Angus Deayton - Radio and Television Career

Radio and Television Career

The foundation of Deayton's career was a parody of British local radio stations, Radio Active, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1981 and 1987, which he both co-wrote and performed in. It transferred to television as KYTV between 1989 and 1993. Deayton presented a tribute to Radio Active and KYTV colleague and friend (and long-time BBC producer) Geoffrey Perkins for BBC Radio 4 on 4 October 2008. During this period, Deayton was also frequently seen appearing as a straight man alongside Rowan Atkinson. He starred with Atkinson in two separate roles (a pool attendant and a man on a park bench) in the Mr. Bean episode "The Curse of Mr. Bean" and appeared opposite Atkinson in the Black Adder episode "Born to be King" (1983) as one of the Jumping Jews of Jerusalem, a kind of medieval variety act. He also appeared regularly in comedy sketches on Alexei Sayle's Stuff.

In 1990 Deayton was cast as the Meldrews' neighbour Patrick Trench in the British suburban sitcom One Foot in the Grave and was selected as the host of Have I Got News for You. The same year, he featured in a TV advert for the Vauxhall Nova car. Knowing that Deayton was keen to move into more acting roles, friend and producer Andre Ptaszynski tried to persuade him to take the lead role in Steven Moffat's sitcom Chalk, a role eventually taken by David Bamber.

Deayton's suave manner as host of Have I Got News for You led to his being nicknamed "TV's Mr Sex", by a Time Out listings writer. He was much in demand as a presenter of television specials including the BBC's New Year's Eve show and the BAFTA Awards. He also featured in a series of advertisements for Barclaycard and the films Savage Hearts and Elizabeth.

In one episode of Coupling, he appears in a fantasy sequence alongside Mariella Frostrup. In addition, he hosted the late-1990s BBC show Before They Were Famous, which showed early and frequently embarrassing clips of TV and film stars (including Deayton himself) when they were relatively unknown.

In May 2002, the News of the World newspaper published allegations about his private life suggesting that he had taken cocaine and had sex with prostitutes. He was ridiculed by Paul Merton and Ian Hislop in the following episode of Have I Got News For You, but was allowed to continue as presenter. Deayton took the lampooning good-naturedly, beginning the episode with: "Good evening and welcome to Have I Got News For You, where this week's loser is presenting it." He added later "Do not adjust your set, my face is this red". This ridiculing concealed a bitterness felt by the others on the show when it had been revealed shortly before then that Deayton was on £50,000 a show whereas contestants received only £12,500 each a show. After a second round of allegations emerged in the papers that October, Deayton was fired as presenter two episodes into the new series of Have I Got News for You, after both Merton and Hislop repeatedly implied during the programme that Deayton should resign for the good of the show. Since then, the show has been hosted by a different guest presenter each week.

After being forced out of Have I Got News for You, he continued to work on other projects including a reunion of the Radio Active cast in a new episode broadcast in December 2002. In 2003, he guest-starred as Downing Street's top spin doctor in an episode of the BBC comedy Absolute Power, starring Stephen Fry and John Bird. He starred in BBC comedy Nighty Night which was shown from January 2004. Deayton had a cameo role as a hotel receptionist in the 2004 Fat Slags film. A few months later, he made a return to TV presenting with ITV's cookery reality show Hell's Kitchen and then the light-hearted quiz Bognor or Bust. In January 2006 he hosted an ITV show based upon self-help videos called Help Your Self.

Deayton is associated with the Comic Relief/Sport Relief charity and has featured in many of its TV broadcasts. He also co-presented the Sport Relief charity programme Only Fools on Horses in July 2006.

Deayton appeared for the England team as a second-half substitute in the Soccer Aid football match in support of UNICEF on 27 May 2006. He returned as a starting player for England in the 7 September 2008 rematch.

In 2007 he made an acting appearance in Casualty, playing an exaggerated version of himself in a Comic Relief-related storyline.

Deayton returned to the BBC in June 2007, hosting a new TV comedy panel game, Would I Lie to You? In November 2007, he was censured by the BBC for making a "pungently personal" joke about Sir Jimmy Savile and his late mother on the show. Deayton left the show in 2009 and was replaced as host by Rob Brydon.

Deayton was also selected by ITV to be the host of the third series of Hell's Kitchen, which started broadcasting on 3 September 2007 at 9:00 pm. However, he was sacked from the programme in 2009 after a series of arguments with chef Marco Pierre White. Claudia Winkleman was his replacement.

In 2008 he also presented Comedy Sketchbook, a nostalgic look at classic comedy sketches, on BBC1.

He presented the 2008 British Comedy Awards on 6 December 2008, after regular host Jonathan Ross stepped down because of the controversy surrounding the Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row.

In 2009, Deayton starred as the mysterious, "all-knowing man" in That Deadwood Feeling, a British comedy film starring Jack Davenport, Dexter Fletcher, and David Soul.

Deayton was planned to appear alongside Mandy Moore and Martin Freeman in Swinging with the Finkels, a 2010 film written and directed by Jonathan Newman.

Deayton will appear alongside Tony Hawks in the feature film Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, which was recorded in 2010 for release in 2011.

Deayton returned to BBC Radio 4 in 2011 as host of the panel show It's Your Round.