Angus Deayton

About

Angus is a hugely popular comedian and television presenter, and a man who has taken the British Comedy scene by storm. Best-known for his time as presenter of a number of successful panel shows, most notably Have I Got News For You and Would I Lie To You?. He is also fondly known for his role as Victor Meldrew’s long-suffering neighbour Patrick Trench in the comedy series One Foot in the Grave.

Angus Deayton read languages at New College, Oxford, where he was recruited into the Oxford Revue, performing with them at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This led to the creation of the parody band The Hee Bee Gee Bees (re the Bee Gees) in 1980, with the songs written by Richard Curtis and Philip Pope.

As the writer of a number of Radio Shows, Angus has also been presented with a number of awards. Angus co-wrote and performed in Radio Active, which was awarded a Premier Ondas Award (1983), a Sony Award For Best Radio Comedy (1982) and a British Press Guild for Best Radio Comedy (1981).

Deayton’s suave manner as host of Have I Got News for You led to his being nicknamed “TV’s Mr Sex”, by a Time Out listings writer. He was much in demand as a presenter of television specials including the BBC’s New Year’s Eve show and the BAFTA Awards. He also featured in a series of advertisements for Barclaycard and the films Savage Hearts and Elizabeth.

The 1990’s saw him win a number of awards for his acting ability and sense of humour. In 1995, he was awarded the prestigious title of BBC TV Personality of The Year (TRIC Awards).

After presenting Have I Got News For You in 1992, Angus was presented with awards for Best Entertainment Programme (British Comedy Awards), Best Comedy Performer (British Press Guild), Best Television Comedy (British Press Guild), Best Light Entertainment Show (BAFTA), and Best Entertainment Series (British Comedy Awards).

In 2008 he also presented Comedy Sketchbook, a nostalgic look at classic comedy sketches, on BBC1.

Angus has performed in theatre for ‘Rowan Atkinson’s Stage Show’ (Not Just A pretty Face Tour – West End, Australia and Broadway) and ‘Just For Laughs’ (Montreal Comedy Festival with Rowan Atkinson). He has also appeared in the film ‘Savage Hearts’.