Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is a British comedian, writer, and television presenter. In 2012, he was the highest-grossing

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...

comedian in the world. He currently presents the variety and stand-up comedy show '' Michael McIntyre's Big Show'' and the game show '' The Wheel.'' McIntyre has written and performed five stand-up comedy tours: ''Live & Laughing'' (2008–2009), ''Showtime'' (2012), ''Happy and Glorious'' (2015), ''Michael McIntyre's Big World Tour'' (2018–2020), and ''Macnificent'' (2023–2025). He has fronted his own comedy show '' Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow'' (2009–2011), featured in three episodes of the stand-up comedy show '' Live at the Apollo'' (2007–2009), and judged on the fifth series of the talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' (2011). McIntyre has performed three times on the ''

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

'', including in 2010 when he became the youngest-ever host.

Early life

Born in

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 ...

to Thomas Cameron McIntyre, known as Ray Cameron, a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

comedian and comedy writer in British television, and his wife Kati, Michael McIntyre grew up in the industry. He has a sister, Lucy. McIntyre is a dual British-

citizen, by virtue of his father. In 1993, McIntyre was told that his father died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, but in 2010, his stepmother Holly revealed that Cameron had died by suicide. His mother, Kati, is of Hungarian Jewish ancestry.

Career

Television

McIntyre has appeared three times on BBC One's '' Live at the Apollo'', in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He has released four DVDs, ''Live and Laughing'', ''Hello Wembley'', ''Showtime'' and ''Happy and Glorious'', which have sold a combined total of over five million copies in the UK. McIntyre's many comedy panel show and chat show appearances include '' Chris Moyles' Quiz Night'', '' Mock the Week'', ''

8 out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' (stylised as ''8 out of 10 CATS'') is a British comedy panel show that aired from 3 June 2005 to 17 January 2021. It was first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2015, then More4 from 2016 to 2017, and finally E4 from ...

'', '' Have I Got News for You'', '' The Big Fat Quiz of the Year'', '' Would I Lie To You?'', '' The Apprentice: You're Fired!'', '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' and ''

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme featured Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews (usually three per show ...

''. From 6 June 2009, McIntyre began hosting '' Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow'', which aired Saturday nights on BBC One. On 5 July 2009, McIntyre appeared on the BBC show '' Top Gear'' as the "star in a reasonably priced car", driving around the

Top Gear test track The ''Top Gear'' test track located at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, United Kingdom was used by the BBC automotive television programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear''. The track was designed by Lotus Cars as a testing facility, with man ...

in one minute and 48.7 seconds. During his lap of the track he almost rolled the car while going around the final corner. On 31 March 2010, McIntyre took part in '' Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a benefit show held in aid of

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS F ...

, filmed live at London's O2 Arena. He also appeared on the year's edition of '' The Big Fat Quiz of the Year'' 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 ...

, where he was partnered with

Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster, and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeo ...

. On 14 December 2010, it was announced that McIntyre would join the ITV talent show '' Britain's Got Talent'' as a judge in 2011 with David Hasselhoff and

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...

. McIntyre and Hasselhoff replaced

Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; O'Meara, born 30 March 1965) is an English journalist and media personality. He began his career in 1988 at the tabloid ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun''. In 1994, at the age of 29, he was appointed editor of ...

and

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

, although Cowell returned for the live shows and Hasselhoff was only the additional fourth judge. After only one series, McIntyre was replaced by Alesha Dixon. In 2010 and 2014, McIntyre hosted the

on ITV. He also previously performed on the show twice: in 2006 and 2008. McIntyre co-hosted various segments of ''

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 ...

'' in 2011 and 2013 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 ...

. On Christmas Day 2011, he hosted a Christmas Special edition of ''Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow''. The show was watched by 8.1 million viewers. In 2014 McIntyre fronted his own

talk programme, '' The Michael McIntyre Chat Show''. A Christmas special aired on Christmas Day in 2014. On 5 April 2015, he presented ''Michael McIntyre Presents...Easter Night at the Coliseum'', a one-off special for

. In November 2015, it was announced that McIntyre would return to

for ''Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show''. The show was recorded in front of a live audience in the Theatre Royal in London before airing on Christmas Day. Since April 2016, McIntyre has presented '' Michael McIntyre's Big Show'', a Saturday night entertainment series for

. A second series began airing in November 2016. A third series began airing in November 2017. In November 2020, McIntyre began hosting a new

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 ...

gameshow entitled '' The Wheel''. In August 2021, it was announced that McIntyre would host a U.S. version of ''The Wheel'' on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, which premiered on 19 December 2022.

Stage

Michael started his stand-up career in 1999. Shappi Khorsandi shared an

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

venue with him, in August 2003, and told how one night he performed to an audience of one. McIntyre has performed three times on the ''

'', including in 2010 when he became the youngest-ever host. In 2009, he performed for an estimated total of 500,000 people on his first tour of the United Kingdom that included a record-breaking six nights at

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...

and four at

The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...

. In 2012, McIntyre's UK tour included 71 arena dates, playing to over 700,000 people, including a record-breaking 10 nights at the O2 Arena in London. According to ticket sales company Pollstar, the tour helped make him the world's biggest selling comedian in 2012, bringing in around £21m. On 20 April 2013 he played the biggest comedy gig in Africa to 9,000 fans at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg. In 2015, McIntyre toured the UK and Ireland with his "Happy & Glorious" tour. In February 2016, he and the tour went to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

for two dates, and in October 2016 he took it to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

for four dates. In 2018 he became the highest selling artist in the history of the O2 Arena, selling over 400,000 tickets over 28 shows, which surpassed the previous record held by

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

. In 2023, McIntyre announced his 2023–2025 tour ‘ Macnificent’. The tour included dates in the UK, Ireland, Europe, Africa, North America and United Arab Emirates.

Radio

McIntyre's radio appearances have included: *'' Does the Team Think?'' (

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

) *''Heresy'', '' 4 Stands Up'', ''Happy Mondays'', '' The Unbelievable Truth'' (all 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 ...

) * *'' The Jon Richardson Show'' ( BBC 6 Music) *''The Jonathan Ross Show'' (

) *''

The Chris Moyles Show ''The Chris Moyles Show'' is the title given to two differing versions of a radio programme hosted by Chris Moyles, originally broadcast as '' Radio 1 Breakfast'' from 5 January 2004 to 14 September 2012, before transferring three years later ...

'' (

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

) *''

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 ...

'' (

)

Books

In 2010, McIntyre released 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 ...

, ''Life and Laughing: My Story''. In 2021, he released the second part of his memoirs, ''A Funny Life'', detailing his life after his debut at the 2006 Royal Variety Performance (his previous book concluded with the event).

Personal life

, McIntyre lives in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, London, with his aromatherapist wife, Kitty, who is a daughter of actor Simon Ward and sister of actress Sophie Ward. The couple has two sons. McIntyre is a supporter of

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

. He is also a

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

fan and has appeared on ''

Test Match Special ''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. The programme is available on BB ...

'' to discuss the sport.

Stand-up

Tours

DVD releases

Filmography

Awards

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McIntyre, Michael 1976 births 21st-century English comedians Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners British people of Canadian descent British people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Comedians from the London Borough of Camden Edinburgh Comedy Festival English male comedians British people of Hungarian descent English stand-up comedians British television talk show hosts Living people People educated at Arnold House School People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood People from Hampstead