Johnny Vegas

Links:

Roles:

Contestant

Biography

Michael Joseph Pennington (born on 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English comedian and actor. He is known for his portly figure, angry comedic rants, surreal humour, Lancashire accent, and husky voice. He has also been recognised for his ceramic work, having studied art and ceramics at Middlesex University.

Between 1994 and 1997 he was a member of Cluub Zarathustra, a comedy performance group led by Stewart Lee, Roger Mann, and Simon Munnery.

In 1996 he made his television debut as a contestant on Win, Lose or Draw!, under his real name.

In 1999, after receiving praise for his ceramic work from the publication Ceramic Review, he was offered a role in Pot Shots, a film made for an international gathering of potters. This led to his work being acquired for a collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and a commission from Old Spice to design a bottle for their aftershave.

In 2000 he appeared in Joe Orton’s The Erpingham Camp at the Edinburgh Festival.

In 2001 he starred as Al in adverts for ITV Digital, with a puppet named Monkey (voiced by Ben Miller), and also appeared on a comedians special of The Weakest Link, beating Barry Cryer to win the jackpot of £10,200.

In 2002 he featured on The Big Breakfast show during the programme’s final months, and gained a wider audience as a regular member of of the comedy panel show Shooting Stars. He also starred in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Night Class, which he co-wrote with Tony Burgess and Tony Pitts.

In 2003 he played Jackie Symes in the film The Virgin of Liverpool, Alf Prince in the film Cheeky, and Trevor in the film Blackball.

In 2004 he played Dave in the film Sex Lives of the Potato Men, and voiced Uncle Stewart in the film Terkel in Trouble.

Between 2005 and 2011 he starred as Moz in the BBC Three sitcom Ideal.

In 2007 he reprised his role as Al, accompanied by the puppet named Monkey, in adverts for PG Tips tea. He has also been a regular panellist on the quiz show QI since 2007.

Between 2007 and 2009, and between 2015 and 2017, he played Geoff Maltby aka “The Oracle” in the ITV sitcom Benidorm.

In 2012 he played the role of Mr. Croombe in a television adaptation of David Walliams’ children’s novel Mr Stink.

In 2013 he played the role of Lord Ratspeaker in a BBC radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and voiced Abu the hamster in the British film The Harry Hill Movie. Since 2013 he has also played Wet Eric Agnew in the revived BBC sitcom Still Open All Hours.

In 2014 he voiced Fat Baz in the ITV4 animated sitcom Warren United, and also took part in ITV’s two-part documentary series Secrets from the Clink. He also directed a music video for Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, and published his autobiography in this year.

In 2015 he narrated the four-part series Travel Guides for ITV. He has also appeared as a guest panellist and team captain on Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown since 2015.

In 2016 he starred in a one-off comedy pilot called Home From Home, playing the lead role of Neil Hackett. Later in the year it was announced that the show had been commissioned for a full series to air on BBC One in 2018. In 2016 he also took part in ITV’s celebrity driving show Drive, hosted by Vernon Kay.

In 2017 he guest presented several episodes of Sunday Brunch for Channel 4, and gained critical acclaim for his long poem about a drunk patron during last calls at a bar. It was also announced this year that he would be starring in the new comedy feature Eaten by Lions, opposite Antonio Aakeel and Jack Carroll.

In 2018 he provided the voice for Asbo in the Aardman Animations film Early Man.

Since 2019 he has starred as the voice of the title character in the surreal children’s animated series The Rubbish World of Dave Spud.

[Source: Wikipedia, 06/03/2021.]