| Robert Webb | |
|---|---|
Robert Webb in 2007 |
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| Born | 29 September 1972 Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England |
| Education | English Language and Literature |
| Alma mater | Robinson College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, writer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse | Abigail Burdess (2007-present) |
| Children | Two daughters |
Robert Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English actor, comedian and writer, and one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb, alongside David Mitchell.
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Webb is originally from the village of Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire. Webb's parents divorced when he was young. Webb has said that as a child he was "hugely spoilt".[1] He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Horncastle.[2] His elder brothers went to a local secondary modern school. One became a bus fitter, and the other became a potato wholesaler.[1] While Webb was in the lower sixth form preparing for his A-levels, his mother died of breast cancer, and he moved in with his father and re-sat his A-levels. He went to Robinson College, Cambridge at the age of 20 where he studied English and became vice-president of the Footlights.[3][4] He met David Mitchell at an audition for a Footlights production of Cinderella in 1993.[1]
The two put together their first project in January 1995, a show about the First World War[5] entitled Innocent Millions Dead or Dying: A Wry Look at the Post-Apocalyptic Age (With Songs).[6] Webb later described it as being "fucking terrible".[5]
From this, the duo were given the chance to write for Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller and for series two of Big Train.[7] After minor work on The Jack Docherty Show and Comedy Nation, their first break into television acting was in 2000, on the short-lived BBC sketch show Bruiser, which they primarily wrote, and starred in. The show also featured Olivia Colman, who would become a regular cast member of Mitchell and Webb projects, Matt Holness, later co-creator and star of cult program Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, and Martin Freeman, later of The Office fame. Additional material for the show was provided by various people including Ricky Gervais, Richard Ayoade and James Bachman.[8]
In 2001 the two were commissioned for a sketch show of their own, entitled The Mitchell and Webb Situation, which ran for six episodes on the now defunct channel Play UK.[7] Mitchell and Webb's next project came in 2003, with starring roles in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, as flatmates Mark Corrigan and Jeremy "Jez" Usborne respectively.[9] The pair shared the 2007 Royal Television Society Award for "Comedy Performance",[10] and were jointly nominated for Best Television Comedy Actor at the 2006 British Comedy Awards.[11] Webb was nominated for the Best Television Comedy Actor award again, this time without Mitchell, in 2009.[12] Peep Show has aired seven series, making it the longest-running sitcom in Channel 4 history.[13]
After the success of Peep Show Mitchell and Webb returned to sketch comedy with their BBC Radio 4 sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound, which ran for four series. The show was adapted for television and became That Mitchell and Webb Look, producer Gareth Edwards described it as "the shortest pitch [he had] ever written".[5] Towards the end of 2006 the pair made their first tour, with a show called The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb. The tour was criticised as just "a succession of largely unrelated scenes" by The Guardian's Brian Logan, who gave it a rating of two stars.[14]
That Mitchell and Webb Look won them the BAFTA for "Best Comedy Programme or Series" at the 2007 awards,[15] and they earned a further nomination for it in 2009.[16] It was nominated for two British Comedy awards in 2006: "Britain's Best New TV Comedy" and the "Highland Spring People's Choice".[11] Their stage tour The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb was nominated for the British Comedy Award for "Best Stage Comedy",[11] and That Mitchell and Webb Sound won a Sony Silver Award.[17] Their first film, Magicians was released on 18 May 2007. It was directed by Andrew O'Connor and written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain.[18] Webb played the role of modern magician Karl.[19]
Mitchell and Webb's first comedy book This Mitchell and Webb Book was released in 2009,[20] with a further book expected in 2010.[21] They filmed Playing Shop a comedy television pilot for BBC2 about two men who operate a business out of their shed, which they also wrote.[22] Although the BBC were happy with it, Mitchell and Webb scrapped it themselves, as they felt it was too similar to Peep Show. A new pilot had been commissioned,[23] but the plan was later shelved.[24]
The duo also fronted the campaign of the UK version of Apple Inc.'s Get a Mac adverts, with Mitchell playing PC.[25] The adverts have received much criticism. Writing in The Guardian, Charlie Brooker claimed that the use of Mitchell and Webb in the adverts was a curious choice. He compared the characters of PC and Mac in the adverts to those of Mark and Jeremy in Peep Show, stating that "when you see the ads, you think, 'PCs are a bit rubbish yet ultimately lovable, whereas Macs are just smug, preening tossers.'"[26] The British Sitcom Guide also criticised the pair for "selling their souls".[27] One journalist called the adverts "worse than not funny", and accused Mitchell and Webb of "an act of grave betrayal" for taking corporate work.[28] In an interview with The Telegraph, Robert Webb responded to the duo's critics, stating that "when someone asks, 'Do you want to do some funny ads for not many days in the year and be paid more than you would be for an entire series of Peep Show?' the answer, obviously, is, 'Yeah, that's fine'".[28] In the same interview, Mitchell also said "I don't see what is morally inconsistent with a comedian doing an advert. It's all right to sell computers, isn't it? Unless you think that capitalism is evil - which I don't. It's not like we're helping to flog a baby-killing machine".[28]
Webb has also appeared in two series of the BBC Three sitcom The Smoking Room (2004) and the Radio 4 sketch show Concrete Cow. In 2005 he appeared in the Ben Elton-scripted BBC One sitcom Blessed as Ardal O'Hanlon's 'perfect' counterpart.[7]
He and Olivia Colman also featured as a naturist couple in Confetti, a 2006 film about a competition for the most original wedding. Webb has since called the film "shit" on several occasions,[29] and was led to believe that his genitals would be pixellated out but only discovered at the screening of the film that they were not.[30]
Also in 2008, Webb made his West End stage debut in the UK premiere of Neil LaBute's Fat Pig, co-starring as Tom alongside Kris Marshall, Joanna Page and Ella Smith.[31]
Webb won the 2009 series Let's Dance for the charity Comic Relief, parodying the audition sequence from the film Flashdance.[32] He also narrates the series Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum.[33] He hosted a 2010 Channel 4 series looking at the week's online news, Robert's Web.[13]
Between April 2010 and April 2011 Webb wrote a weekly column for the Saturday edition of The Daily Telegraph. He later criticised those who commented on the online versions of his articles in an article for The New Statesman.[34][35]
He has appeared on several panel shows, including The Bubble, Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and QI. In January 2011, Webb appeared on a celebrity version of BBC quiz Mastermind, answering nine questions correctly on his specialist subject (the novels of Ian McEwan) and 11 correctly on the general knowledge round.
In 2011 he played Dan the geology lecturer in Channel 4 series Fresh Meat.
Webb married fellow comedy performer Abigail Burdess in 2007 after meeting her on the set of a radio sketch show.[1] David Mitchell was the best man. They live in Kilburn, London (as does Mitchell). The couple have two daughters.[36][37]
Webb has stated that he is a supporter of the Labour Party.[35]
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Confetti | Michael |
| 2007 | Magicians | Karl |
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Jack Docherty Show | Various characters | Also writer |
| 1998 | Comedy Nation | Various characters | |
| 2000 | Meaningful Sex | Graham | |
| Bruiser | Various characters | Also writer | |
| 2001 | Fun at the Funeral Parlour | Packham | Episode 1.4: "The Mountains of Doom" |
| The Mitchell and Webb Situation | Various characters | Also writer | |
| People Like Us | Tom Wolfson | Episode 2.5: "The Bank Manager" | |
| 2002 | The Gist | Paul Ashdown | |
| 2003 | My Family | Arvo | Episode 4.14: "Sixty Feet Under" |
| 2003- | Peep Show | Jeremy | Longest-running role |
| 2004 | 55 Degrees North | Dog Handler | Episode 1.3 |
| 2004–2005 | The Smoking Room | Robin | Appeared in all 17 episodes |
| 2005 | Twisted Tales | Colin | Episode 1.9: "Nothing to Fear"; also writer |
| Blessed | Bill Hathaway | Appeared in all eight episodes | |
| 2006- | That Mitchell and Webb Look | Various characters | Also writer; won BAFTA for Best Comedy Programme or Series; two British Comedy Award nominations |
| 2011- | Fresh Meat | Dan |
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