Jack Dee
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James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee (born 24 September 1961) is an English
stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...
, actor, presenter, and writer known for his sarcasm, irony, and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom '' Lead Balloon'' and hosts the panel show ''
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'' is a BBC radio comedy panel game. Billed as "the antidote to panel games", it consists of two teams of two comedians being given "silly things to do" by the host. The show was launched in April 1972 as a parody of ...
''. His UK television appearances include being a team captain on '' Shooting Stars'' and hosting '' Jack Dee: Live at the Apollo'', which was nominated for a BAFTA in 2006. He also presented ''The Jack Dee Show'', ''Jack Dee's Saturday Night'' and ''Jack Dee's Happy Hour''. He won '' Celebrity Big Brother 1'' in 2001.


Early life and education

Jack Dee is the youngest of three children born to Rosemary ( Stamper) and Geoffrey Dee, after Joanna Innes Dee and David Simon Innes Dee. He was born in the
Municipal Borough of Bromley A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
(now within the
London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is a London Borough, borough in London, England. It is the largest and southeasternmost borough in London, and borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 ...
) and grew up in
Petts Wood Petts Wood is a town in south-east London, England, previously located in the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Chislehurst, west of St Paul's Cray and Poverest, north of Orpington and Crofton, and east of Southborough and Bromley ...
BBC Comedy Guide: Jack Dee
Retrieved 14 August 2006.
before moving with his family to
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
when he was young. His father was a printer and his mother was the daughter of two repertory actors, Henry Lionel Pope Stamper (1906–1985) and Edna May Howard Innes (1904–1969). Dee was educated at both
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
and state schools. His first school, The Pilgrims' School, a preparatory school in Winchester, was followed by the state Montgomery of Alamein School for his secondary education, and for a period he attended Frensham Heights School. He took his
A-levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
at Peter Symonds' College, and left with a D and an F grade. Following this, he planned to attend drama college, but his plans were scuppered when his mother persuaded him to get a vocation; as such, he entered the catering industry and became a
waiter Waiting staff (British English, BrE), waiters () / waitresses (), or servers (AmE) are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a Bar (establishment), bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food an ...
.


Career

Dee's first public act was an open-mic gig in 1986 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 ...
, which he went to one evening after work. Since the 1990s, he has performed sell-out acts at many high-profile venues (including the
London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...
and the
Hammersmith Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...
). After he won the
British Comedy Award The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
for Best Stage Newcomer in 1991, Dee was offered his own show; ''The Jack Dee Show'' first went out on
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 ...
in February 1992. His combination of stand-up routines on television continued with ''Jack Dee's Saturday Night'' on ITV, ''Jack Dee's Happy Hour'' in 1997 and later '' Jack Dee Live at the Apollo'' in 2004 on
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 ...
. In 1996, he starred alongside
Jeremy Hardy Jeremy James Hardy (17 July 1961 – 1 February 2019) was an English comedian. Born and raised in Hampshire, Hardy studied at the University of Southampton and began his stand-up career in the 1980s, going on to win the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, ...
in '' Jack and Jeremy's Real Lives'', a collection of mockumentaries similar to their previous collaboration, ''Jack and Jeremy's Police 4''. Each episode focuses on the pair playing bizarre characters from a particular profession. Shot on film and featuring no laugh track, the show failed to catch on. After three episodes, it was moved to air after midnight. Aside from his stand-up career, Dee has made appearances acting in television series. He played the part of Doug Digby in the ''Grimleys'' pilot (1997) before the role was recast for the series, and made guest appearances on such programmes as ''
Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC that focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. The series was created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squa ...
'', '' Dalziel and Pascoe'' and ''
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 ...
''. In 2001, he won ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...
'' (then linked to fundraising for
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 ...
). He has subsequently said that he dislikes the treatment of the housemates by the show and its producers, and has refused all permission for any of the clips to be shown again. In 2004, he played the role of Steven Sharples MP, the self-styled 'Deputy Home Secretary', alongside Warren Clarke and
Dervla Kirwan Dervla Kirwan (born 24 October 1971) is an Irish actress. She has received a number of accolades, including two IFTA Awards for her performances in the film '' Ondine'' (2009) and the RTÉ thriller series '' Smother'' (2021–2023) respective ...
in ''The Deputy''. Dee's performance was praised, though the film itself received a lukewarm response. Later that year he starred in another one-off drama, ''Tunnel of Love''. He was the celebrity advocate in '' Britain's Best Sitcom'' for ''
Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, originally broadcast on BBC Two in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a dysfunctional fictional ...
'' and presented an hour-long documentary about the series. In 2005, he co-hosted ''Comic Aid'', a one-off gathering of comedians that aimed to raise money for the Asian Tsunami Appeal. In May of the same year he appeared on the " Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment of the
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 ...
series '' Top Gear'', achieving a lap time of 1:53.5 (52nd on the Suzuki Liana leader board). His series '' Lead Balloon'', which he also co-wrote, began on
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
on 4 October 2006. Described as "Britain's answer to ''
Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', also known colloquially simply as ''Curb'', is an American television comedy of manners created by Larry David that premiered on HBO with an hour-long special in October 17, 1999, followed by 12 seasons broadcast from Oc ...
''", ''Lead Balloon'' sees Dee play the semi-biographical role of Rick Spleen. A second series of eight episodes was commissioned and was broadcast on
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 ...
in 2007, with a third series debuting on Thursday 13 November 2008. A fourth series finished on the BBC on 5 July 2011. He also starred as Harry in the 2005 film '' Short Order''. In February 2009, it was announced that Dee would be one of a trio of hosts to replace the late Humphrey Lyttelton for the summer series of ''
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'' is a BBC radio comedy panel game. Billed as "the antidote to panel games", it consists of two teams of two comedians being given "silly things to do" by the host. The show was launched in April 1972 as a parody of ...
'' (the others being
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
and
Rob Brydon Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He gained prominence for his roles in film, television and radio. He was appointed Order of the British Empire, Member of the Order ...
). He subsequently became the permanent host from the 52nd series onwards. He is also a frequent guest on '' QI'' and '' Have I Got News for You'', which he has guest-presented ten times; he also hosts segments of the BBC's biennial
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 ...
telethon. He starred in advertisements for John Smith's Bitter in the 1990s, becoming known as "the midget with the widget". He made his stage debut in 1998, playing Yvan in
Yasmina Reza Yasmina Reza (; born 1 May 1959) is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter best known for her plays ''Art (play), 'Art and ''God of Carnage''. Many of her brief satiric plays have reflected on contemporary middle-class issues. ...
's Olivier award-winning '' 'Art'''. He later returned as Serge for a 13-week run at the request of the director. In 2008, Dee took part in the 15th anniversary special of '' Shooting Stars'' where he replaced
Will Self William Woodard Self (born 26 September 1961) is an English writer, journalist, political commentator and broadcaster. He has written 11 novels, five collections of shorter fiction, three novellas and nine collections of non-fiction writing. Se ...
as captain of Team A. The show aired on 30 December 2008 on
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air 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 matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
. Dee returned as team captain in series 6 of ''Shooting Stars'' on 26 August 2009, and again for the 7th series. Over Christmas 2009, Dee played the role of John Tweedledum in '' The News at Bedtime''. In 2010, Dee took part in '' Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March. In 2013, Dee joined Dara Ó Briain, Chelsee Healey, Greg James,
Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...
and Philips Idowu in ''Through Hell and High Water'', a Comic Relief challenge which involved celebrities canoeing the most difficult rapids of the
Zambezi River The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...
. They raised more than £1 million for the charity. In 2017, Dee co-wrote and starred in '' Bad Move'', a sitcom about a middle-aged man and his wife (played by Kerry Godliman) who move from the city to a country cottage in search of the rural dream, which becomes more of a nightmare. A second series was broadcast in 2018. In May 2024, Dee was announced as a contestant in the eighteenth series of '' Taskmaster'', competing alongside
Andy Zaltzman Andrew Zaltzman (born 6 October 1974) is a British comedian and statistician. His comedy largely deals in political and sport-related material. He has worked with John Oliver, with their work together including '' Political Animal'', ''The Dep ...
, Babatunde Aléshé, Emma Sidi, and Rosie Jones. He finished in second place to Zaltzman.


Personal life

Dee met Susan Jane Hetherington in 1986, when he was working as a waiter in
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
and she was a receptionist at a nearby hotel. They married in
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, in 1989. The couple divide their time between a family home in
Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and a holiday house near
Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...
,
West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
. Together, they have four children. Dee suffers from depression. He has claimed that his work is the best therapy for his condition, saying "if you have the impulse to be creative, you ignore it at your peril". In his twenties, Dee worked at the Ritz in
Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...
and started drinking heavily. He attended church and attempted to become a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
. After he realised that was not for him he gave it up, and never quit drinking, although he would later describe his condition as "
alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse. This spectrum can range from being mild, moderate, or severe. This can look like consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per ...
" rather than
alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
, which was the diagnosis at the time. Since the 1990s, he has advertised John Smith's Bitter, becoming known as "the midget with the widget". Following his appearance on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', he had a relapse, though did not attend AA meetings because he did not want paparazzi photographing him leaving the meetings. In 2007, the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'' reported that he was in negotiations with publishers to release his
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
. He signed with Doubleday in 2008 and the book, ''Thanks for Nothing: The Jack Dee Memoirs'', was released in October 2009, along with an audiobook of the same title which he narrates. According to Dee, "it's really the story of how I got into comedy... It's kind of an autobiography but isn't, as it stops about 25 years ago. It goes right up to the first time I do stand up." In February 2009, Dee and several other entertainers wrote an open letter to ''
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 ...
'' supporting Baháʼí leaders, then on trial in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. Dee is a director of ''Open Mike Productions'', co-founded with Addison Cresswell, which produces shows for television and radio including '' Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow'' and '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man''.


Filmography


Awards and nominations


Books

* ''Thanks for Nothing'' ( Doubleday, 2009) * ''What is Your Problem?'' (
Quercus An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
, 2021)


Stand-up VHS & DVDs

*''Live at the Duke of York's Theatre '' (1992) *''Live at the London Palladium'' (10 October 1994) *''Live in London'' (10 November 1997) *''Live and Uncut'' (13 December 1999) xtended version of ''Live in London''*''Live at the Apollo'' (18 November 2002) *''Live Again'' (14 November 2005) *''So What? Live'' (18 November 2013)


References


External links


Jack Dee
at Off the Kerb Productions * * Guide to Comedy
Jack Dee
at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dee, Jack 1961 births Living people Big Brother (British TV series) winners English male comedians English stand-up comedians English male television actors Actors educated at Peter Symonds College People from Petts Wood Male actors from Winchester Actors educated at Frensham Heights School Mass media people from Winchester 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English television writers English male writers 20th-century English comedians 21st-century English comedians English male television writers Actors from the London Borough of Bromley Comedians from Hampshire Comedians from Kent Comedians from the London Borough of Bromley English Christians British Christians