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 Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that life is meaningless, that moral values are baseless, and that knowledge is impossible. Thes ...

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 The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The c ...

's 1985 feature film, '' The Supergrass''. In the 2000s, Edmondson appeared in ''

Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery fiction, mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the title character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician whi ...

'', ''

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 Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

'' and created the sitcom '' Teenage Kicks''. Edmondson performed and wrote for the

Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as the Bonzo Dog Band or the Bonzos) was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde ar ...

(2006–2007). In 2008 he formed a

folk punk Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in t ...

band,

the Bad Shepherds The Bad Shepherds were an English folk music, folk band, formed by the comedian Ade Edmondson, Adrian Edmondson in 2008. They played folk punk songs with traditional folk instruments. The band primarily consisted of Edmondson (vocals, mandolin ...

, singing and playing

mandola The mandola (US and Canada) or tenor mandola (Ireland and UK) is a fretted, stringed musical instrument. It is to the mandolin what the viola is to the violin: the four double courses of strings tuned in fifths to the same pitches as the viola ...

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'', formerly known as the ''Times Educational Supplement'', is a British weekly trade magazine aimed at education professionals. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in ''The Times'' newspaper. Such was its popularity th ...

'' (''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 Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick, or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance * White cane, a mobility or safety device used by blind or visually i ...

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

genre.

Career

1980s

Under the name '' 20th Century Coyote'', Edmondson and Mayall became one of the star attractions at

The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...

, and joined other upcoming comedians, including

Nigel Planer Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, writer and musician. His television credits include playing Neil in the sitcom '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in the sitcom '' Filthy Rich & Catflap'', as well as narrating th ...

, 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 ''French and Saunders'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is al ...

at the

The Comic Strip The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The c ...

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 Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...

'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 Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School ...

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 ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' is the fourth series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC One, BBC1. The series placed the recurring characters of Captain B ...

''.

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 Timothy L. McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is a British actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Kevin Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''. Early life McInner ...

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 ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...

'' 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 ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the previous two being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, While ...

'' 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 "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...

'', Edmondson played Jack's mother Dame Dolly alongside

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh actor, comedian, writer and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. He and Smith came to national attention in the 1980s for ...

Neil Morrissey Neil Anthony Morrissey (born 4 July 1962) is an English actor, businessman, narrator, and television presenter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Rocky in ''Boon (TV series), Boon'', and Tony in ''Men Behaving Badly''. Other notable acti ...

, Denise Van Outen, Paul Merton,

Julian Clary Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then, he has also acted in films, on television and in stage productions, including n ...

and

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 Go ...

2000s

Edmondson appeared regularly as Brendan Baxter in Series 4 of the BBC mystery series ''

'', 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 Valery Alekseyevich Legasov (; 1 September 1936 – 27 April 1988) was a Soviet inorganic chemist and a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union. He is primarily known for his efforts to contain the 1986 Chernobyl disas ...

. 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 ''

''. 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 Linda Evans (born Linda Evenstad; November 18, 1942) is a retired American actress known primarily for her roles on television. In the 1960s, she played Audra Barkley, the daughter of Victoria Barkley (played by Barbara Stanwyck), in the Wes ...

in the cooking show ''

''. 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 Timothy Paul Lovejoy (born 28 March 1968) is an English television presenter best known for hosting Saturday morning football programme '' Soccer AM'' with Helen Chamberlain for over a decade and ''BT Sports Panel'' on Saturday mornings. He ...

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 The Mini Countryman, also called Mini Crossover in Japan until 2024, is a subcompact crossover SUV, the first vehicle of this type to be launched by BMW under the Mini marque. It was launched in 2010 and received a facelift in 2014. The sec ...

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 film Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...

s, 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

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 Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, and Soho Theatre Walthamstow in north-east London. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three pe ...

, 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

's production of Shakespeare's ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

''. 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

's '' Upstart Crow''. From September 2018 to November 2018, Edmondson toured with

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 ''

'' 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,

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 Monsters of Rock was a hard rock and heavy metal music festival. It was originally held annually in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as th ...

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 The Innocence Mission (sometimes stylized as the innocence mission) is an American alternative rock and indie folk band that was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1986. The group's current members are Karen Peris (née McCullough), her husba ...

, "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 Michelle Shocked (born Karen Michelle Johnston; February 24, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter. Her music has entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and received an award ...

. He also directed and appeared in "International Rescue" (1989) by

Fuzzbox Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distortion is most commonly ...

and appeared in the music video "

Terry Terry is a unisex diminutive nickname for the given names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence, Terrance (masculine). People Male * Terry A. Canales, American politician * Terry A. Doughty (born 1959), American district ...

" (1983) by

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (, ; 10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter. The daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl, she recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop ...

. 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

, 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

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 Village Pump Festival is a folk music festival that takes place near Trowbridge, England. It has its roots years ago in a barn at the Lamb Inn, Trowbridge, and later moved a few miles outside the town to Stowford Manor Farm at Farleigh Hun ...

. 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 Rowland John Rivron (born 28 September 1958) is a British writer, comedic actor and television personality. Early career Rivron played the comic character 'Dr Martin Scrote' on the Jonathan Ross chat show ''The Last Resort'', and also played S ...

Neil Innes Neil James Innes (; 9 December 1944 – 29 December 2019) was an English writer, comedian and musician. He first came to prominence in the comedy rock group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later became a frequent collaborator with the Monty Py ...

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

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 ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

''. 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 "Sugar, Sugar" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim (singer), Andy Kim, produced by Barry and recorded by the Archies, a fictional bubblegum pop band from Archie Comics. It was released as the group's third single (music), single on th ...

" by

The Archies The Archies are an American fictional rock band featured in media produced by, and related to, Archie Comics. They are best remembered for their appearance in the animated TV series '' The Archie Show''. In the context of the series, the band ...

. His favourite song was " Wide Open Spaces" by The Dixie Chicks, his book choice was ''

'' by

, 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