Stephen Kehinde Amos (born 3 December 1967)
is a British comedian and television personality. A regular on the international comedy circuit, he is known for including his audience members during his shows. He began his career as a
compere at the Big Fish comedy clubs in South London, and has been nominated for
Chortle
Chortle is a British comedy website launched in 2000 by Steve Bennett. The site is a major source of comedy news in the UK. It also reviews comedy shows nationwide, including extensively at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and presents the C ...
's Best Compere Award three times in 2004, 2007 and 2008.
Performances and tours
Amos has performed stand up 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 ...
every year since
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
, after making his debut in
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
. During the
2006 Fringe, he performed the revealing solo show ''All of Me'', in which he publicly acknowledged his own homosexuality to his audience for the first time.
He hosted a chat show on weekends (in addition to his own show), performed as a guest at various extra festival shows, such as ''Spank!'', and performed daily in
Stewart Lee
Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, and deadpan delivery.
Lee began his career in 1989 and formed the comedy duo Lee and Herring with Richard ...
's production of
Eric Bogosian
Eric Michael Bogosian (; born April 24, 1953) is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian-American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and attended the University ...
's play ''
Talk Radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
''. Away from the fringe, Amos is a regular performer at
The Comedy Store, London
The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in Soho, London, England, opened in 1979 by Don Ward and Peter Rosengard.[Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...](_blank)
's Great Debate in 2006, 2007, and 2008 for the negative team, and in 2009 for the affirmative team. In May 2007, he appeared at the New Zealand International Comedy festival where he won the award for Best International Comedian. He performed at the 2007 ''Class Clowns State Final'' in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
.
During the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, he embarked on a United Kingdom tour of his show ''Find the Funny''. In the winter of 2009 and 2010, he sold out his second national tour ''The Feelgood Factor''. In 2012 and 2013, he performed his ''Laughter Is My Agenda'' tour.
As an actor, he performed in both the Edinburgh Fringe and London run of a version of ''
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to:
* ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey
* ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas
* ''One Flew Over the ...
''. His debut DVD was released in November 2009 entitled ''Find The Funny – Live''. His second DVD was released in November 2010 entitled ''The Feelgood Factor''.
Amos hosted, and performed a short set on the main stage at London's Gay Pride parade on 3 June 2010. Amos performed on the alternative stage at
Reading Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
on 27 August 2010, and the Leeds Festival on 28 August 2010. He received a standing ovation for both performances. In March 2017, Amos featured on the 339th episode of the podcast based in Melbourne, ''The Little Dum Dum Club'', which was recorded live at the European Bier Cafe in Melbourne's CBD.
In 2022, Amos appeared in the West End cast of My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum, playing Alfred P Doolittle.
Television appearances
In the United Kingdom, Amos has appeared as a guest on panel shows such as ''
Have I Got News for You
''Have I Got News for You'' (''HIGNFY'') is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990.
The programme focuses on two teams, one usually captained by Ian Hislop and one ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
QI'', ''
The Wright Stuff
''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...
'' and ''
And Then You Die''. In March 2007, his documentary on
homophobia
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
in the black British community and Jamaica, ''Batty Man'', was broadcast by
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 ...
. It won a Royal Television Society Award and was nominated for a BAFTA.
He appeared in ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...
'' ('Compliments of the Service') in 1993. He made a guest appearance as
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
on the third episode of the BBC Three show, ''
Snuff Box
A decorative box is a form of packaging that is generally more than just functional, but also intended to be decorative and artistic. Many such boxes are used for promotional packaging, both commercially and privately. Historical objects are u ...
''. He has also appeared in
Rich Hall's ''Cattle Drive'', ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'', ''
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' and as a featured performer 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 ...
's ''
Live at the Apollo'' after
Dara Ó Briain
Dara Ó Briain ( , ; born 4 February 1972) is an Irish comedian and television presenter based in the United Kingdom. He is noted for performing stand-up comedy shows all over the world and for hosting topical panel shows such as ''Mock the Wee ...
and before
Frankie Boyle
Francis Martin Patrick Boyle (born 16 August 1972) is a Scottish comedian and writer. Boyle first gained widespread recognition as a regular panellist on the comedy show '' Mock the Week'' from 2005 until 2009. He then created and starred in t ...
. In December 2010, Amos appeared on ''Live at the Apollo'' as host and compere.
Amos has the distinction of being one of the few stand-up comics chosen to appear at the 2007
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 ...
. Amos made an appearance on the gala/comedy gig ''We Are Most Amused'', an
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 ...
televised production on 15 November 2008, in celebration of
The Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
' 60th Birthday. The event took place in the
New Wimbledon Theatre
The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Listed building, Grade II listed Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland, w ...
.
In December 2007, he hosted a documentary, ''
Penis Envy
Penis envy () is a stage in Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychop ...
'', for the free United Kingdom digital television channel
Virgin1, in which he explored men's ongoing insecurities with penis size with the help of actors from ''
Puppetry of the Penis'', naked rugby players and the men willing to experiment with apparent
penis enlarging "treatments". On a related note, he gently mocks political correctness, in one of his favourite recurring jokes referring to his own penis size: "some stereotypes I can live with!"
While in Australia for the
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...
, Amos often appears on Australian television shows such as the improvisational ''
Thank God You're Here''; the music-based panel game show ''
Spicks and Specks''; and satirical news based comedy quiz show ''
Good News Week
''Good News Week'' is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and 11 February 2008 to 28 April 2012. The show's initial run aired on ABC until being bought by Network Ten in ...
''.
In 2009, Stephen appeared 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 ...
'', and is a fan of
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
. In 2009, Stephen also appeared on an edition of
Children in Need
''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
of ''
Mastermind
Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters:
** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of the ...
'', answering questions on the band
Five Star
Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) were a British Pop music, pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman Pearson, Stedman, Lorraine, Denise Pearson, Denise, Doris, and Delroy Pearson. From 1985 to 1988, Five Star had four top-20 a ...
. In March 2010, Amos appeared with the
England rugby squad playing
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
, in a comedy sketch for the BBC's ''
Sport Relief
''Sport Relief'' was a wikt:biennial, biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002.
It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Dire ...
''.
In January 2010, he was a celebrity guest team captain on ''What Do Kids Know?'' along with
Rufus Hound
Rufus Hound (born Robert James Blair Simpson 6 March 1979) is an English actor, comedian and presenter.
Early life
Hound was born on 6 March 1979 in Essex and moved to Surrey at the age of 7. He was educated at Hoe Bridge School Woking, Fre ...
,
Joe Swash
Joseph Adam Swash (born ) is a British actor and television presenter from London, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and various presenting roles with ITV2. He won the eighth series of '' I'm ...
and
Sara Cox
Sara Joanne Cyzer ( born 13 December 1974), better known as Sara Cox, is an English broadcaster and author. A presenter on BBC Radio 2, she has been hosting the station's drivetime show since January 2019. She previously presented BBC Radio 1's ...
on
Watch
A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...
. Stephen guest appeared in Series 2, Episode 7 of the
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 ...
comedy, ''
Coming of Age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
'' and as a guest contributor on several episodes of ''
This Week''.
In 2010, Amos's own show was launched, a combination of stand up, sketches, and guest performers (who for the most part had not fully broken into television comedy), simply entitled ''The Stephen K Amos Show''. The show was released on DVD in November 2010. In 2010, for the show ''
Tinga Tinga Tales
''Tinga Tinga Tales'' is an animated children's television series based on African folk tales and aimed generally at 4 to 6-year-olds that ran for two seasons (2011–2012). It was commissioned by the BBC for its CBeebies channel. Named afte ...
'' Amos voiced the characters
Hyena
Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...
and
Millipede
Millipedes (originating from the Latin , "thousand", and , "foot") are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derive ...
/Pediless. Amos also starred in an episode of ''
Mad Mad World
''Mad Mad World'' is the second studio album by Canadian rock singer Tom Cochrane, originally released in 1991 in Canada and in the United States on February 17, 1992. The first single from the album, "Life Is a Highway", became a hit in late 19 ...
'' on
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 ...
in Spring 2012.
In January 2013, he took part in a special series of ''
The Great British Bake Off
''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, atte ...
''.
In 2019, Amos starred in BBC's ''
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
'', walking
Via Francigena
The Via Francigena (), also known as Francisca or Romea, is an ancient road and Christian pilgrimage, pilgrimage route running from the City status in the United Kingdom#Cathedral towns, cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and ...
, an ancient
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
route to Rome. Amos told
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
"As a gay man, I don't feel accepted".
The Pope responded, "Giving more importance to the adjective rather than the noun, this is not good. We are all human beings and have dignity. It does not matter who you are or how you live your life, you do not lose your dignity. There are people that prefer to select or discard people because of the adjective – these people don't have a human heart."
In March 2024, Amos was announced as a contestant on the
tenth season of the
Australian version of ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' On 17 April 2024, Amos was eliminated from the series coming in 7th place.
Radio appearances
On 2 November 2008, Amos appeared on ''
The Jon Richardson Show'' on
BBC 6 Music
BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...
, and again on 16 August 2009 and 23 November 2009. Amos also appeared on
Nihal's Saturday Afternoon Show on
BBC Radio One
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, hi ...
on 30 May 2009. Amos is currently featured 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 ...
show ''The Odd Half Hour'', which began broadcasting on 16 November 2010.
In 2012, Amos chaired a BBC Radio 4 programme, called ''
Life: An Idiot's Guide'', starting March 2012, where he and his pick of the circuit's best stand ups build an idiot's guide to life.
People who have appeared on the show include
Lucy Montgomery and
Lucy Porter. In February 2013, Amos presented another series of this programme, where guests on the programme included
Fred MacAulay,
Angela Barnes
Angela Barnes (born 9 November 1976) is an English stand-up comedian, mostly known for her appearances on ''Mock the Week''.
Early life and education
Barnes was born in Sidcup, London and brought up in Maidstone, Kent. She was educated at I ...
and
Greg Proops
Gregory Everett Proops (born October 3, 1959) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and television host. He is widely known for his work on the British and American versions of '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?''. He has also voiced the titular ch ...
. Since December 2013, Amos has also appeared in a purportedly autobiographical radio comedy series ''
What Does the K Stand For?'' on BBC Radio 4, as a son living in a Nigerian family in 1980s Britain.
The series is co written by
Jonathan Harvey, and the third series commenced in January 2017.
Bibliography
* ''I Used To Say My Mother Was Shirley Bassey'' (Constable, London, 2012)
Personal life
Amos, one of seven children, lives in
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 ...
. His parents came to London from Nigeria in the 1960s.
On
Fern Britton
Fern M. Philomena Britton (born 17 July 1957) is an English television presenter and author. After beginning her career as a continuity announcer and a newsreader, she went on to co-present '' Breakfast Time'' in the 1980s and hosted the cookery ...
's ''
The 5 O'Clock Show'' (Channel 4, 19 July 2010), he stated that his middle name is
Kehinde
Kehinde
(short for Omokehinde) is a given name of Yoruba origin meaning "the second-born of the twins" or the one who comes after Taiwo. Though Taiwo is the firstborn, it is believed that Kehinde is the elder twin, sending Taiwo into the world f ...
, which is a
Yoruba name for "second of twins". Amos had an older twin sister, who died in 2018. He studied
criminal justice
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...
at the
Polytechnic of Central London
The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Au ...
. He is gay and an
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
.
Amos is a celebrity supporter of the
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...
, where he is interested in their work with refugees. Amos is a member of
The Arts Emergency Service.
References
External links
*
Chortle profile
*
'' – Channel 4
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amos, Stephen K.
1967 births
Living people
20th-century English comedians
21st-century English comedians
Alumni of the University of Westminster
Black British LGBTQ people
Black British male comedians
Black British comedians
British twins
Comedians from London
English atheists
English LGBTQ comedians
English people of Yoruba descent
English gay entertainers
Gay comedians