NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Griff Rhys Jones

Griff Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a British comedian, writer and actor. He came to national attention in the 1980s when he starred with Mel Smith in a number of comedy sketch shows on British TV. Image File history File links GryffRhysJonesNTNON.jpg Summary Griff Rhys Jones on Not The Nine OClock News Licensing This image is a screenshot of a copyrighted television program or station ID. As such, the copyright for it is most likely owned by the company or corporation that produced it. ... Image File history File links GryffRhysJonesNTNON.jpg Summary Griff Rhys Jones on Not The Nine OClock News Licensing This image is a screenshot of a copyrighted television program or station ID. As such, the copyright for it is most likely owned by the company or corporation that produced it. ... Not the Nine OClock News is a comedy television programme that was shown on the BBC, broadcast from 1979 to 1982. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Wales_(bordered). ... Cardiff (English: Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... This article is about the country. ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke while waiting between takes during location filming An actor or actress is a person who acts, or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ... Not the Nine OClock News is a comedy television programme that was shown on the BBC, broadcast from 1979 to 1982. ... Alas Smith and Jones was a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ... Mel Smith Mel Smith is an English actor, film director, writer, producer born in London on December 3, 1952) He attended New College, Oxford. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... British television broadcasting has a range of different broadcasters, broadcasting multiple channels over a variety of distribution media. ...

Biography

Early life

Griffith Rhys Jones was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a doctor. Moving with his father's work, he attended Primary School in Midhurst, Sussex, junior school in Harlow, Essex and Secondary School at Brentwood School, in Brentwood, Essex.^[1] While the family was resident in Essex, his father had a boat in West Mersea, which they would sail around the coast of Suffolk and into The Broads.^[2] Cardiff (English: Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... This article is about the country. ... Midhurst is a market town in the English county of West Sussex, with a population of approximately 5000. ... Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. ... Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. ... This article is about the county of Essex in England. ... Brentwood School Brentwood School is a public school in Brentwood in the English county of Essex. ... Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, part of Essex in England. ... West Mersea is a small town in the Colchester borough of Essex in the East of England. ... Suffolk (pronounced ) is a large historic and modern non-metropolitan county in East Anglia, England. ... It has been suggested that Norfolk_Broads be merged into this article or section. ...

While at Brentwood School he met Charlie Bean (later Executive Director of the Bank of England) and Douglas Adams (who would later write The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). He was part of a group whose antics led to them being referred to as "The Clique" by the school's headmaster. After a short spell working as a petrol-pump attendant, he gained a gap-year job on the P&O ship Uganda, working for a company organising school trips. In his autobiography Semi-Detached (see below) he describes how he was charged with helping to look after 600 Canadian schoolgirls, followed by a similar number of younger Scottish schoolchildren, and refers to the experience as being like "St Trinians at sea".^[3] He wrote to eight of the Canadians afterwards, and lost his virginity to one of them, named Jill.^[4] Charlie Bean (Born September 16, 1953) is Executive Director and Chief Economist at the Bank of England. ... Headquarters London Governor Mervyn King Central Bank of United Kingdom Currency Pound Sterling ISO 4217 Code GBP Base borrowing rate 5. ... Douglas NoÃ«l Adams (11 March 1952 â€“ 11 May 2001) was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. ... The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ... The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company or P&O is a shipping line which started in 1840 after the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company won the British Admiralty contract to carry the mail overseas in 1837. ... St Trinians is a fictional girls school created by Ronald Searle, a British cartoonist. ...

Rhys Jones followed Bean and Adams to Cambridge, reading History and English at Emmanuel College. While at University, Jones joined the prestigious Cambridge Footlights Club (of which he became Vice-President in 1976). He was also president of the ADC (Amateur Dramatics Club) during his time at Cambridge. At this time, his ambitions were focused on the theatre, particularly directing. The University of Cambridge (usually abbreviated as Cantab. ... Full name Emmanuel College Motto - Named after Immanuel Previous names - Established 1584 Sister College(s) Exeter College Master The Lord Wilson of Dinton Location St Andrews Street Undergraduates 494 Postgraduates 98 Homepage Boatclub Emmanuel front court and the Wren chapel Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University... The ADC Theatre is the home of the Footlights. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into ADC Theatre. ...

After University, he started appearing in numerous comedy programmes, initially with Clive Anderson, and also producing Rowan Atkinson's show Atkinson's People for the BBC. Although not appearing in the pilot show, producer John Lloyd was asked by the BBC to replace original team member Chris Langham in the 1980s sketch show Not the Nine O'Clock News. Rhys Jones says that the reason he got the part was not due to his appearance in initial shows, or his talent, but because Lloyd was dating his sister at the time. Rhys Jones became a regular from the commissioned second series, alongside Atkinson, Mel Smith and Pamela Stephenson. Clive Anderson (born 10 December 1952) is a British former barrister (specialising in criminal law) turned comedy writer and television presenter. ... Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer best known for playing Edmund Blackadder in Blackadder and for playing the title role in the British television comedy Mr. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GBÂ£4 billion... John Lloyd (born 1951 in Dover, England; birth name: John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd), British comedy writer and producer. ... Chris Langham (born 14 April 1949) is a British writer and comedian. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Not the Nine OClock News is a comedy television programme that was shown on the BBC, broadcast from 1979 to 1982. ... Mel Smith Mel Smith is an English actor, film director, writer, producer born in London on December 3, 1952) He attended New College, Oxford. ... Pamela Stephenson on Not The Nine OClock News Pamela Stephenson (also known as Pamela Stephenson Connolly), (born December 4, 1949 in Takapuna, Auckland) is a New Zealand-Australian actress, psychologist, and former comedian, now resident in Beverly Hills, California. ...

Partnership with Mel Smith

After Not the Nine O'Clock News, Smith and Rhys Jones thought they would be unemployed. They decided to take action in two areas, firstly by creating and writing more material together, and secondly by starting a management company to produce their own shows as well as other performers', and hence make more money on which to live. Not the Nine OClock News is a comedy television programme that was shown on the BBC, broadcast from 1979 to 1982. ...

In 1981, Smith and Rhys Jones founded TalkBack Productions, a company which has produced many of the most significant British comedy shows of the past two decades, including Smack the Pony, Da Ali G Show, I'm Alan Partridge and Big Train. From 1984, Smith and Rhys Jones appeared in the comedy sketch series Alas Smith and Jones (the show's title being a pun on the American TV series Alias Smith and Jones). After the first series of Alas Smith And Jones, the pair appeared on the big screen in Mike Hodges' disappointing sci-fi comedy movie Morons From Outer Space. They also developed TalkBack to manage other acts, including Matt Lucas and David Walliams of Little Britain fame. In 2000, they sold the company to Thames TV for £62 million. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Talkback Productions was formed in 1981 by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. ... The Best of Smack the Pony DVD Cover, featuring (left to right) Doon Mackichan, Fiona Allen and Sally Phillips. ... Da Ali G Show was the name of two related satirical TV series starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and featuring the character Ali G. The original (single season) series was made by Channel 4 in the UK, and the second (two season) series by HBO in the US. The... Im Alan Partridge is a British sitcom. ... Big Train is a surreal television comedy sketch show written by the creators of the more successful Father Ted, Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alas Smith and Jones was a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. ... Alias Smith and Jones was a Western television series on ABC from 1971 to 1973, starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy. ... Mike Hodges (born July 29, 1932 in Bristol, England) is a British screenwriter and film director. ... Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is a British comedy actor. ... David Walliams, (born David Williams) August 20, 1971 in Surrey, is an English comedy actor, best known for his partnership with Matt Lucas in the sketch show Little Britain. ... Little Britain is a character-based BBC radio and television sketch show written by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Thames Television was an British television production company and between 1968 and 1992 was the weekday ITV company serving London from 9 :25 a. ...

Smith and Jones were reunited in 2005 for a review/revival of their previous TV series in The Alas Smith And Jones Sketchbook. The BBC was criticized for using it to repeat a series of programmes without resorting to unpopular re-runs.^{[citation needed]} Smith joked: "Obviously, Griff's got more money than me so he came to work in a Rolls Royce and I came on a bicycle. But it was great fun to do and we are firmly committed to doing something new together, because you don't chuck that sort of chemistry away. Of course, I'll have to pretend I like Restoration."^[5] 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Restoration is a set of BBC television series, beginning in 2003. ...

Recent work

Rhys Jones was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1984 (1983 season) for Best Comedy Performance in Charley's Aunt and in 1994 (1993 season) for Best Comedy Performance for his performance in An Absolute Turkey. W. S. Penley as the first Charleys Aunt, Donna Lucia dâ€™Alvadorez, performed at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds in 1892. ...

Rhys Jones has developed a career as a TV presenter, beginning as the co-host on several Comic Relief shows. He is the presenter of the BBC's Restoration programme (he began filming its third series at Lincoln Cathedral on 3 June 2006), and has done a considerable amount of fundraising work for the Hackney Empire theatre conservation project. In 2004 he and Rory McGrath led a demonstration at the Senate House in Cambridge University for the purpose of saving architecture as a degree in Cambridge. Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GBÂ£4 billion... Restoration was a 2003 BBC television series in which viewers chose which of the United Kingdoms most important but neglected buildings that were nominated were to be awarded a Heritage Lottery Grant of £3m. ... Norman West front Lincoln Cathedral (in full The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, or sometimes St. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Hackney Empire The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, Hackney. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... McGrath presenting More Own Goals & Gaffs DVD. Rory McGrath (born March 3, 1956) is a British comedian. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ...

He provided the voices on the series of short cartoons, Funnybones, for which he also sang the theme tune. Other notable television work includes two BBC documentaries re-creating the legendary British comic novel Three Men in a Boat, in which he rowed down the Thames from London to Oxford with fellow comedians Dara O'Briain and Rory McGrath. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GBÂ£4 billion... Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), published 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford. ... Dara Ó Briain [da-ra oh breen] is an Irish comedian and television presenter. ... McGrath presenting More Own Goals & Gaffs DVD. Rory McGrath (born March 3, 1956) is a British comedian. ...

Rhys Jones has also continued his acting career, having roles in Casualty and Marple as well as starring in Russell T. Davies's drama series Mine All Mine on ITV1. His forthcoming TV projects include a documentary series, Mountain. Casualty is the longest running emergency medical drama series in the world[1], first broadcast in 1986 and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. ... Marple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. ... Russell T Davies, interviewed for the documentary series Doctor Who Confidential in 2005. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ...

A resident of East Anglia, in 2002 he was awarded an honorary degree by the University of East Anglia.^[6] For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a leading campus university located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, founded as part of the British Governments New Universities programme in the 1960s. ...

Writing

In 2002, Rhys Jones started writing a book called To the Baltic with Bob, describing his adventures on the high seas with his sailing friend Bob, as they make their way to St Petersburg, port by port. In 2002 they reached Copenhagen where the boat was stored for the winter, and completed the journey in summer 2003.^[6] Rhys Jones released the book in 2003, saying of the experience: "As a child you go out and play and you lose all track of time and space. It's harder and harder to attain that blissful state of absorption as you get older. I did a six-month sailing trip to St Petersburg with some mates just to get it back."^[4] For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... For other uses, see Copenhagen (disambiguation). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

His early life has been captured in his autobiography Semi-Detached published in 2006 by Penguin Books. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ...

Personal life

Rhys Jones met his wife Jo, a graphic designer, while working at the BBC. He has described their first meeting by saying "The day we met, I was semi-naked and she was throwing water over me." The couple have two children, and live between homes in London (previously in Islington, now in a Grade I listed former office block in London’s West End) and Holbrook, Suffolk.^[7] The family have a chocolate coloured Labrador called "Cadbury".^[8] The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GBÂ£4 billion... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Islington is an inner-city district in north London. ... The interior of Covent Garden Market in the West End The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the citys major tourist attractions, businesses, and administrative headquarters. ... Holbrook is a rural village situated close to the northern shore of the Stour Estuary. ... Suffolk (pronounced ) is a large historic and modern non-metropolitan county in East Anglia, England. ... Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. ...

Rhys Jones started running as a leisure pursuit in his early forties, and is a teetotaler: "I don't drink so going to a party can become very tedious. By about 11 o'clock everybody goes to another planet and you're not there with them, so I tend to avoid that sort of thing."^[7] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Although not a hardcore follower of football he has taken time to visit Ipswich Town at events and has admitted he supported them as a child. Ipswich Town F.C. are the professional football team of Ipswich, in East Anglia, England. ...

Quotations

References

id="External_links"> March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... The logo of Internet Archive Internet Archive headquarters The Internet Archive (IA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line library and archive of Web and multimedia resources. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (135th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ...

External links

Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1953 births | Living people | People from Cardiff | Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge | Cambridge Footlights | Welsh film actors | Welsh television actors | Welsh television presenters | Welsh comedians | British comedy writers | British television writers The elected leader of Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as Footlights, is known as the Footlights President. ... Nicholas Hytner (born May 7, 1956) is an award-winning British theatrical and opera producer and director. ...

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