Chris Morris (satirist)

Chris Morris (satirist)

Christopher Morris (born 15 June 1962) is an English satirist, known for his black humour and controversial subject matter. He tends to stay out of the public eye and has become one of the more enigmatic figures in British comedy.

Morris was born in Cambridgeshire, the son of two GPs. He attended the Catholic boarding school Stonyhurst College in rural Lancashire. After graduating from the University of Bristol with a degree in zoology, he began his career on local BBC radio stations.

Morris created a mock news radio programme On The Hour, followed by a television spin off, The Day Today, since hailed as one of the most important satirical shows of the 1990s, which launched the career of Steve Coogan. This was followed by Brass Eye, which developed the satirical news format of The Day Today to focus on themes such as crime and drugs. For many, the apotheosis of Morris' career was a Brass Eye special, which dealt with the moral panic surrounding paedophilia, and became one of the most complained about programmes in British television history, leading The Daily Mail to describe Morris as "the most loathed man on TV".

Morris went on to win a BAFTA for Best Short Film for My Wrongs 8245–8249 & 117, which starred Paddy Considine. He then went on to develop his first sitcom with a then little known Charlie Brooker; Nathan Barley, a satire of Hoxton hipsters, was a ratings bomb, but found success upon its DVD release. In 2010 Morris directed his first feature-length film Four Lions about a group of inept Pakistani British terrorists. Reception of the film was largely positive and received a respectable box office; earning Morris his second BAFTA, for "Outstanding Debut".