Miles Hugh Barrett Jupp (born 8 September 1979) is an English actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian before playing the role of the inventor Archie in the children's television series ''
Balamory
''Balamory'' is a Scottish live-action children's programme on CBeebies for pre-school children, about a fictional small island community off the west coast of Scotland, named ''Balamory''. Four series were produced from 2002 to 2005 by BBC Sco ...
''. He also played John Duggan in ''
The Thick of It
''The Thick of It'' is a British comedy television series created, written and directed by Armando Iannucci that satirises the inner workings of British government. It was first broadcast for two short series on BBC Four in 2005, initially ...
,'' Nigel in the sitcom ''
Rev'', and appeared on many comedy panel shows.
[ ] Between 2015 and 2019, Jupp was the host of ''
The News Quiz'' 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 ...
, replacing
Sandi Toksvig
Sandra Birgitte Toksvig (; ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She ha ...
.
Early life
Jupp was born in 1979 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 ...
and spent his early childhood in
West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden. Neighbouring areas includes Childs Hill to the north, Frognal to the east, Swiss Cottage to the south-east, South Hampstead to the south and Kilburn to the south-west.
The neighbourh ...
. He is the son of a minister in the
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2024 it had approximately 44,000 members in around 1,250 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers.
The URC is a Trinitarian church whose theolog ...
. For much of his life, Jupp believed he was of
Belgian stock, descended from 16th-century
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
immigrants. However, while creating a programme for
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 ...
in 2015, he discovered his roots are actually in
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
.
Jupp attended three
independent school
A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
s:
The Hall School 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 ...
,
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...
;
St George's School in
Windsor; and
Oakham School in
Rutland
Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town.
Rutland has a ...
. He studied
Divinity
Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...
at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
.
While there, he performed with an improvised comedy troupe, the
Improverts
The Improverts is a improvisational comedy troupe from the Edinburgh University Theatre Company, which primarily performs at the Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh. They perform weekly during Edinburgh University's term time and every night during th ...
, and took part in
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
productions with the
Edinburgh University Theatre Company at Bedlam Theatre.
Career
Jupp won ''So You Think You're Funny?, Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year'' in 2001 and was a
Perrier Award Best Newcomer nominee in 2003 for his show ''Gentlemen Prefer Brogues''. During his appearance on ''Celebrity Mastermind'' and ''
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 ...
'' in 2011, he claimed to have bluffed his way onto an England cricket tour to India as the cricket correspondent for both
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...
and the ''
Western Mail''. He wrote ''Fibber in the Heat,'' a book about his adventures as a cricket journalist in India.
Television and film
Jupp played Archie, the Inventor in
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content targeted for children aged six year ...
' ''
Balamory
''Balamory'' is a Scottish live-action children's programme on CBeebies for pre-school children, about a fictional small island community off the west coast of Scotland, named ''Balamory''. Four series were produced from 2002 to 2005 by BBC Sco ...
''. He also had a role in the BBC Scotland comedy programme, ''
Live Floor Show,'' where he played an eccentric, foul-mouthed comedian. In 2007, Jupp appeared fleetingly in ''
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' as a television weatherman who complained about a hot
drought
A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
.
Jupp appeared in Series 3 and 4 of the political comedy, ''
The Thick of It
''The Thick of It'' is a British comedy television series created, written and directed by Armando Iannucci that satirises the inner workings of British government. It was first broadcast for two short series on BBC Four in 2005, initially ...
,'' as John Duggan, an incompetent
press officer with a habit of making inappropriate comments. He appeared in BBC Scotland's comedy ''
Gary: Tank Commander'' as Captain Fanshaw. In 2009, he appeared briefly in the film ''
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
'' as a waiter. In the same year, he also appeared in ''
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle''.
In 2010, Jupp appeared on ''
Mock the Week
''Mock the Week'' is a topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. Presenter Dara Ó Briain and pan ...
'' and ''
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow.'' He performed as Nigel, a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
Lay Reader
In Anglicanism, a licensed lay minister (LLM) or lay reader (in some jurisdictions simply reader) is a person authorised by a bishop to lead certain Church service, services of worship (or parts of the service), to preach and to carry out pastoral ...
, in 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 ...
sitcom ''
Rev.'' He also appeared as an under-secretary in the film ''
Made in Dagenham
''Made in Dagenham'' is a 2010 British comedy-drama film directed by Nigel Cole, written by William Ivory, and starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, ...
'' (2010).
In January 2011, Jupp was a team member alongside
Goldie
Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is an English music producer, DJ, and actor.
Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musi ...
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 ...
on the music quiz ''
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first host ...
''. In May 2011, November 2011, and April 2012, he was a panellist on ''
Have I Got News for You'' and ''
Would I Lie To You?'' (BBC). On 22 August 2011, he was a lunchtime guest 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 ...
'', where he revealed a love of cricket and that he had previously worked with the ''Test Match Special'' team, who had no idea who he was. This became the basis of the book ''Fibber in the Heat''.
In October 2011, he again appeared in ''
Mock the Week
''Mock the Week'' is a topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. Presenter Dara Ó Briain and pan ...
''. Jupp had a cameo role in ''
Johnny English Reborn'' in 2011 as an employee of MI7. He appeared in Series 4, Episode 4 of the comedy
panel game
A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participate. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on '' The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...
''
Argumental'', which aired on 24 November 2011. In 2012, he appeared on ''
Mock the Week
''Mock the Week'' is a topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. Presenter Dara Ó Briain and pan ...
''.
In January 2012, he won on ''
Celebrity Mastermind''. In February 2012, he appeared on BBC ''
Let's Dance for Sport Relief
The imperative mood is a grammatical mood that forms a command or request.
The imperative mood is used to demand or require that an action be performed. It is usually found only in the present tense, second person. They are sometimes called ' ...
'' and danced to
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured
Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...
's "
Firestarter". In March 2012, he appeared in an episode of the televised ''45th Anniversary'' series of BBC Radio 4's ''
Just a Minute
''Just a Minute'' is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game. For more than 50 years, with a few exceptions, it was hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Following Parsons' death in 2020, Sue Perkins became the permanent host, starting with the 87th ser ...
'' quiz show, alongside
Paul Merton
Paul James Martin (born 9 July 1957), known by the stage name Paul Merton, is an English comedian who is best known as one of the two regular panellists on the television show '' Have I Got News for You''.
Known for his improvisation skill, M ...
,
Gyles Brandreth and
Liza Tarbuck
Liza Tarbuck ( ; born 21 November 1964) is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter.
Early life
Liza Tarbuck was born in Liverpool and grew up near Kingston upon Thames. She is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck an ...
. In July 2013, he appeared in an episode 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 ...
'' on BBC Radio 4. He was featured in the 2014
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
film, ''
The Monuments Men
''The Monuments Men'' is a 2014 war film directed by George Clooney, and written and produced by Clooney and Grant Heslov. The film stars an ensemble cast including Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hu ...
'', as British officer Major Fielding. Jupp has also appeared eight times on ''
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' is a British comedy panel show on Channel 4. The show follows the game of '' Countdown'', but presented in a comedy panel show format seen on ''8 Out of 10 Cats'', with the show being a crossover of the two. ...
''
between 2014 and 2021.
In 2014, Jupp narrated the BBC television documentary series, ''Building Dream Homes''. In 2016, he appeared in ''
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
'' as a police officer. On 27 April 2016, it was announced that Jupp would voice Blackberry in the forthcoming adaptation of ''
Watership Down
''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Hampshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natur ...
''. In 2015, Jupp appeared as a team captain on ''The Really Welsh Christmas Quiz'', alongside comedians
Chris Corcoran
Chris 'Korkey' Corcoran (born 10 April 1972) is a British comedian and broadcaster from Wales. Before becoming a comedian, he taught history at Barry Comprehensive School and was the head of history at Hayes Manor School, now Rosedale College ...
,
Elis James, and
Omar Hamdi.
In October 2016, Jupp appeared as Giles, the chairman of the residents' committee, in the sitcom from
BBC Three
BBC Three 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 first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
''
Josh''. In 2017, he appeared as Hardy in the film, ''
Journey's End.''
He played auction house appraiser Winford Collins in the episode "The Tanganyika Green" of ''
Father Brown
Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective. He is featured in 53 short stories by English author G. K. Chesterton, published between 1910 and 1936. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuition and ...
''. In 2018, Jupp made guest appearances as Basil, an incompetent lawyer, in the television drama by ITV ''
The Durrells''.
Radio
Jupp was the narrator of the radio show ''
The Penny Dreadfuls Present...The Brothers Faversham'' by
the Penny Dreadfuls, which was broadcast at the beginning of 2008 on
BBC Radio 7.
In 2009, Jupp became the host of BBC Radio 7 satirical comedy series ''
Newsjack'' and the host of
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish national radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 N ...
comedy quiz show ''
Swots''. In February 2011, he appeared as a panellist on BBC Radio 4's panel show ''
It's Your Round''. Starting in February 2012, Jupp hosted three series of a BBC Radio 4 panel show ''
It's Not What You Know'' (based on his suggestion for a round on ''It's Your Round''.), before handing the job over to
Joe Lycett
Joe Harry Lycett (born 1988), also known by the self-given moniker "Mummy", and officially self-renamed briefly as Hugo Boss in 2020, is a British comedian, television presenter, and painter. He has appeared on many TV shows, including '' Live ...
.
In 2011, he starred in the self-penned BBC Radio 4 comedy, ''
In and Out of the Kitchen'', "the diary, written for publication, of a somewhat minor celebrity chef, Damien Trench". A second series followed in 2013, and continued with a third series in 2014. The show had a short-lived television version in 2015. A six-part fourth series aired 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 ...
in August and September 2015.
He played the title character in BBC Radio 4 comedy ''Boswell's Lives'' (written by
Jon Canter) which ran for four series, 2015–2018.
Jupp appeared as a contestant 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 ...
's ''
The News Quiz'' in April 2012 (Series 77; Episode 1). In June 2015 he became the new presenter of the show, replacing
Sandi Toksvig
Sandra Birgitte Toksvig (; ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She ha ...
. He chaired the show for 12 series, with his last appearance on 31 May 2019 (Series 99; Episode 8).
Jupp appears as retired Prime Minister Henry Tobin in ''Party's Over'' from 2019 to 2022 (12 episodes). In 2022, his four-episode sketch show, ''Whatever Next? With Miles Jupp'' was broadcast on Radio 4.
Live
In March 2008, Jupp performed his third solo show, ''Everyday Rage and Dinner Party Chit Chat'', at the
Etcetera Theatre in
Camden. He presented ''Live at the
Gilded Balloon
Gilded Balloon is a producer and promoter of live entertainment events, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and best known as one of the Big Four venue operators at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each August.
The company has its origins in a venue kno ...
'' podcast for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' newspaper's coverage of the 2008 and 2009
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
. In 2019, Jupp played the role of actor
David Tomlinson in ''The Life I Live'', a one-man show at the
Salisbury Playhouse and other theatres.
Personal life
Jupp and his wife Rachel met while studying in Edinburgh. They have five children. The family moved from
Peckham
Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720.
History
"Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...
,
South London
South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...
, to
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
,
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. In 2021, Jupp suffered a
brain seizure, following which he had surgery to remove a
brain tumour
A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cancero ...
.
[ ]
Stand-up shows
DVD releases
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
References
External links
*
Miles Juppat ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''
*
Miles Jupp entry at ''
Who's Who
A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jupp, Miles
1979 births
Living people
20th-century English comedians
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English comedians
21st-century English male actors
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
English male comedians
English male film actors
English male stage actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
English radio presenters
English stand-up comedians
People educated at Oakham School
People educated at St George's School, Windsor Castle
People educated at The Hall School, Hampstead
Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne
Male actors from London
Comedians from Newcastle upon Tyne
Comedians from the London Borough of Camden
Actors from the London Borough of Camden