Simon Amstell
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| Simon Marc Amstell | |
 Simon Amstell live
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| Born | 29 November 1979 Gants Hill, London, England |
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| Occupation | Stand-up comedian, television presenter, script writer |
| Website Simon Amstell Homepage |
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Simon Marc Amstell (born 29 November, 1979) is a BAFTA nominated[1], award-winning English comedian and television presenter. In 2007, Amstell was nominated for "The Times Breakthrough South Bank Show Award".
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[edit] Career
[edit] Nickelodeon
His first professional television appearance was in 1998, as a presenter on the UK children's channel Nickelodeon. He claims he was sacked for being "sarcastic and mean to children."[2]
[edit] Popworld
From 2000 to 2006 he presented Popworld on Channel 4 with Miquita Oliver. He voiced the characters "Timothy the Popworld melon" and "Richard the Popworld horse". On Popworld he developed a highly ironic, surreal and leftfield style which gained the show a cult following, but angered many of its guests. One such example was a mock interview with singer Lemar called "Lemar From Afar," in which Amstell shouted questions into a megaphone from one end of a car park while Lemar stood at the other end. Another was a "Si-chiatrist" interview with Luke Pritchard and Hugh Harris of The Kooks, in which Amstell played the role of psychiatrist and Pritchard and Harris his patients.
[edit] Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Amstell's first guest star appearances on the show were on 27 October 2003 and on 20 March 2005. Amstell now hosts Never Mind The Buzzcocks full time, with his first episode as host airing at the end of October 2006. He had said that he hoped to beat "the universal, exceptionless rule that when a new host takes over an old show it is a horrible, embarrassing disaster".[3] In March 2007, Amstell won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Entertainment Performance for his work on Never Mind The Buzzcocks. In June 2007, Simon wrote with Dan Swimer Imagine... A Mildly Amusing Panel Show, a spoof version of Alan Yentob's arts programme Imagine. Alan Yentob and Simon Amstell play themselves in a mock interview in between clips of Simon's episodes of Never Mind The Buzzcocks. In December 2007, Amstell won 2 British Comedy Awards' for "Best Comedy Entertainment Personality" and "Best Comedy Entertainment Series" for his work on Never Mind The Buzzcocks. On 23 January 2008, Never Mind the Buzzcocks won the Best Entertainment Programme[4] award at the Broadcast Awards 2008. In February 2008, Amstell wrote with Dan Swimer, Never Mind the Buzzcocks - A Moving Tribute, which included the hoax that Amstell had died.
[edit] Stand up
Amstell also performs as a stand up comedian. He has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every August 2005 - 2007. He has also appeared at the Carling Festivals in the Cabaret and Comedy tent for the last two years.
[edit] Other appearances
- His first television appearance was in 1993 on the Channel 4 show GamesMaster[5].
[edit] Personal life
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (March 2008) |
Amstell was born in Gants Hill into a Jewish family.[6] Amstell came out as gay two months into his work on Popworld, claiming that no one believed him initially, "so I had to keep going on about it."[2] His orientation has been referred to both on Popworld and Never Mind The Buzzcocks, with John Barrowman challenging him to a "gay-off" on NMTB.[7] Amstell has been lauded by some for his "approach of refusing to treat homosexuality as a dirty secret that can’t be mentioned."[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Baftas - 2008 nominations. The Guardian (2008-03-18). Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
- ^ a b I always want the funny line (interview). The Guardian (2006-08-02). Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
- ^ BBC Press release - Simon Amstell is new host of Never Mind The Buzzcocks
- ^ Broadcast magazine Broadcast Awards 2008
- ^ Simon Amstell on GamesMaster 1993. GamesMaster via YouTube (1993). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ Comic Amstell creating sitcom of his early years. The Stage (2007-06-05). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
- ^ AfterElton Briefs. AfterElton.com (2008-02-18). Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
- ^ Simon Amstell: The gay UK comedian courts laughter and controversy. AfterElton.com (2008-02-19). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
[edit] External links
- SimonAmstell.com Simon Amstell's Official site
- Simon Amstell at the Internet Movie Database
- Simon Amstell Official agent's website
- Simon Amstell on Chortle
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