Lee Hurst

Lee Hurst
Birth name Lee Hurst
Born (1962-10-16) October 16, 1962
Tower Hamlets, London, England[1]
Nationality British
Notable works and roles They Think It's All Over
Website http://www.leehurst.com

Lee Hurst (born 16 October 1962) is an English stand-up comedian.[1] He is perhaps best known as a panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over, where he was a regular from 1995 to 1998.

In 1999, Hurst was voted no. 48 in Company magazine's "100 Millennium Men" – tagged as a list of 'The Sexiest Men of the Century'.[2]

In 2003, he was considering standing as a candidate in the 2004 London mayoral election. One of the factors behind his decision was a proposed redevelopment, which would have seen his club demolished.[1][3]

Hurst suffers from a severe form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis, a condition which causes acute back and joint pain.[4]

Career

Hurst took up comedy after being employed in a number of jobs after leaving school, including working for a building society, the Department of Health and Social Security, and as a telephone engineer for BT. He made his first appearance on stage at the Donmar Warehouse: he later said that at the time "I only had four jokes and they were really crap but I told the first one and got a huge laugh. I couldn't believe it. I thought, 'This is all right'".[5]

Television work

They Think It's All Over

Hurst got a break when he became the warm-up act for Have I Got News for You: producer Harry Thompson gave Hurst the opportunity to appear on the show as a guest.[5]

Hurst first became known to television viewers as a regular team member on the BBC Two comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over. He appeared alongside David Gower in 42 episodes over the first six series, from the first episode on 14 September 1995 until 1998.

He reduced his TV appearances to allow more time for running his comedy club, Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club.[1] He has returned for two appearances as a guest on They Think It's All Over towards the end of its run for series 17 in 2004, and for the 2011 Comic Relief 24 Hour Panel People.

Other television credits

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Hurst's other TV credits include presenting Shark Tank, Salvage Squad and The Warehouse, and guest appearances on That’s Showbusiness, The Stand Up Show and Have I Got News for You. He has also appeared as a regular panellist on Don’t Give Up Your Day Job. He also fronted ITV's short-lived revival of the entertainment show Saturday Live.

Writing

Hurst was the creator of Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment, which ran for five series on Five between 1997 and 2000.

Conviction for criminal damage

Hurst pleaded guilty to criminal damage in February 2009 after an incident on 3 September 2008. He allegedly ran through the crowd at a stand-up comedy show he was performing at the Stoke Pub in Guildford, and snatched a mobile phone from a member of the audience, then took it on stage and hurled it to the floor, shouting "I’m fucking fed up with you fucking people fucking filming me and fucking putting it on fucking YouTube."[6]

Hurst was fined £60, and ordered to pay compensation of £80 and £87 costs in February 2009.[7]

Politics

During the 1990s Hurst espoused left-wing politics: he refused to be interviewed by newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch, was a critic of the Blair government, and in one interview, stated that he stopped attending a back support group which helped him with his ankylosing spondylitis after he found out that it was run as a charity, explaining that "I believe it should be provided by the State through taxation. I'd be very hypocritical if I used their facilities when I won't do medical charity benefits".[5] However, according to comments made by Hurst on his official Twitter account in 2014, he is a supporter of the UK Independence Party.[8]

Stand-up videos

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Comedian's mayoral ambition". BBC News. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  2. ↑ "Company's Top 100 Men". ('The Sexiest Men of the Century'). BBC News - Entertainment. 28 May 1999. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  3. ↑ "Lee Hurst's comedy club to be demolished ...but replaced with something nicer". chortle.co.uk. May 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Probe into arthritis pain". BBC News. BBC. 24 August 2002. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  5. 1 2 3 Lawrence, Janie (2 November 1997). "You think they're all lads". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Lee Hurst smashes mobile phone during performance in 'YouTube' rage". The Daily Telegraph.
  7. ↑ "Comic Hurst fined for phone smash". BBC News. United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 2009-02-16. Archived from the original on 2009-12-29. Retrieved 2009-12-29. Comedian Lee Hurst has been fined for smashing a mobile phone belonging to an audience member during a stand-up gig. Hurst, 46, who lives in Limehouse, east London, admitted a charge of criminal damage at Guildford Magistrates' Court. ... The former star of TV quiz They Think It's All Over was fined £60, and ordered to pay compensation of £80 and £87 costs.
  8. ↑ @2010LeeHurst (14 September 2014). "It's UKIP for me. I want out of the EU." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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