Chris Addison

Chris Addison
Chris Addison performing at Resofit, a benefit concert for Resonance FM, 2007
Born	November 1972, age 38 Didsbury, Manchester, England
Nationality	British
Years active	1995 – present
Notable works and roles	The Thick of It,The Department, Lab Rats, Skins
Website	http://www.chrisaddison.com/

Chris Addison (born November 1972 in Didsbury, Manchester) is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor with a career that has spanned over a decade. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4, as well as for his roles as Ollie in the BBC television satirical comedy The Thick of It and Toby in its spin-off film In the Loop. He also starred in and co-created/wrote Lab Rats, a sitcom that aired on BBC2 in 2008.

Education

Addison was educated at Manchester Grammar School, an independent school for boys in Manchester, followed by the University of Birmingham, where he studied English literature.

Career

Stand-up

Chris Addison has been performing stand-up comedy since 1995. In that year, he won the City Life Comedian of the Year Award, a stand-up competition in the North West of England.

Addison's first solo show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was in 1998, for which he was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Perrier Awards. He continued to bring shows to the Fringe for several years, garnering two Perrier Award nominations — for his 2004 show Civilisation and 2005's Atomicity.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

• 1997 Appeared as part of The Comedy Zone showcase
• 1998 Debut solo Edinburgh Fringe show, nominated for Perrier Comedy Award (Best Newcomer)
• 1999 Gentleman, Scholar, Acrobat
• 2000 Cakes and Ale
• 2001 Port Out, Starboard Home
• 2002 The Ape That Got Lucky (later adapted for BBC Radio 4)
• 2004 Civilization (nominated for Perrier Comedy Award, later adapted for BBC Radio 4)
• 2005 Atomicity (nominated for Perrier Comedy Award)

Radio

First airing in 2004, Chris Addison co-wrote and co-starred in the political satire The Department, along with John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman. This ran for fourteen episodes over three series on BBC Radio 4, ending in 2006.

In August 2005, Radio 4 aired The Ape That Got Lucky, Addison's adaptation of his 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show of the same name. This programme featured fellow comedians Geoffrey McGivern, Jo Enright and Dan Tetsell. On 8 May 2006, The Ape That Got Lucky won the gold award in the comedy production category at the Sony Radio Academy Awards.

In 2006, Chris Addison recorded Chris Addison's Civilisation, again for Radio 4, based on his Edinburgh Fringe show of 2004; this again featured McGivern, Enright and Tetsell and was aired in four parts over the summer.

He has been a panellist on three of Radio 4's comedy panel games: Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, first appearing in 2006, Just a Minute, first appearing in 2007, and The Unbelievable Truth, first appearing in 2009.

Addison hosted a series of the Radio 4 comedy series 4 Stands Up, which showcases up-coming and established comedy talent. As host, Addison performs a short opening set and introduces the acts, in the style of a compère at a comedy club. The first episode aired on 2 April 2009.

On 10 May 2009, Addison hosted the Sunday Night Show on Absolute Radio in place of fellow stand-up comedian Iain Lee who was away due to being on his honeymoon.

Chris Addison hosts 7 Day Sunday, a satirical news show on BBC Radio 5 Live along with his co-hosts Sarah Millican and Andy Zaltzman. The first episode aired in January 2010, and the second series is currently running.

He is also good friends with Geoff Lloyd on Absolute Radio and has made a few appearances on Geoff Lloyds Hometime Show.

Television

Dotcomedy

In 2000 Chris Addison co-hosted the short-lived Channel 4 comedy series Dotcomedy with Gail Porter. This was a late-night, risque show featuring video clips and other humour derived from the internet.

The Thick of It

Since 2005, Addison has appeared in the BBC television satirical comedy series The Thick of It as Oliver "Ollie" Reeder, Junior Advisor (later Special Advisor) to the Secretary of State (Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship). He appeared in all episodes of the first series, as well as the two specials 'Rise of the Nutters' and 'Spinners and Losers'. Chris Addison reprised his role as Ollie when The Thick of It returned for a new series.

Addison also featured in the film adaptation of The Thick of It, entitled In the Loop, playing Toby, a character very similar to his part in the television original.

Lab Rats

In July 2008, BBC2 aired Lab Rats, a sitcom starring Addison and co-written with Carl Cooper. Lab Rats featured cast members Jo Enright, Geoffrey McGivern and Dan Tetsell, with whom Addison had worked previously on the radio adaptations of his one-man shows The Ape That Got Lucky and Civilisation.

Lab Rats was a return to the traditional, joke-heavy, studio based sitcom format that has fallen out of fashion in recent times in favour of the single-camera sitcom. The series was not generally well-received by critics and was not renewed for a second series.

Guest appearances

Addison has made appearances as a panellist on Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You and Mock the Week (five times each), as well as 8 Out of 10 Cats (twice). Also of note is the appearance in Series 5, Episode 3, of Live at the Apollo. Addison appeared on The Graham Norton Show on 16 April 2009 promoting In the Loop.

On Sunday 18 April 2010, Addison appeared on The Andrew Marr Show to comment on the week's political issues, including the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland and The First Election Debate. He most recently appeared for the first time as a guest on the panel show QI on October 29, 2010.

Other work

From 2003 to 2005, Addison wrote a fortnightly finance column for The Guardian entitled "Funny Money". On alternate weeks, when the column was not written by Addison, writing duties passed to fellow stand-up Dominic Holland. He can be seen in the audience for the television taping of Are You Dave Gorman, from 2003.

Addison has written two books, both published by Hodder and Stoughton: Cautionary Tales for Grown Ups in 2006, followed by It Wasn't Me: Why Everybody is to Blame and You're Not in 2008.

He is currently appearing in Skins as Professor David Blood, the tough new college director. He is replacing a character played by Victoria Wicks. On November 4, 2010, Addison hosted the BBC's Have I Got News For You, having previously been a guest on the show.

External links

• Official Web Site
• Chris Addison at IMDb
• "Chris Addison's Civilisation" at BBC Radio 4