Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...
'' obituary, 20 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013. – 18 October 2013) was a
Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...
-born British actor, comedian and writer.
Early life
Dexter was born on 26 July 1961 in
Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...
, at the time a colony of the United Kingdom, in the Caribbean. At the age of seven, he moved with his family to
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, England. He studied law at
University College London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' obituary, 21 October 2013, p. 50. and began training as a
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
, before embarking on a career in comedy. He started by touring late-night comedy venues, including Jongleurs club in London and
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 ...
, before being hired to work with a Black and Asian cast in the 1990s BBC TV
sketch show
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
After ''The Real McCoy'', a pilot sketch show ''Felix Dexter On TV'' was broadcast in September 1995 as part of the ''Comic Asides'' series. He wrote and starred in the sitcom pilot ''Douglas'', broadcast in 1996. Neither pilot was picked up for series, despite positive reception.
Dexter appeared on '' Have I Got News for You'' in 1996 and later became one of the regular performers on the later series of ''
The Fast Show
''The Fast Show'', also known as ''Brilliant'' in the United States, is a BBC comedy sketch show that ran on BBC Two, BBC 2 from 1994 to 1997, with specials in 2000 and 2014. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Si ...
''. He also appeared in '' Citizen Khan'', which first aired in 2012, as Omar, a Somali Muslim who works at a mosque in
Sparkhill
Sparkhill is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England, situated between Springfield, Birmingham, Springfield, Hall Green and Sparkbrook.
Historic counties of England, Historically part of Worcestershire, Sparkhill once existed as a Yardley ...
, Birmingham. The second series of the show aired in October 2013. He also starred in '' Absolutely Fabulous'' as John, the father of Saffron's baby.
Dexter had also voiced Francis in '' Crapston Villas'', an adult animated sitcom
soap opera
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
that was produced in the 1990s.
Radio
On
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
, he featured in the satirical spoof radio phone-in show '' Down the Line'', ''The Simon Day Show'', Sean Lock - 15 Storeys High, and starred in the dramatisation of ''Delete This at Your Peril'' part of '' The Bob Servant Emails'', written by
Neil Forsyth
Neil Forsyth (born 1978) is a Scottish author, television writer and journalist. He has written and created a number of British television shows including '' The Gold'', '' Guilt'', and '' Bob Servant Independent'', and has won numerous televisio ...
.BBC Radio 4, ''You and Yours'', 17 December 2010 – ''The Bob Servant Emails'' at 26 mins. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
Death
Dexter died on 18 October 2013, aged 52. He had been suffering from
multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...
.
On 17 November 2013,
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
television broadcast a 30-minute retrospective programme called ''Respect: A Felix Dexter Special'', featuring tributes from friends and colleagues. His fellow cast members from BBC Radio 4's ''Down the Line'' broadcast a special edition titled '' A Tribute to Felix Dexter'' on 23 December 2013.
Judith Jacob
Judith Jacob (born 13 December 1961) is a British actress best known for her role as the health visitor Carmel Roberts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she played from 1986 to 1989.Angie Le Mar interviewed by
Dotun Adebayo
Oludotun Davey Moore "Dotun" Adebayo (born 25 August 1959) is a British radio presenter, writer, and publisher. He is best known for his work on ''Up All Night (radio show), Up All Night'' on BBC Radio 5 Live, as well as the former obituary pr ...