Joseph Roland Wilkinson is an English comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He began his comedy career in 2004 and has supported Alan Carr and Russell Howard on tour.[1] In 2006, Wilkinson won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year.[2] He has also made numerous appearances on television programmes such as Live at the Electric and has been touring solo since 2011. He began appearing on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown in 2012, initially as Rachel Riley's assistant. He has since gone on to become a frequent panellist or guest team captain. He is also in the comedy duo Two Episodes of Mash, alongside Diane Morgan. In 2019 Wilkinson won a celebrity special version of The Great British Bake Off (for Stand Up to Cancer UK).
Joe Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
 Wilkinson in 2020 | |
| Born | Joseph Roland Wilkinson Bromley, London, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse |
Petra Exton (m. 2015) |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
|
| Genres | |
Early life
editWilkinson was born to Stella and Brian Wilkinson and grew up in Kent.[3][4]
Career
editWilkinson started his career in 2004 at his local pub, which was holding an 'open mic' evening.[5] Since 2008, he has performed many stand-up shows, including the tour "Joe Wilkinson: My Mum's Called Stella and My Dad's Called Brian",[5] and has appeared at venues such as the Edinburgh Fringe and the Bloomsbury Theatre.
Television
editSince 2010, Wilkinson has appeared in a number of television shows. In 2010, he played various characters in the first series of Robert's Web. He appeared on The Rob Brydon Show, The Wright Stuff, Show & Tell, Comedy Lab, My Funniest Year, and the television film England's Worst Ever Football Team. He played a major role in Him & Her as Dan Perkins, the lonely, socially awkward neighbour to main characters Becky and Steve.
Wilkinson is a regular on popular British panel shows. He has appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Have I Got News for You, Mock the Week and Never Mind the Buzzcocks and has performed at a stand-up section of Russell Howard's Good News. He has appeared in Miranda.
Wilkinson wrote three episodes in the first series of Anna & Katy, as well as an animated short in 2012, A Fishy Tale. Three episodes of Show & Tell and the episode '2001' for My Funniest Year were written by him.
Wilkinson was involved in the BBC Three comedy show Live at the Electric as a member of the comedic double act Two Episodes of Mash with Diane Morgan.[6] It had been previously broadcast on BBC Radio 2.[1]
In 2014, Wilkinson appeared as a resident comedian on the revived TV game show Celebrity Squares, hosted by Warwick Davis on ITV.[7] It returned for a second series in April 2015.
In 2016, he starred in the Sky 1 series Rovers which he co-wrote with David Earl.[8] He was also a contestant on the second series of Dave comedy panel show Taskmaster.[9]
In 2019, Wilkinson appeared as Jeffrey in the first and third series of the Netflix original series Sex Education, and featured in Ricky Gervais' comedy-drama After Life as "Postman Pat", the incompetent and nosey postman of the main character's street.
In November 2019 he starred in the three-part Gold sitcom The Cockfields, which he co-wrote with David Earl. Wilkinson plays Simon, who takes his girlfriend Donna (Diane Morgan) to meet his family at their home on the Isle of Wight for the first time.[10]
8 Out of 10 Cats
editSince 2012, Wilkinson has made semi-regular appearances on the 8 Out of 10 Cats spin-off show 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. He generally participates in the show's latter half and occasionally acts as Rachel Riley's assistant. He often appears in costumes, performs stunts and brings on special guests, and routinely refers to the show's regular model, Robert Deaton, (aka "Fabio"), as his half-brother. In 2012, during the special episode of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Deal or No Deal?, Wilkinson made a special appearance as the banker's assistant.
In 2024, Wilkinson co-presented Joe & Katherine's Bargain Holidays[11] with Katherine Ryan on Channel 4.
Stand-up
editWilkinson has performed two major tours: My Mum's Called Stella and my Dad's Called Brian[12] and The Joe Wilkinson Experience.[13]
Other work
editIn 2014, Wilkinson appeared in a commercial for Hellmann's Mayonnaise with Sue Barker and Brian Blessed, and in 2015, Wilkinson began voicing ads for Hotels.com.
In June 2015, Wilkinson appeared in a live recording for the Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown. From the beginning of the show, he was quite inebriated and had to be substituted with a member of the audience when he left to get himself another glass of wine. The episode was published in August 2017.[14]
In 2019, Wilkinson took part in a special episode of The Great British Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer, with Georgia Toffolo, Jeremy Paxman and Sally Lindsay. He made Gherkin-inspired biscuits in round one, which host Paul Hollywood loved, and he won first place. Round 2 was chocolate crumpets, which also won first place. Round 3 was to bake a cake representing a hobby: he chose a Chocolate Orange cake to represent his "peachy bum" Rear of the Year award, again coming first. Overall, Wilkinson won Star Baker [15]
Podcasts
editGossipmongers
editIn 2019 Wilkinson, David Earl, and Poppy Hillstead began a podcast called Gossipmongers, a weekly podcast where listeners send in unsubstantiated rumours. At the end of each episode they choose their favourite piece of gossip from that episode. In September 2020 Hillstead was removed from the podcast[16][17] without any public explanation from Earl or Wilkinson. The podcast continued without Hillstead and all mention of her was removed including the entire back catalogue being deleted. The podcast quietly came to an end with the final full episode in February 2022. Earl and Wilkinson have both suggested there are no plans to bring it back.
Chatabix
editIn 2021, David Earl and Joe Wilkinson began a podcast called Chatabix, originally a daily weekday podcast recorded very early in the morning. From the Summer of 2023 the podcast changed to being 3 episodes a week released Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
My New Football Club
editIn 2021, David Earl and Joe Wilkinson began a podcast called My New Football Club. Wilkinson left the podcast in 2022 due to being unable to commit time to it. The show is now presented by Earl, Jon Beer and Alfie Indra. The podcast was originally about David becoming a new fan of Exeter City but now provides regular updates on Exeter City including interviews with staff as well as famous fans of other teams.[18]
My Mate’s A Footballer
editIn 2023, Joe Wilkinson and Patrick Bamford, began a podcast titled “My Mate’s A Footballer”, a weekly podcast centred around Wilkinson’s dream to be best mates with a footballer. The two discuss the ins and outs of professional sport, with Bamford able to give insight into the dressing room of Leeds United.
Personal life
editWilkinson and his wife, Petra Exton, live in Brighton.[19] He ran the Brighton Marathon in 2022.[20]
Wilkinson has described his life as "boring" but argues it has been useful in giving him material for his stand-up act.[21] He is a supporter of Gillingham F.C.[22][23] who are currently in EFL League Two.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Monster from Bikini Beach | Luau Burdett | |
| 2010 | England's Worst Ever Football Team | Himself | Documentary |
| 2012 | Eggbox | Fast Eddie | Television film |
| 2014 | The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night | Himself | |
| 2015 | SuperBob | The Postman | |
| 2023 | 7 Minutes | Jim | Short film directed by Ricky Gervais |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–13 | Him & Her | Dan Perkins | Main role |
| 2011–19 | 8 Out of 10 Cats | Himself | Guest panellist (20 episodes) |
| 2011 | The Rob Brydon Show | 1 episode | |
| Comedy Lab | Sheriff | Episode: "Rick and Peter" | |
| Show and Tell | Himself | 2 episodes | |
| The Wright Stuff | Guest panellist (1 episode) | ||
| 2012–present | 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown | Rachel Riley's assistant; frequent panellist/guest team captain (48 episodes) | |
| 2012 | Russell Howard's Good News | 1 episode | |
| Live at the Electric | Various characters | 8 episodes | |
| 2013 | Have I Got News for You | Himself | 6 episodes |
| Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live | 1 episode | ||
| 2013–14 | Miranda | Norman | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Derek | Cliff | 2 episodes |
| 24 Hours To Go Broke | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 2014–15 | Celebrity Squares | Resident comedian (15 episodes) | |
| 2015 | Russell Howard's Stand Up Central | 1 episode | |
| 2016 | Taskmaster | Contestant (5 episodes) | |
| Rovers | Lee | Also writer, associate producer | |
| 2017 | Still Open All Hours | Wayne | 1 episode |
| 2018 | The Crystal Maze | Himself | Contestant (1 episode) |
| 2019 | Comedians Watching Football with Friends | Himself | [24] |
| Moominvalley | Hemulen Fisherman and Park Keeper (Voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 2019–2021 | The Cockfields | Simon | 10 episodes, also co-writer |
| 2019–2023 | Sex Education | Jeffrey | 8 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | After Life | Pat | Main role; 3 series |
| 2022 | Outsiders | Himself | Series 2 |
| Not Going Out | Keith | 1 episode | |
| Hobby Man | Himself | 1 episode[25] | |
| Prince Andrew: The Musical | Newspaper vendor | ||
| 2023 | Would I Lie to You? | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2024 | The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin | Geoffrey The Gaoler | 3 episodes |
| Douglas Is Cancelled | Tom | Miniseries[26] | |
| Joe & Katherine's Bargain Holidays | Himself | 6 episodes[27] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Radio 2's Comedy Showcase, Two Episodes of Mash". BBC Online. 11 December 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "The Very Best of New Act Of The Year 2006 – Hosted by Tim Vine". All In London. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ^ Quickly Kevin; Will he score? The 90s Football Show S10 EP2: Joe Wilkinson on Gillingham FC. 4th April 2022.
- ^ https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/joe-wilkinson/bio/3030464899/ Joe Wilkinson Biography.
- ^ a b "Interview with Joe Wilkinson". Comedy Blogedy. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ Seale, Jack (2 June 2012). "Live at the Electric: Series 1 – Episode 1". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "Celebrity Squares – resident comedians announced" (Press release). ITV. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ "Sky 1 scores a blinder with Rovers, a brand new comedy produced by Craig Cash". Sky UK. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ Taylor, Frances (13 December 2017). "Taskmaster Champion of Champions: Alex Horne rates the contenders". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ "The Cockfields – Gold Sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ "Joe & Katherine's Bargain Holidays".
- ^ Challis, Chris (12 October 2011). "Joe Wilkinson: My Mum's Called Stella, My Dad's Called Brian, Komedia, Brighton, October 12". The Argus. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ "Current Events – id:198 The Joe Wilkinson Experience". The Invisible Dot Ltd. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ British Comedy Guide. "Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown – Series 7 – Episode 4 (Stained Carpet)". SoundCloud. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- ^ Archer, Katie (27 March 2019). "The Great Celebrity Bake Off: Joe Wilkinson's bottom cake wins him Star Baker". Yahoo! News.
- ^ "Ousted from her own podcast! : News 2020 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide".
- ^ "News: And then There Were Two...Poppy Hillstead Leaves Gossipmongers". 14 September 2020.
- ^ ITV Westcountry
- ^ Graves, Kieran (11 May 2022). "Comedian Joe Wilkinson's quiet life in Brighton away from the camera". sussexlive. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Results". results.raceroster.com. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Joe Wilkinson: My Mum's Called Stella and My Dad's Called Brian". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ Bill, Joe (31 October 2011). "A life less ordinary for Joe Wilkinson". Kent News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ Bannister, Mike (12 September 2015). "Comedy Joe". Run Brighton. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ^ "Comedians Watching Football With Friends press clippings". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ "Hobby Man". channel4.com. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ "All to know about ITV Douglas Is Cancelled - full cast starring Hugh Bonneville". The Herald. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Joe & Katherine's Bargain Holidays".
External links
edit- Joe Wilkinson at IMDb
- Joe Wilkinson on Twitter
- Wilkinson's page at Avalon Agency Archived 20 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine
Media related to Joe Wilkinson at Wikimedia Commons
