Jack Docherty
Encyclopedia
Jack Docherty is a Scottish
writer
, actor
, presenter
and producer
.
schoolfriends Moray Hunter
, Gordon Kennedy
and Pete Baikie. They performed each year from 1980 to 1985. Arfington, Arfington their 1984 show and Mr Hargreaves Did It their 1985 show were both shortlisted for The Perrier Award but lost out to The Brass Band and Theatre de Complicite respectively. They performed the shows at the Perrier Pick of the Fringe in London at the Donmar Warehouse
. In 1982 he dropped out of Aberdeen University where he was studying law, after he and Moray Hunter were offered a contract to write for Saturday Stayback
, the Chris Tarrant
late night follow-up to O.T.T.
. He then, again with Hunter, became a staff writer in the BBC
radio comedy department contributing to various shows including Radio Active, In One Ear
, Weekending and The News Huddlines
. He also recorded one series with The Bodgers for Radio 4
called In Other Words...The Bodgers. For the second series, producer Alan Nixon teamed them with John Sparkes
and Morwenna Banks
for Bodgers, Banks and Sparkes, forming the cast that would go on to make the sketch show Absolutely
for Channel 4
.
for four series between 1984 and 1987. During the same period he also contributed to various other comedy shows including Alas Smith and Jones
, The World According to Smith and Jones, The Lenny Henry Show
, Max Headroom
and The Robbie Coltrane Special. He was also script editor for the first series of Vic Reeves Big Night Out
. He wrote four series of Absolutely
(1989–1992) and with Hunter the spin-off Channel 4
sitcom mr don and mr george (1993). He wrote the BBC pilots Mac (1995) starring himself, Gordon Kennedy
and Nick Hancock, Welcome to Strathmuir (2007) starring John Gordon Sinclair
and Me And All The Other Mothers (2008) starring Katherine Parkinson
and Justin Edwards
. With Morwenna Banks
he co-wrote the C4 Comedy Lab
Model, Actress, Whatever... directed by Rankin
and, again with Moray Hunter
, two series of the BBC2 sitcom The Creatives starring Hunter and Docherty and Roger Allam
. In 2008 he and Hunter wrote the BBC2 series The Cup
starring Steve Edge
. This was an adaptation of the Canadian sitcom The Tournament
.
in The Couch at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1988. This led to an offer to follow Stephen Fry
and Hugh Laurie
as the resident double act on Friday Night Live. As an actor Docherty is best known for his work on the Channel 4
cult comedy sketch show Absolutely
. Premiered in 1989 the show marked a shift away from the political satirical orthodoxy of the 1980s to the surreal, character based comedy of the 1990s. The recurring characters he portrayed included MacGlashan, Donald MacDiarmid, Peter Wells, Mr Nice and one of the Stoneybridge
councillors. The sketch featuring the Stoneybridge
council bidding for the Olympics was voted the 30th best of all time in The Top 50 Comedy Sketches on Channel 4
. He also starred with Moray Hunter
in the Absolutely
spin off sitcom mr don and mr george and the BBC Scotland
sitcom pilot Mac. He played the lead role of Ben Gray in two series of the advertising sitcom The Creatives (1999 and 2000) on BBC2. Also in 2000 he co-starred with Mark Williams
in The Strangerers
, the Rob Grant
penned sci-fi series for Sky One
. This was Sky's first homegrown comedy production and is also notable for featuring one of the first television appearances of David Walliams
. Docherty provided one of the voices for the aardman Oscar nominated short Humdrum
. He has also made guest appearances in The Comic Strip Presents, Sardines, Atletico Partick
, The Morwenna Banks Show, Monarch of the Glen, Welcome to Strathmuir, Red Dwarf V and The Old Guys
. He has also featured in the Radio 4
comedies Baggage and Mordrin MacDonald - 21st Century Wizard and has appeared on various comedy panel shows including Have I Got News For You
and It's Only TV But I Like It.
, the BBC2 arts round up of the Edinburgh Festival
. In 1997 he was part of the launch of Channel 5 becoming Britain's first five nights a week chat show host on The Jack Docherty Show. The show is also notable for featuring some of the first television work of writers Kevin Cecil
and Andy Riley
, Jesse Armstrong
and Sam Bain
, and writer/performers David Mitchell
and Robert Webb
. Not The Jack Docherty Show, broadcast when Docherty was on holiday, featured guest hosts including Phil Jupitus, Rich Hall
, Melinda Messenger
and most notably Graham Norton
who was signed by Channel 4
after his stint to host So Graham Norton
. Docherty quit the show in 1999 and Channel 5 did not replace him, ending their production of late night talk shows. In 2000, he hosted the BAFTA film awards in London. Notoriously, he began the night by revealing the twist ending to The Sixth Sense
, a move that did not go down well with the audience. In 2001 to 2002 he hosted the Radio 2
show Saturday Night Jack which reunited him with his Absolutely
colleague Pete Baikie. He was also an occasional host of Radio 2
's Friday night arts show.
, Bill Paterson and Ford Kiernan
, and two series (2009 and 2010) of the BBC1 sitcom The Old Guys
written by Jesse Armstrong
, Sam Bain
and Simon Blackwell
and starring Roger Lloyd Pack
, Clive Swift
, Jane Asher
and Katherine Parkinson
.
and has since gone on to produce various comedy shows including mr don and mr george, The Creatives, Trigger Happy TV
, The Armstrong and Miller Show
, The Strangerers
, Stressed Eric
, The Jack Docherty Show and Meg and Mog
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
.
Early career
He first performed at the 1980 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with the comedy sketch group The Bodgers which he formed with George Watson's CollegeGeorge Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
schoolfriends Moray Hunter
Moray Hunter
Moray Hunter is a Scottish comedian, writer and performer. He is perhaps most famous for his roles in the Channel 4 sketch show, Absolutely. Alongside Jack Docherty he played one half of the eccentric double-act, Don and George, in Absolutely and later in the spin-off series, Mr. Don and Mr. George...
, Gordon Kennedy
Gordon Kennedy (actor)
Gordon Kennedy is a Scottish actor. Kennedy grew up in Tranent, East Lothian, and attended George Watson's College in Edinburgh...
and Pete Baikie. They performed each year from 1980 to 1985. Arfington, Arfington their 1984 show and Mr Hargreaves Did It their 1985 show were both shortlisted for The Perrier Award but lost out to The Brass Band and Theatre de Complicite respectively. They performed the shows at the Perrier Pick of the Fringe in London at the Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
. In 1982 he dropped out of Aberdeen University where he was studying law, after he and Moray Hunter were offered a contract to write for Saturday Stayback
Saturday Stayback
Saturday Stayback was a late night comedy show made in 1983 by Central Television, starring Chris Tarrant. It was performed entirely in a public house....
, the Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant
Christopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE is an English radio and television broadcaster, now best known for hosting the first version of the television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.Chris...
late night follow-up to O.T.T.
O.T.T.
O.T.T. was a late-night adult version of the anarchic ATV children's show Tiswas, but made by its ITV franchise successor Central Television. It was broadcast at 11.00pm on Saturday nights for one series in 1982. O.T.T. was created and presented by Chris Tarrant, and also starred ex-Tiswasians John...
. He then, again with Hunter, became a staff writer in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio comedy department contributing to various shows including Radio Active, In One Ear
In One Ear
In One Ear was a late-night alternative comedy sketch show, broadcast between 1984 and 1986, on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom, broadcast live from the BBC Paris Studio in London, with a repeat later in the week....
, Weekending and The News Huddlines
The News Huddlines
The News Huddlines was a long-running BBC Radio 2 topical comedy sketch show starring Roy Hudd that ran for fifty one series from 1975 until 2001. Each episode lasted for half an hour and consisted of topical sketches, songs and one-liners.-Performers:...
. He also recorded one series with The Bodgers for Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
called In Other Words...The Bodgers. For the second series, producer Alan Nixon teamed them with John Sparkes
John Sparkes
John Sparkes is a Welsh comedian born in Swansea and is more commonly known on Welsh television as Barry Welsh, in the award-winning series Barry Welsh is Coming....
and Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks is a British comedy actress, writer and producer.Banks is perhaps best known in the UK as a cast member of the British Channel 4 comedy series Absolutely, where her best-known character was a schoolgirl who sat on the edge of a desk.She appeared as the Keeper of the Rules in the...
for Bodgers, Banks and Sparkes, forming the cast that would go on to make the sketch show Absolutely
Absolutely (TV series)
Absolutely is a popular United Kingdom television comedy sketch show shown on Channel 4 between 1989 and 1993.The cast and crew were mainly Scottish; the principal writers and performers were Moray Hunter, Jack Docherty, Peter Baikie, Gordon Kennedy , Morwenna Banks and John Sparkes...
for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
Writing
In addition to his radio work, he wrote for Spitting ImageSpitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
for four series between 1984 and 1987. During the same period he also contributed to various other comedy shows including Alas Smith and Jones
Alas Smith and Jones
Alas Smith and Jones is a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1984 to 1998...
, The World According to Smith and Jones, The Lenny Henry Show
The Lenny Henry Show
The Lenny Henry Show is a comedy sketch show featuring Lenny Henry. In its first incarnation it ran for two seasons on BBC 1, in 1984 and 1985. Each season had six episodes. A 40-minute special was aired in December 1987...
, Max Headroom
Max Headroom
Max Headroom may refer to:* Max Headroom , a fictional artificial intelligence, played by Matt Frewer* The Max Headroom Show, a 1985 music video TV show* Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future, a 1985 British cyberpunk television film...
and The Robbie Coltrane Special. He was also script editor for the first series of Vic Reeves Big Night Out
Vic Reeves Big Night Out
Vic Reeves Big Night Out was a cult British comedy stage show and later TV series which ran on Channel 4 for two series in 1990 and 1991, as well as a New Year special...
. He wrote four series of Absolutely
Absolutely (TV series)
Absolutely is a popular United Kingdom television comedy sketch show shown on Channel 4 between 1989 and 1993.The cast and crew were mainly Scottish; the principal writers and performers were Moray Hunter, Jack Docherty, Peter Baikie, Gordon Kennedy , Morwenna Banks and John Sparkes...
(1989–1992) and with Hunter the spin-off Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
sitcom mr don and mr george (1993). He wrote the BBC pilots Mac (1995) starring himself, Gordon Kennedy
Gordon Kennedy (actor)
Gordon Kennedy is a Scottish actor. Kennedy grew up in Tranent, East Lothian, and attended George Watson's College in Edinburgh...
and Nick Hancock, Welcome to Strathmuir (2007) starring John Gordon Sinclair
John Gordon Sinclair
John Gordon Sinclair is a Scottish actor most famous for playing Gregory in Gregory's Girl. He was born as Gordon John but took the stage name 'John Gordon Sinclair' because Equity already had a Gordon John registered....
and Me And All The Other Mothers (2008) starring Katherine Parkinson
Katherine Parkinson
Laura Katherine Parkinson is an English actress and comedian who is known for playing the part of Jen Barber in the Channel 4 comedy series The IT Crowd...
and Justin Edwards
Justin Edwards
Justin Edwards is an English actor and writer.Born in Hampshire, Justin studied at Manchester University, before training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He was a member of sketch trio The Consultants, alongside Neil Edmond and James Rawlings...
. With Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks is a British comedy actress, writer and producer.Banks is perhaps best known in the UK as a cast member of the British Channel 4 comedy series Absolutely, where her best-known character was a schoolgirl who sat on the edge of a desk.She appeared as the Keeper of the Rules in the...
he co-wrote the C4 Comedy Lab
Comedy Lab
Comedy Lab is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998....
Model, Actress, Whatever... directed by Rankin
Rankin
-Places:*In Australia:**Division of Rankin, an electoral district in the Australian Federal House of Representatives, in Queensland*In Canada:**Rankin Inlet, Nunavut**Rankin Inlet Airport, Nunavut**Rankin River, Ontario...
and, again with Moray Hunter
Moray Hunter
Moray Hunter is a Scottish comedian, writer and performer. He is perhaps most famous for his roles in the Channel 4 sketch show, Absolutely. Alongside Jack Docherty he played one half of the eccentric double-act, Don and George, in Absolutely and later in the spin-off series, Mr. Don and Mr. George...
, two series of the BBC2 sitcom The Creatives starring Hunter and Docherty and Roger Allam
Roger Allam
Roger Allam is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables....
. In 2008 he and Hunter wrote the BBC2 series The Cup
The Cup (TV series)
The Cup is a British television programme starring Steve Edge, Pal Aron and Jennifer Hennessy. It is based on the Canadian TV series The Tournament...
starring Steve Edge
Steve Edge
Steve Edge is an English actor, writer and former stand-up comedian. He is most famous for his work on Phoenix Nights, The Cup, The Visit, Peep Show and the satirical magazine show Star Stories....
. This was an adaptation of the Canadian sitcom The Tournament
The Tournament (TV series)
The Tournament was a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television in 2005 and 2006. The series, a mockumentary show about a community minor hockey team, depicted the behind-the-scenes interactions between the players, their parents and coaches as the team competed for a spot in the...
.
Acting
After The Bodgers disbanded in 1985 he concentrated on writing , but returned to performing with Moray HunterMoray Hunter
Moray Hunter is a Scottish comedian, writer and performer. He is perhaps most famous for his roles in the Channel 4 sketch show, Absolutely. Alongside Jack Docherty he played one half of the eccentric double-act, Don and George, in Absolutely and later in the spin-off series, Mr. Don and Mr. George...
in The Couch at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1988. This led to an offer to follow Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
and Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
as the resident double act on Friday Night Live. As an actor Docherty is best known for his work on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
cult comedy sketch show Absolutely
Absolutely (TV series)
Absolutely is a popular United Kingdom television comedy sketch show shown on Channel 4 between 1989 and 1993.The cast and crew were mainly Scottish; the principal writers and performers were Moray Hunter, Jack Docherty, Peter Baikie, Gordon Kennedy , Morwenna Banks and John Sparkes...
. Premiered in 1989 the show marked a shift away from the political satirical orthodoxy of the 1980s to the surreal, character based comedy of the 1990s. The recurring characters he portrayed included MacGlashan, Donald MacDiarmid, Peter Wells, Mr Nice and one of the Stoneybridge
Stoneybridge
Stoneybridge is a village on the isle of South Uist in Scotland.The Scottish comedy series Absolutely used the village as the base for a recurring sketch. This portrayal of Stoneybridge was intended as a satire of local politics and the petty Bonapartism of local council leaders...
councillors. The sketch featuring the Stoneybridge
Stoneybridge
Stoneybridge is a village on the isle of South Uist in Scotland.The Scottish comedy series Absolutely used the village as the base for a recurring sketch. This portrayal of Stoneybridge was intended as a satire of local politics and the petty Bonapartism of local council leaders...
council bidding for the Olympics was voted the 30th best of all time in The Top 50 Comedy Sketches on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. He also starred with Moray Hunter
Moray Hunter
Moray Hunter is a Scottish comedian, writer and performer. He is perhaps most famous for his roles in the Channel 4 sketch show, Absolutely. Alongside Jack Docherty he played one half of the eccentric double-act, Don and George, in Absolutely and later in the spin-off series, Mr. Don and Mr. George...
in the Absolutely
Absolutely (TV series)
Absolutely is a popular United Kingdom television comedy sketch show shown on Channel 4 between 1989 and 1993.The cast and crew were mainly Scottish; the principal writers and performers were Moray Hunter, Jack Docherty, Peter Baikie, Gordon Kennedy , Morwenna Banks and John Sparkes...
spin off sitcom mr don and mr george and the BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
sitcom pilot Mac. He played the lead role of Ben Gray in two series of the advertising sitcom The Creatives (1999 and 2000) on BBC2. Also in 2000 he co-starred with Mark Williams
Mark Williams (actor)
Mark Williams is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter and presenter. He is best known as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show The Fast Show, as well as for his role as Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter films....
in The Strangerers
The Strangerers
The Strangerers is a British television science fiction comedy drama serial written by Rob Grant and was broadcast on Sky One between February and April 2000....
, the Rob Grant
Rob Grant
Robert Grant is a British comedy writer and television producer, who was born in Salford and studied Psychology at Liverpool University for two years....
penned sci-fi series for Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
. This was Sky's first homegrown comedy production and is also notable for featuring one of the first television appearances of David Walliams
David Walliams
David Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
. Docherty provided one of the voices for the aardman Oscar nominated short Humdrum
Humdrum
Humdrum is an animated short film directed by Peter Peake. It was released in 1998 and produced by Aardman Animations and received an Oscar nomination for Animated Short Film and a BAFTA nomination in the same category.-Plot summary:...
. He has also made guest appearances in The Comic Strip Presents, Sardines, Atletico Partick
Atletico Partick
Atletico Partick is a Scottish sitcom that aired on BBC from 1995 to 1996. It was written by Ian Pattison and produced and directed by Colin Gilbert who worked together on Rab C...
, The Morwenna Banks Show, Monarch of the Glen, Welcome to Strathmuir, Red Dwarf V and The Old Guys
The Old Guys
The Old Guys is a British comedy television series that revolves around two aging housemates: Tom Finnan and Roy Bowden . The pair live across the street from Sally , whom they both find attractive. Tom moved in with Roy after Roy's wife Penny deserted him...
. He has also featured in the Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
comedies Baggage and Mordrin MacDonald - 21st Century Wizard and has appeared on various comedy panel shows including Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
and It's Only TV But I Like It.
Presenting
Docherty presented two series of The Ken Fine Show for STV (1994 and 1995), a documentary about the Scots language, and two series (1995 and 1996) of Edinburgh Nights with Emma FreudEmma Freud
Emma Vallencey Freud OBE is an English broadcaster and cultural commentator.-Early life:Emma Freud was born on 25 January 1962 and is the daughter of politician and broadcaster Sir Clement Freud and June Flewett. She is the great-granddaughter of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud...
, the BBC2 arts round up of the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
. In 1997 he was part of the launch of Channel 5 becoming Britain's first five nights a week chat show host on The Jack Docherty Show. The show is also notable for featuring some of the first television work of writers Kevin Cecil
Kevin Cecil
Kevin Robert Cecil is a British screenwriter.Writing alongside Andy Riley , he has won two BAFTA awards, the first for writing the Comic Relief one-off special, Robbie the Reindeer, in 2000, and the second for Black Books in 2005...
and Andy Riley
Andy Riley
Andy Riley is a British author, cartoonist, comics scriptwriter, and television screenwriter.Riley has written several best-selling cartoon books, The Book of Bunny Suicides , Return of the Bunny Suicides, The Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides, Dawn of the Bunny Suicides, Great Lies To Tell Small...
, Jesse Armstrong
Jesse Armstrong
Jesse Armstrong is one of the co-creators of Channel 4's Peep Show, along with Sam Bain. He also co-wrote the BBC Four comedy The Thick of It and was one of the writers on series 1 and 2 of the BBC Radio 4 sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound and the BBC Two sketch show That Mitchell and Webb...
and Sam Bain
Sam Bain
Sam Bain is one of the co-creators of Channel 4's Peep Show, which won a BAFTA for best Situation Comedy in 2008. He was also one of the writers of two series of the BBC Radio 4 sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound and the BBC Two sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look...
, and writer/performers David Mitchell
David Mitchell (actor)
David James Stuart Mitchell is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is half of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, whom he met at Cambridge University. There they were both part of the Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo star in the...
and Robert Webb
Robert Webb (actor)
Robert Webb is an English actor, comedian and writer, and one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb, alongside David Mitchell.-Early life:...
. Not The Jack Docherty Show, broadcast when Docherty was on holiday, featured guest hosts including Phil Jupitus, Rich Hall
Rich Hall
Richard "Rich" Hall is an American comedian, writer and musician.-Early life and career:Hall was born in Alexandria, Virginia and grew up in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He is part Cherokee Indian...
, Melinda Messenger
Melinda Messenger
Melinda Jayne Messenger is an English ex-glamour model, Page 3 Girl and a former presenter on the magazine programme Live from Studio Five. She is currently co-broadcaster of the reality show Cowboy Builders.-Biography:...
and most notably Graham Norton
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton , is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist...
who was signed by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
after his stint to host So Graham Norton
So Graham Norton
So Graham Norton is a British television programme, hosted by Irish personality Graham Norton. It ran from 3 July 1998 to 1 March 2002.-Theme:...
. Docherty quit the show in 1999 and Channel 5 did not replace him, ending their production of late night talk shows. In 2000, he hosted the BAFTA film awards in London. Notoriously, he began the night by revealing the twist ending to The Sixth Sense
The Sixth Sense
The Sixth Sense is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear , a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist who tries to help him...
, a move that did not go down well with the audience. In 2001 to 2002 he hosted the Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
show Saturday Night Jack which reunited him with his Absolutely
Absolutely (TV series)
Absolutely is a popular United Kingdom television comedy sketch show shown on Channel 4 between 1989 and 1993.The cast and crew were mainly Scottish; the principal writers and performers were Moray Hunter, Jack Docherty, Peter Baikie, Gordon Kennedy , Morwenna Banks and John Sparkes...
colleague Pete Baikie. He was also an occasional host of Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's Friday night arts show.
Producing
He produced the pilots Mac, Model, Actress, Whatever, Welcome to Strathmuir and Me And All The Other Mothers, the BBC Scotland film No Holds Bard (2008) starring Ashley JensenAshley Jensen
Ashley Jensen is a Scottish actress who is best known for her roles in the television series Extras for which she was nominated for an Emmy, and ABC's Ugly Betty...
, Bill Paterson and Ford Kiernan
Ford Kiernan
Ford John Kiernan is a Scottish actor and comedian. Along with his comedy partner, Greg Hemphill, he is best known in the United Kingdom for his appearances in Still Game and Chewin' The Fat.-Personal life:...
, and two series (2009 and 2010) of the BBC1 sitcom The Old Guys
The Old Guys
The Old Guys is a British comedy television series that revolves around two aging housemates: Tom Finnan and Roy Bowden . The pair live across the street from Sally , whom they both find attractive. Tom moved in with Roy after Roy's wife Penny deserted him...
written by Jesse Armstrong
Jesse Armstrong
Jesse Armstrong is one of the co-creators of Channel 4's Peep Show, along with Sam Bain. He also co-wrote the BBC Four comedy The Thick of It and was one of the writers on series 1 and 2 of the BBC Radio 4 sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound and the BBC Two sketch show That Mitchell and Webb...
, Sam Bain
Sam Bain
Sam Bain is one of the co-creators of Channel 4's Peep Show, which won a BAFTA for best Situation Comedy in 2008. He was also one of the writers of two series of the BBC Radio 4 sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound and the BBC Two sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look...
and Simon Blackwell
Simon Blackwell
Simon Blackwell is a British comedy writer. He is best known for his collaborations with Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, and thus has written and co-written scripts for The Thick of It, In The Loop, The Old Guys, Have I Got News For You?, Four Lions and Peep Show amongst others.-External links:*...
and starring Roger Lloyd Pack
Roger Lloyd Pack
Roger Lloyd-Pack is an English actor known for his roles in the TV shows The Vicar of Dibley, Only Fools and Horses and The Old Guys.-Career:...
, Clive Swift
Clive Swift
Clive Walter Swift is an English character comedy actor and songwriter. He is best known for his role as character Richard Bucket in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances. He is less known for his role as character Roy in the British television series The Old Guys...
, Jane Asher
Jane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
and Katherine Parkinson
Katherine Parkinson
Laura Katherine Parkinson is an English actress and comedian who is known for playing the part of Jen Barber in the Channel 4 comedy series The IT Crowd...
.
Absolutely Productions
He is a co-founder of Absolutely Productions. The company was formed in 1989 to produce the eponymous sketch show for Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and has since gone on to produce various comedy shows including mr don and mr george, The Creatives, Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
, The Armstrong and Miller Show
The Armstrong and Miller Show
The Armstrong and Miller Show is a British sketch comedy television show produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC One. It features the double act Armstrong and Miller and a number of notable scriptwriters including Andy Hamilton and The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy Dyson.The series followed four...
, The Strangerers
The Strangerers
The Strangerers is a British television science fiction comedy drama serial written by Rob Grant and was broadcast on Sky One between February and April 2000....
, Stressed Eric
Stressed Eric
Stressed Eric is a British/American/New Zealand cartoon series that was produced by Absolutely Productions for the BBC Two television channel in the United Kingdom and the Television New Zealand. The series revolves around Eric Feeble, a middle class man who is always stressed, because of his...
, The Jack Docherty Show and Meg and Mog
Meg and Mog
Meg and Mog are the heroes of a series of children’s books written by Helen Nicoll and illustrated by Jan Pienkowski. First published in the 1970s, the books are about Meg, a witch whose spells always seem to go wrong, her striped cat Mog, and their friend Owl....
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