Simon Amstell

Early years

Amstell was born in Gants Hill, Redbridge, east London in 1979, to David and Tina (née Leventhal) Amstell. He was brought up in a Jewish family, and he was the eldest of four children. He was educated at Beal High School, a state comprehensive school in Ilford. His parents' divorce in the early 1990s has been a constant theme throughout his stand-up career, and he says that their decision when he was born to circumcise him had caused him a sense of great emotional as well as physical loss.

Life and career

Amstell's first television appearance was in 1993 when he appeared as a contestant on the Channel 4 game show GamesMaster. In 1994 he appeared on Good Morning with Anne and Nick performing an impression of Dame Edna Everage. Also that year, he appeared in an episode of Family Catchphrase, describing himself as a budding magician and showing one of his tricks to the show's presenter Andrew O'Connor, himself a magician. Amstell and his family won a television and a video recorder.

Amstell started performing on the comedy circuit when he was in his early teens and later became the youngest finalist to appear in the BBC New Comedy Awards. 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" although the posted biography on his website also, in jest, claims:

"He started his TV career at Nickelodeon where he was fired for making pop stars uncomfortable. He then began presenting the Channel 4 show, Popworld – where he gained a huge following for his groundbreaking work in making pop stars uncomfortable."

Popworld

From 2000 to 2006, Amstell presented Popworld on Channel 4 with Miquita Oliver. He voiced the characters "Timothy the Popworld melon" and "Richard the Popworld horse" and developed a highly ironic, surreal and left-field style which gained the show a cult following but angered many of its guests. One example was a mock interview with singer Lemar called "Lemar From Afar" in which Amstell shouted questions into a megaphone from one end of the world's largest 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.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Amstell first appeared on the comedy show Never Mind the Buzzcocks as a guest during Mark Lamarr's tenure as host, in 2003 and 2006. Following Lamarr's departure, he was one of the series' guest hosts before being appointed as permanent host beginning in October 2006. He said at the time 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".

In June 2007, Amstell and long-term collaborator Dan Swimer wrote Imagine... A Mildly Amusing Panel Show, a spoof version of Alan Yentob's arts programme Imagine. Yentob and Amstell play themselves in a mock interview between what a number of commentators described as "overtly sexual" clips taken from Amstell's Never Mind the Buzzcocks episodes. It was followed in February 2008 by Never Mind the Buzzcocks: A Moving Tribute, which jokingly implied that Amstell had either died or retired from the show.

On 25 April 2009, Amstell announced via his internet mailing list that he would not be hosting another series of Never Mind the Buzzcocks because of his desire to instead concentrate on his live tours and stand-up performances.

Amstell won several awards for his work on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In March 2007, he won the 2006 Royal Television Society Award for Best Entertainment Performance. In December 2007, he won two British Comedy Awards for Best Comedy Entertainment Personality and Best Comedy Entertainment Series for Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In addition, Never Mind the Buzzcocks won the Best Entertainment Programme award at the Broadcast Awards 2008. Amstell's era was the reason why Never Mind the Buzzcocks was chosen as the 36th-best TV show of the decade by The Times.

In 2010, Buzzcocks team captain Noel Fielding reportedly suggested that Amstell had 'ruined' the show, claiming that numerous people were frightened to appear on the show, believing they would be insulted or embarrassed by Amstell. This was later denied by Fielding. During Fielding's period as a guest captain before his permanent role, he had been involved in a semi-sarcastic confrontation with Amstell during the show, who mocked his surreal sense of humour. The British Comedy Guide suggested there was tension between the two of them. Amstell also caused The Ordinary Boys frontman Samuel Preston to storm off set after reading passages from the autobiography of his then-wife Chantelle Houghton.

Grandma's House

In 2009, BBC2 commissioned a six-part series titled Grandma's House from Tiger Aspect Productions, written by and starring Amstell, co-written by Dan Swimer. The show was commissioned after the airing of a pilot earlier the same year. Filming started in February 2010 and broadcasting began in August 2010.

In April 2012, the second series of Grandma's House began airing. Amstell announced this would be the last series.

Carnage

On 19 March 2017, Amstell's Carnage premiered on BBC iPlayer. It is set in the year 2067, when the UK is vegan, and older generations are suffering the guilt of their omnivorous past.

Other works

Amstell directed a series of shorts written by Jessie Cave starring Olly Alexander

In 2015 he wrote and directed short film 'William' starring Alex Lawther who won the London Film Critics' Circle Award for "Young British Performer of the Year" in January 2015.

In 2016 Amstell wrote and directed Something More for Channel 4.

In 2017 Amstell announced that he will be releasing his first book, 'HELP'. It is a collection of annotated stand-up scripts and linked stories. It is set to be released on the 21st September 2017.

In 2017 Amstell's newest project, a film that he has written and will direct, 'Benjamin', was announced, produced by Open Palm Films.

Stand up

Amstell also performs as a stand-up comedian. He has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009. He has also appeared at the Carling Festivals in the Cabaret and Comedy Tent for the last two years. In 2008, Amstell completed his first UK tour. He appeared at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in July 2009. His entire run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2009 at the Bongo Club sold out. He took part in his second national tour in the autumn of 2009.

Amstell performed Do Nothing in 2009 at the Royal Court Theatre, raising money for their young writers programme.

In May 2010, Amstell recorded Do Nothing in Dublin's Vicar Street venue for a November DVD release. In December 2011 and April 2012, it was shown on BBC3 and the BBC iPlayer.

In April 2012, Amstell performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. From May to June 2012, Amstell began his 'Numb Tour' in the UK and Ireland. From 10 July to 9 August 2012, Amstell performed 'Numb' in New York City at Theatre 80 in the East Village.

On New Year's Eve 2012, a one-off stand-up special performance of Simon Amstell's stand-up show, 'Numb', which he toured to sell-out audiences in 2012, was recorded for the BBC at TV Centre.

In 2014 Simon Amstell announced a new tour of UK and North America, titled 'TO BE FREE'.

In 2017 Amstell announced his third stand-up UK tour, titled 'What Is This?'. It begins in London on the 22nd September 2017.

Miscellaneous work

Amstell co-wrote an episode of Channel 4 teenage drama Skins in 2007, titled "Maxxie and Anwar".

In 2011, Amstell appeared in the independent film Black Pond.

In 2015, he provided voice work for the video game Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist, for which he received critical praise.

In 2016, Amstell hosted the Evening Standard British Film Awards.

Personal life

Amstell lives in London. He is Jewish and openly gay which occasionally features in his work. He is a vegan and teetotal.