Simon Evans (born 9 May 1965) is an English comedian and writer.

Early life

Evans was born in Luton. In 2018, he learned that his biological father was the prolific sperm donor

Bertold Wiesner Bertold Paul Wiesner (1901–1972) was an Austrian-born physiologist. He is noted for coining the term 'Psi' to denote parapsychological phenomena;Thouless, R. H. and Wiesner, B. P., 'On the Nature of Psi Phenomena'. Journal of Parapsychology ...

. He attended

Verulam School Verulam School is an 11–18 boys state–funded secondary school with Academy (English school), academy status in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, founded in 1938 as St Albans Boys' Modern School. The name was changed in the 1940s to St Al ...

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

and then studied law at the

University of Southampton The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...

, graduating in 1986.

Career

He has performed one-man shows at 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 ...

since 2000 and at the New Zealand Comedy Festival 2002, Cape Town Comedy Festival 2001 as well as in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Winnipeg and

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

. In July 2004 he performed at the Just for Laughs festival in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and the following spring at the Aspen Comedy Festival in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. Since July 2010 when he appeared alongside Emo Philips at

Latitude Festival Latitude Festival is an annual music and arts festival set within the grounds of Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, England. The first edition of the festival took place in 2006 and has continued annually (apart from 2020 when it was cancel ...

in Suffolk he has returned to Latitude on several occasions. In early 2010 Evans supported

Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...

on his UK tour ''Going Out'', and as a writer has made a long running contribution to Mack's BBC sitcom ''Not Going Out''. He toured his shows''Fringe Magnet'' in 2010–11, ''Friendly Fire'' 2012–2013, then ''Leashed'' from August 2014. From 2017 to 2019 Evans toured his show ''Genius'', which then became ''Genius 2.0''. This was described in

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

in a five star review by Kate Copstick as an "extraordinarily accomplished hour… a masterclass in socio-political comedy". and which also garnered several other four-star reviews. From 2019 to 2023, he toured his show ''Work of the Devil'', in which he shared the revelation concerning his parentage, after significant interruptions from the Covid 19 lockdowns. From 2023 to 2025, Evans toured his show ''Have We Met?'' Evans had a

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 ...

series ''Simon Evans Goes to Market'', and numerous other radio and TV appearances. He has appeared twice on '' Live at the Apollo'' and was a weekly regular on '' Stand Up for the Week'' (Autumn 2013,

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 ...

). TV appearances have also included ''

Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow ''Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow'' is a British stand-up comedy television series hosted by comedian Michael McIntyre from different venues around the United Kingdom and Ireland. The first series was broadcast with six episodes in 2009. Each ...

'' in Sunderland (

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 ...

, 2010) and ''Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live'' (

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 ...

, 2010). In early 2018, after an appearance on BBC Radio 4's ''

The News Quiz ''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 1977. The show, created by John Lloyd from an idea by Nicholas Parsons, has seen several hosts, including Barry Norman, Barry Took, Simon Hogg ...

'', Evans was referred to by

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle (born 1 April 1960) is an English journalist, and an associate editor of ''The Spectator''. He was an editor of BBC Radio 4's '' Today'' programme. His published works include ''Too Beautiful for You'' (2003), ''Love Will Destroy Ev ...

in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'' as a

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

comedian. Dominic Maxwell in ''

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 ...

'' (26 March 2018) described ''Genius'' as an intelligent, reliably funny show that nods to everything from

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

PornHub Pornhub is a Canadian-owned Internet pornography video-sharing website, one of several owned by adult entertainment conglomerate Aylo. , Pornhub is the 16th- most-visited website in the world and the most-visited adult website. The site al ...

to Ivan Turgenev's two-kilo brain' and notes that 'Evans has fun with the right and the left'. Evans has also appeared in a more serious vein, as a regular guest on current affairs TV shows (such as ''

The Big Questions ''The Big Questions'' was an interfaith dialogue and ethics television programme usually presented by Nicky Campbell. It was broadcast live on BBC One on Sunday mornings, replacing ''The Heaven and Earth Show'' as the BBC's religious discussion ...

'' and

Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He has presented various political programmes on the BBC and on Channel 4. Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire ...

's '' This Week'') as well as on radio, such as

BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts mainly news, sport, Talk show, discussion, interviews and phone-ins, and is on air 24 hours a day. It is the principal BBC radio station Broadca ...

's ''Afternoon Edition''. He was also part of the comedians' team on ''

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

: The Professional''s (BBC Two) – being beaten by eventual series winners the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

– and has won '' Celebrity Mastermind'' (BBC One): his specialist subject was

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarcti ...

. Since 2021, he has been a regular host on ''Headliners'', a nightly paper review on

GB News GB News is a British free-to-air, editorial, opinion-orientated television and radio news channel. The channel is available on Freeview (UK), Freeview, Freesat, Sky UK, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet on Samsung TV Plus, LG web ...

. Evans is also a regular columnist for the British Internet magazine '' Spiked''. and has also written for

UnHerd ''UnHerd'' is a British news and opinion website founded in July 2017 which describes itself as a platform for slow journalism. History ''UnHerd'' was founded in 2017 by the hedge fund manager Paul Marshall as its owner and publisher and co ...

Quillette ''Quillette'' () is an online magazine founded by Australian journalist Claire Lehmann. The magazine primarily focuses on science, technology, news, culture, and politics. ''Quillette'' was created in 2015 to focus on scientific topics, but h ...

and

The 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 found ...

Television writing

Evans has written for TV shows including: * ''

The Big Breakfast ''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 from 1992 to 2002, and as a revival from 2021 to 2022. The show had various presenters, starting with Chris Evans (presenter), ...

'' * '' Lily Savage'' * ''Johnny Vaughan Tonight'' * ''Look at the State We're In' * ''

TV Heaven, Telly Hell ''TV Heaven, Telly Hell'' is a comedy television show on Channel 4, presented and produced by Sean Lock. The format is similar to ''Room 101 (British TV series), Room 101'', with guests discussing their likes and dislikes of items on television ...

'' * ''

The Late Edition ''The Late Edition'' is a British television programme broadcast on BBC Four. It takes the form of a weekly topical chat show in the vein of ''The Daily Show'', presented by comedian Marcus Brigstocke. Each episode typically features comical ne ...

'' * '' They Think It's All Over'' * ''Revolver'' * ''

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 ...

'' * '' Turn Back Time'' * ''

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 ...

Television appearances

Evans has appeared on ''The Comedy Store'' (Five) and ''The Stand Up Show'' (BBC1). Evans's other television include shows on the Comedy Network, and appearances on ''Five's Company'' (Five), and as a contestant on '' The Krypton Factor'' where he was disqualified for not completing one stage of the Super Round. * ''Brain Candy'' (BBC Choice) (2002) * '' The Way It Is'' (BBC1) (2000) * ''Edinburgh Nights'' (BBC2) * ''The Comedy Store'' (Five) * ''The Stand Up Show'' (BBC1) * ''Gas'' (Channel 4) * ''Life's a Pitch'' (BBC1) (2000) * ''The Comedy Network'' (Five) * ''Five's Company'' (Five) * '' Take a Girl Like You'' (2000) * '' Rich Hall's Cattle Drive'' (2006) as Melvin Turpin * ''

'' (BBC1) (2010) * '' Dave's One Night Stand'' (Dave) (2011) * ''

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 ...

'' (BBC2) (2011) * '' Dara Ó Briain: School of Hard Sums'' (Dave) (2012) * '' Live at the Apollo'' (BBC1) (2013) (2014) * ''

'' (BBC1) (21 January 2018) * '' Question Time'' (BBC1) (2 May 2019) * ''Headliners'' (

) (2021)

Radio

Evans appears regularly on

– hosting and writing seven series of the spoof news show '' The Way It Is'' (as Richard Richard), as well as appearing on numerous panel games including ''The News Quiz'', ''

Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive ''Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive'' is a British radio comedy programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2005 with a second series in 2006, a third in 2007 and a fourth in 2008. Series 2, 3 and 4 of the show were broadcast in the p ...

'' and ''The Unbelievable Truth'', and discussion programmes such as ''Off the Page''. He is a regular contributor to both BBC Radio 4 and London Live and has had full-length comedy scripts commissioned by the BBC for both TV and radio. * '' The Way It Is'' (Radio 4) – Writer and performer * ''Best Policy'' (Radio 4) – Anchored * ''True Lies, A world without... and others'' (Radio 4) – Pundit/panellist * ''Beating the System'' (Radio 4) – Sole writer and performer * ''Troublestarter'' (Radio 4) – Three part series – Sole writer and performer * ''

The Mighty Boosh The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows, The Mighty Boosh (1998 stage show), ''The Mighty Boosh'', Arctic Boosh, ''Arctic Boosh'' (1999) and Autoboosh, ...

'' (Radio 4) – Performer * ''

'' (Radio 4) – Performer * ''The Big Booth'' (Radio 4) – Performer * ''Simon Evans Goes To Market'' (Radio 4)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Simon 1965 births Living people Alumni of the University of Southampton Male actors from Luton English male comedians English screenwriters English male screenwriters English stand-up comedians English male television actors GB News newsreaders and journalists 20th-century English comedians 21st-century English comedians Comedians from Bedfordshire