Daniel Renton Skinner (born 25 January 1973) is an English actor and comedy writer, working in stage, film and television. Skinner often performs as the character Angelos Epithemiou, and is also one half of the ''Brian and Roger'' podcast.

Early life

Born in London, Skinner attended the independent

Reed's School Reed's School is an independent secondary school, secondary day school, day and boarding school for boys with a co-educational sixth form located in Cobham, Surrey, England. There are currently around 700 day pupils (620 boys, 80 girls) and 1 ...

in Surrey, and graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Drama from

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

London (1994–97). His credits include the 24-hour play ''The Warp'' with

Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, director and writer. He was known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety ...

. After this, he started writing and performing comedy regularly with Stephen Evans and

Neil Edmond Neil Edmond (born December 1970) is a British actor and comedy writer. Neil was a member of the comedic sketch trio The Consultants, alongside James Rawlings and Justin Edwards. In 2002 they won the Perrier award for Best Newcomer at the E ...

in a sketch troupe called The Benders.

TV appearances

Skinner has appeared in the TV comedies '' Mike Bassett: Manager'' (

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...

), ''

The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...

Christmas special Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared Christmas in literature, in literature and Christmas music, in music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth o ...

s (

BBC1 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 (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

), ''

My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...

'' (

), ''

Yonderland ''Yonderland'' is a British sitcom television series that was broadcast on Sky One from November 2013 to December 2016. It was produced by Sioned Wiliam, and was created by, written by and starred the main performers from CBBC's series ''Horri ...

'' (

Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989 ...

) and ''

Coupling A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment or end mo ...

'' (

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 ...

). He was also a regular writer and performer on '' Katy Brand's Big Ass Show'' for

ITV2 ITV2 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the fiv ...

. He appeared in series 1,2 and 3 of ''

The Armstrong & Miller Show ''The Armstrong & Miller Show'' is a British sketch comedy television show produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC One. It features the double act Armstrong and Miller and a number of notable scriptwriters including Andy Hamilton, co-creator ...

'' on 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 ...

in 2007, 2009, and 2010 respectively (initially as "Renton Skinner"). He also played Reggie's chauffeur in the remake of '' Reggie Perrin''. He has appeared several times in BBC1's sitcom ''

'', always as a policeman. He also had a part in the fourth episode of series one of ''

Mongrels A mongrel, mutt, or mixed-breed dog is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed, including those that result from intentional breeding. Although the term ''mixed-breed dog'' is sometimes preferred, many mongrels have no know ...

'' as an American reporter, and appeared as Captain Length-Width with his '' Shooting Stars'' host

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), commonly known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian and artist. He has a double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. He is known for his surreal sense of humour. In 2003, Ree ...

in the

CBBC CBBC 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 for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

show ''The Ministry of Curious Stuff''. In 2013, he appeared as a police officer in ''

The Wrong Mans ''The Wrong Mans'' is a British comedy drama television series, produced by BBC Television and Hulu. It premiered on BBC Two on 24 September 2013 and in the United States on 11 November 2013. Considered a critical and ratings success, it was c ...

'' with ''

'' co-star

Mathew Baynton Mathew John Baynton (born 18 November 1980) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. He is a member of the Them There collective, in which he wrote and starred in ''Horrible Histories (2009 TV series), Horrible Histories'', ''Yonderlan ...

. In 2014, he had roles in '' House of Fools'' as Bosh and ''

Friday Night Dinner ''Friday Night Dinner'' is a British sitcom created by Robert Popper that aired on Channel 4 from 25 February 2011 to 1 May 2020. Starring Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal, and Mark Heap, it follows the regular Friday ...

'' as Jeremy Phillips. The next year, he appeared alongside

Katherine Parkinson Katherine Parkinson (born 1977 or 1978) is an English actress. She appeared in the Channel 4 comedy series ''The IT Crowd'' as Jen Barber, for which she won BAFTA's British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2014. Par ...

in BBC sitcom '' The Kennedys''. Since 2017, he has appeared in comedian

Tracey Ullman Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman; 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, producer, and director. Despite being frequently referred to as a comedian, Ullman considers herself a character actress. Critics h ...

's BBC One sketch comedy series, ''

Tracey Ullman's Show ''Tracey Ullman's Show'' is a British sketch comedy television series starring Tracey Ullman. ''Tracey Ullman's Show'' premiered on BBC One on 11 January 2016. The programme marks her first project for the broadcaster in over thirty years, and h ...

'' and ''

Tracey Breaks the News ''Tracey Breaks the News'' is a British topical comedy programme starring Tracey Ullman. It premiered on BBC One on 27 October 2017 following a one-off special that aired on 23 June. After the success of the one-off special on 13 September 201 ...

''. In 2018, Skinner appeared in the second episode of series 9 of ''

Not Going Out ''Not Going Out'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom created, written by and starring Lee Mack. It has aired on BBC One since 2006 and is the second-longest-running British sitcom, behind ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1973–2010). Th ...

'' as a madman hellbent on revenge. Beginning in 2019, he had a recurring role in Channel 5 first homegrown drama ''Cold Call'' alongside

Sally Lindsay Sally Jane Lindsay (born 8 July 1973) is an English actress and television presenter. She rose to fame playing Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2001–2006). Her other roles include Lisa Johnson in the Sky ...

. Also in 2019, he appeared in a first series episode of '' The Cockfields'' as Ian, an indignant neighbour who has his bordering bush shorn surreptitiously by Ray Cockfield (played by

Bobby Ball Robert Harper (28 January 1944 – 28 October 2020), known professionally as Bobby Ball, was a British comic, actor, singer and television host. He was best known as a member of the comic double act Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon (Thomas ...

). In 2021, he appeared on an episode of ''

This Time with Alan Partridge ''This Time with Alan Partridge'' is a British sitcom first broadcast in 2019 on BBC One. It stars Steve Coogan as the inept broadcaster Alan Partridge in a parody, spoof of day-time magazine programmes such as ''The One Show'' and ''Good Mornin ...

'' as an acquaintance of the title character who engaged in chemsex parties.

Angelos Epithemiou

Skinner appeared as Angelos Epithemiou on series 6 of '' Shooting Stars'' as a permanent member of Team B, replacing

Johnny Vegas Michael Joseph Pennington (born 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English actor, comedian, director and writer. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, angry comedic rants, and use of surreal humour. Ve ...

. In series 7 and 8, he replaced George Dawes as the score keeper. The character's signature tune is "Drop the Pressure (Jack Beats 'Rinsed Out Rave' Remix)" by Project Bassline. He is (apparently) of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

origin and resides in

Neasden Neasden is a suburban area in northwest London, England. It is located around the centre of the London Borough of Brent and is within the NW2 (Cricklewood) and NW10 (Willesden) postal districts. Neasden is near Wembley Stadium, the Brent Reserv ...

. Epithemiou is

on the dole On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001 * ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...

. He was originally introduced by

Bob Mortimer Robert Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May 1959) is an English comedian, author, television presenter, writer and actor. He is one half of the comedy double act Reeves and Mortimer with Jim Moir, Vic Reeves, and appears in the ''Mortimer & Whitehouse ...

as a competition winner, as well as a burger van owner from 'somewhere in the North East', although this aspect of his character was gradually sidelined. As the character developed, Epithemiou showed an ongoing obsession with

Ulrika Jonsson Eva Ulrika Jonsson (born 16 August 1967) is a Swedish-British television presenter and model. She became known as a TV-am weather presenter, and moved on to present the ITV show '' Gladiators'', and later featured as a team captain on the BBC T ...

, and revealed that his burger van had been destroyed by his brother Agathius. He also appeared in a series of YouTube clips alongside David Earl whose character Brian Gittins employed him at his cafe, and who was increasingly envious of the fame Epithemiou was gaining on ''Shooting Stars''. Skinner appeared on BBC Three show ''World Cup 2010's Most Shocking Moments'' with other celebrities, reviewing and making jokes about incidents in the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

. This was one of the first appearances on TV since performing as the character Epithemiou on ''Shooting Stars''. In 2010, Skinner took the Epithemiou character on a UK tour titled ''Angelos Epithemiou & Friends Christmas Show''; due to popular demand, venues introduced additional dates throughout December 2010. He appeared four times on ''

Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' was a British football-based comedy talk show, produced by Sky Sports. It aired from 20 August 1994 to 27 May 2023 on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football. From 2010, the programme was put on a short b ...

'' during 2011 and 2012, and was a guest panellist on the BBC music quiz show ''

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 December 2011. In August 2011, Skinner appeared as Epithemiou in

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 ...

's ''Fun & Filth Cabaret'', part of the

Edinburgh Festival 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 ...

. He ended each of the shows with a ''

HARDtalk ''HARDtalk'' is a BBC television and radio programme which was broadcast on the British and international feeds of the BBC News channel, and on the BBC World Service, from 31 March 1997 to 26 March 2025. Broadcast times and days vary, depend ...

''-style interview. In December 2011, Skinner won the Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist at The British Comedy Awards for his work as Epithemiou over the previous year. In the same month, he appeared as Epithemiou on the Christmas special of '' The Rob Brydon Show''. In 2012, he starred in his own show, ''The Angelos Epithemiou Show'', 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 ...

. He also appeared as John Meringue in the Reeves and Mortimer quiz show ''Vic & Bob's Lucky Sexy Winners''. Epithemiou took part in Channel 4's ''

Come Dine with Me ''Come Dine with Me'' is a British reality series that has aired on Channel 4 since 10 January 2005 and is narrated by Dave Lamb. Format The original format features five amateur chefs who live in the same town or area, who each host a three-c ...

'' on 4 January 2013. He served tinned mushroom soup with white sliced bread for the starter and employed a burger van to cook his main dish. The only dish he cooked was a swiss roll for dessert: however his guests were told to go home halfway through their desserts and had to finish their food in their taxis on the way home. Epithemiou appeared alongside

Debbie McGee Debra Ann McGee (born 31 October 1958) is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the assistant and widow of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and for three years was artistic director of her ...

on ''

Pointless Celebrities ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay Entertainment subsidiary Remarkable Entertainment for the BBC and hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode, four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but ob ...

'' in December 2018, raising money for

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

. On 1 December 2019, Epithemiou appeared on Channel 4's ''

Sunday Brunch ''Sunday Brunch'' is a British television programme presented by Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer. It is broadcast live on Channel 4 on Sunday mornings and features cookery and interviews with celebrity guests. Format The programme began on 25 Ma ...

'' but only for the start of the show when guests are introduced followed by the first cooking item which he interrupted part-way through by walking into shot to announce that he was leaving. Angelos Epithemiou’s character and its place in English comedy history is analysed in

Guy Mankowski Guy Mankowski (born 6 January 1983) is an English writer. He is the great grandson of the author and broadcaster Harry Mortimer Batten. He was educated at St John's College, Portsmouth and Ampleforth College. On The Neo Historian podcast Manko ...

's book ''Albion's Secret History: Snapshots of England's Pop Rebels and Outsiders''.

Radio

Skinner played several roles in the

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 ...

comedy series '' Deep Trouble'', written by

Ben Willbond Benjamin Thomas Willbond (born 18 January 1973) is an English actor and screenwriter best known as a member of the British Them There collective, for which he has written and starred in productions including ''Horrible Histories'', '' Yonderland ...

and

Jim Field Smith Jim Field Smith (born 20 February 1979) is an English film and television director, writer and producer. Early career Smith was a member of the British sketch comedy group Dutch Elm Conservatoire, who were nominated for the prestigious Perrier ...

. In 2014, he appeared weekly on comedy internet radio station Fubar Radio alongside Barry from Watford in ''The Barry & Angelos Show''.

Film

Skinner can be seen in

Tim Plester Timothy Marc Plester (born 10 September 1970) is a British actor, playwright, and filmmaker, best known for the documentaries '' Way of the Morris'' and ''The Ballad of Shirley Collins'' - plus a multifarious number of cameo roles for film and ...

's 2006 short film ''World of Wrestling'' as a fictionalised version of wrestler Dave "Fit" Finlay. In June 2014, it was announced that Skinner would play Simmons in

Ben Wheatley Ben Wheatley (born 1972) is an English filmmaker, film editor, and animator. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and tele ...

's upcoming film '' High-Rise''. Skinner appeared in ''

Swallows and Amazons ''Swallows and Amazons'' is a children's adventure novel by English author Arthur Ransome first published on 21 July 1930 by Jonathan Cape. Set in the summer of 1929 in the Lake District, the book introduces the main characters of John, Sus ...

'' alongside Andrew Scott and

Rafe Spall Rafe Joseph Spall ( ; born 10 March 1983) is an English actor. Spall has appeared in films including '' Kidulthood'' (2006), '' A Good Year'' (2006), ''Hot Fuzz'' (2007), '' One Day'' (2011), ''Anonymous'' (2011), ''Prometheus'' (2012), '' Lif ...

as a Russian agent. He also appears in the 2016 documentary ''Notes on Blindness'' as the subject,

John M. Hull John Martin Hull (22 April 1935 – 28 July 2015) was Emeritus Professor of Religious Education at the University of Birmingham. He was the author of a number of books and many articles in the fields of religious education, practical theology a ...

, in recreations. In 2018 he was cast as 'Desk Sergeant Simon' in the Welsh black comedy film, '' The Toll'', that was released in 2021. In 2024, he voiced the characters Fox and Rat in animated film '' Fox and Hare Save the Forest''. The film had its world premiere at

74th Berlin International Film Festival The 74th annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, took place between 15 and 25 February 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o was named the Jury President for the main competition. This ye ...

on 18 February.

Stand-up DVDs

*''Angelos Epithemiou & Friends Live'' (21 November 2011)

Personal life

Skinner is married to comedian

Olivia Lee Olivia Lee (born 27 August 1980) is a British comedian, actress and writer. Early life Lee is from a Jewish family. She studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Career Lee worked as a presenter alongside Simon Amstell on Cha ...

. They met on a celebrity episode of ''Come Dine with Me'', when Skinner was in character.

References

External links

FUBAR Radio
* *
Paramount comedy short-cuts website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Dan Renton 1973 births Alumni of Middlesex University Living people Male actors from London People from Hammersmith People educated at Reed's School 21st-century English male actors English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors 20th-century English male actors English comedy writers Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Comedians from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham English male comedians