs as well as cover versions, and their shows often feature guest performers. The group continued to perform following the death of Brint in 2011.
Personal life
Edmondson married comedian
Jennifer Saunders on 11 May 1985. They have three daughters: musician
Ella, actress
Beattie, and designer/stylist Freya. He is a supporter of
Exeter City F.C.
Edmondson's autobiography, ''Berserker!: An Autobiography'', was published by
Pan Macmillan
Pan Books is a British publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany.
History
Pan Books began as an indepe ...
in September 2023.
In September 2023 Edmondson was the guest for BBC Radio 4's ''
Desert Island Discs''. An extended version was broadcast in September 2024. His choices included "
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
" by
Petula Clark
Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...
and "
Sugar, Sugar" by
The Archies. His favourite song was "
Wide Open Spaces" by
The Dixie Chicks, his book choice was ''
Waiting for Godot'' by
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
, and his luxury item was a
tab of acid.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Theatre
Narration
Books
Discography
;Albums
;Non-album songs
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmondson, Adrian
1957 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
21st-century British autobiographers
Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester
Audiobook narrators
Bad News (band) members
British comedy film directors
British mandolinists
British music video directors
British surrealist writers
British television show creators
Comedians from Bradford
English autobiographers
English comedy writers
English film directors
English male comedians
English male film actors
English male musicians
English male television actors
English male voice actors
English surrealist artists
Male actors from Bradford
Musicians from Bradford
People educated at Pocklington School
Reality cooking competition winners
Slapstick comedians
The Comic Strip members