Lee Hurst

Lee Hurst (born 16 October 1962) is an English comedian.[1]

For the footballer, see Lee Hurst (footballer).

Lee Hurst
Birth nameLee Hurst
Born (1962-10-16) 16 October 1962
Tower Hamlets, London, England[1]
NationalityBritish
Notable works and rolesThey Think It's All Over
Websitehttp://www.leehurst.com

Hurst was a regular panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over from 1995 to 1997.

In 2003, he considered standing as a candidate in the 2004 London mayoral election. One of the factors behind his decision was a proposed redevelopment, which would have seen his comedy club demolished.[1][2]

Career

Hurst took up comedy after being employed in a number of jobs after leaving school, including working for a building society, the Department of Health and Social Security, and as a telephone engineer for BT. He made his first appearance on stage at the Donmar Warehouse and later said that, at the time, "I only had four jokes and they were really crap but I told the first one and got a huge laugh. I couldn't believe it. I thought, 'This is all right'".[3]

In February 2009 Hurst pleaded guilty to criminal damage after smashing an audience member's mobile phone at a comedy show in Guildford in September 2008. Hurst said that he did it out of anger, claiming that his shows regularly appear on websites such as YouTube.[4]

They Think It's All Over

Hurst got a break when he became the warm-up act for Have I Got News for You and producer Harry Thompson gave him the opportunity to appear on the show as a guest.[3]

Hurst first became known to television viewers as a regular team member on the BBC Two comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over. He appeared alongside David Gower in 42 episodes over the first six series, from the first episode on 14 September 1995 until 1997.

He reduced his TV appearances to allow more time for running his comedy club, Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club.[1] He returned for two appearances as a guest on They Think It's All Over towards the end of its run for series 17 in 2004, and for the 2011 Comic Relief 24 Hour Panel People.

Other television credits
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Hurst's other TV credits include presenting Shark Tank, Salvage Squad and The Warehouse, and guest appearances on That's Showbusiness, The Stand Up Show and Have I Got News for You. He has also appeared as a regular panellist on Don't Give Up Your Day Job. He also fronted ITV's short-lived revival of the entertainment show Saturday Live.

Writing

Hurst was the creator of Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment, which ran for five series on Five between 1997 and 2000.

Personal life

Health

Hurst has a severe form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis, a condition which causes acute back and joint pain.[5]

Politics

Hurst refuses to be interviewed by newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch, was a critic of the Blair government, and in one interview, stated that he stopped attending a back support group which helped him with his ankylosing spondylitis after he found out that it was run as a charity, explaining that "I believe it should be provided by the State through taxation. I'd be very hypocritical if I used their facilities when I won't do medical charity benefits".[3]

According to comments made by Hurst on his Twitter account in 2014, he is a supporter of the UK Independence Party.[6]

He is a supporter of Brexit and an advocate for free speech, criticising the banning of Tommy Robinson by Twitter[7] and alleging double standards by the media over Robinson's contempt of court hearings and Peter Hain's use of parliamentary privilege.[8] He is also critical of identity politics[9] and left-wing politics generally,[10][11][12] the UN,[13][14][15] feminism,[16][17] Sadiq Khan,[18][19][20] and wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.[21]

Stand-up videos
  • Live (3 November 1997)
  • Live at the Backyard Comedy Club (16 November 1998)

References
  1. "Comedian's mayoral ambition". BBC News. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  2. "Lee Hurst's comedy club to be demolished ...but replaced with something nicer". chortle.co.uk. May 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  3. Lawrence, Janie (2 November 1997). "You think they're all lads". The Independent. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. "Comic Lee Hurst: I smashed mobile phone to protect my gags". Evening Standard. 16 February 2009.
  5. "Probe into arthritis pain". BBC News. 24 August 2002. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  6. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (14 September 2014). "It's UKIP for me. I want out of the EU" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (28 March 2018). "So Tommy Robinson's been taken off Twitter. When Twitter ends up as a large echo chamber full of the Daft Left, they'll spend 5 minutes congratulating each other and then an eternity fighting each other. It's gonna be fun" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (25 October 2018). "So Peter Hain deliberately breaks a court injunction by using Parliamentary Privilege and that's that. Tommy Robinson does not break contempt of court rules and gets solitary confinement. Right, got that" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (23 November 2018). "No matter what UKIP, Tommy Robinson, For Britain or just anybody who doesn't agree with the Herd Left and media do, they will be labelled as Far Right. On that basis they should just say (sarcastic voice) "Sure, we are." Ignore them and move on. #LeftHasDevlauedTheWordRacist" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (26 September 2015). "@Anglian_Reed @roughyed1969 I am heartily sick of the 'modern' left. Surprised I wasn't called a racist. Dull dull people" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (11 January 2019). "'Herd' Left will ban fun when they get in power, a bit like the Taliban" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (26 September 2015). "This is another example of the moral bankruptcy of the 'modern' left" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (11 January 2019). "The UN is now as bent as the EU" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (23 April 2017). "The UN is over. Pathetic beyond belief" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (18 May 2018). "Perhaps he could raise the jailing Turkish journalists whilst he's at it. The UN... A big old jolly boys club for dictators to legitimise their dictatorships" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (22 May 2016). "Hardline feminists campaign to drop 'man' from 'woman'. They now simply want to be referred to as tedious" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (1 March 2012). "The TaxMAN. One of the few terms that feminists don't argue about or want any part of" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (1 January 2019). "London - Stab City already on 2 dead and the year not one day old. Nice fireworks though Sadiq" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (10 May 2016). "When is Sadiq going to start talking about London rather than everything else?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. Hurst, Lee [@2010LeeHurst] (1 January 2019). "Duh... currently the entire British population in London are still EU citizens so I figure that's more than one million... unless Sadiq knows something we don't" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. Hurst, Lee [@LeeHurstComic] (24 October 2020). "MORRISONS SECURITY GUARD: Have you got a mask? ME: Does it look like I have? (CONTINUES THROUGH AND DOES SHOPPING.) I am starting to lose my patience. You can only remain polite for so long under this nonsense" (Tweet) – via Twitter. line feed character in |title= at position 47 (help)
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