Adrian Edmondson Biography

Edmonson was a pupil at an exclusive boys school from 11 to 18 years of age. He later went on to the University of Manchester to study drama and received a 2:1 degree.

Edmondson met Rik Mayall while studying and before long, they found work on the burgeoning alternative comedy scene. Under the name 20th Century Coyote, they became one of the star attractions at the The Comedy Store. Mayall told the majority of their jokes in the early days, while Edmonson acted in the background.

As their popularity grew, they and other upcoming comedians, including Alexei Sayle and Nigel Planer, split away from the Comedy Store to set up their own venue: The Comic Strip club.

The Comic Strip soon gained a reputation as one of the most popular venues in London and soon came to the attention of Channel 4.

Edmondson and the others were commissioned to act in six self-contained half-hour films entitled 'The Comic Strip Presents...'. The first episode parodied Enid Blyton's ‘Famous Five’.

At the same time, the BBC signed up Edmondson, Mayall, Planer, Sayle and Peter Richardson to star in 'The Young Ones', a sitcom in the same anarchic style as The Comic Strip. Richardson was later replaced by Christopher Ryan.

The show revolved around the shared house where the students lived during their study at Scumbag College. It was noted at the time of its first airing for its violent slapstick, with Edmondson's character, Vyvyan, as the main instigator.

In 1985, Edmondson married fellow Comic Strip performer Jennifer Saunders. The couple have three children; Eleanor, Beatrice and Freya.

In 1986, Edmondson achieved a number one hit in the UK singles charts when he and his co-stars from The Young Ones teamed up with Cliff Richard to record a new version of 'Living Doll' for the inaugural Comic Relief campaign.

Despite having been killed off in the final episode of the series, Edmondson played Vyvyan one last time in the video. The same year, he co-wrote the book 'How to be a Complete Bastard' together with Mark Leigh and Mike Lepine.

In 1987, he reunited with Planer and Mayall to star in 'Filthy, Rich and Catflap'. The series was penned by The Young Ones' co-writer Ben Elton and saw Edmondson display the same slapstick characteristics as Vyvyan, but was closer in personality to his later character "Eddie Hitler" in 'Bottom'. The show received critical acclaim but poor viewing figures and was cancelled after one series. Despite this, the pair completed a number of Bottom UK stage tours throughout the 1990s.

Edmondson found his next big success when he re-teamed with Mayall for their co-scripted sitcom 'Bottom'. As Eddie Hitler, alongside Mayall's Richie Richard, Edmondson enjoyed three series and several stage outings of the violent antics of two bored unemployed flat-sharing bachelors.

In 1990, Edmonson starred in a West End production of the Rocky Horror Show as Brad Majors and appeared on the production's soundtrack album.

He also directed a less successful film version of the show called 'Guest House Paradiso' (1999) in which Eddie and Richie abortively attempt to run a hotel.

Edmondson appeared regularly in the 2003 series of 'Jonathan Creek', playing television producer Brendan Baxter, and starred as Dr Roy Glover in the hospital sitcom 'Doctors and Nurses'. He also appeared from 2005 to 2008 as Percy Durant in the BBC drama ‘Holby City’.

He finished third in 'Comic Relief Does Fame Academy' in 2005, a charity celebrity version of the BBC talent show, in which he performed comical renditions of various pop songs.

In 2008, he starred as Vernon in the ITV show ‘Teenage Kicks’ and appeared on the cooking show ‘Hell's Kitchen’ the following year. Edmonson reached the final of the programme and took second place after Linda Evans.

In a 2010 interview with the Daily Express, Edmonson said that he did not intend to do any more comedy programmes and instead wanted to focus on music.

In March 2011, he began hosting an ITV show which follows a number of families living in the Yorkshire Dales.