Bob Mills (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Robert Edward "Bob" Mills (born 30 June 1957 in Chester
, Cheshire
, England
) is a British comedian, notable for his appearances in cult TV series such as In Bed with Medinner
and The Show, the latter an attempt to do a non-fictional British version of The Larry Sanders Show
.
Born in Chester
, after a very short spell training for the Merchant Navy, he quit and worked as a valet in King's Cross in London. After seeing Kevin Day and Eddie Zibbin (Pat Condell) at the Market Tavern in Islington in 1983, he decided to become a comedian and has been a mainstay of the British 'Stand-Up' circuit ever since.
In the 1990s he hosted the daytime quiz show Win, Lose or Draw on ITV
and the computer games
programme Games World
on Sky One
. During the 2000s Mills hosted several shows on VH1
.
Bob Mills is also a writer, having written the Michael Barrymore
comedy Bob Martin '. He created and wrote the Robson Green vehicle Christmas Lights, and the spin-off series 'Northern Lights'. He also wrote the screenplay for the film Pierrepoint.
He is a well-known supporter of Leyton Orient
and writes a regular column in the Leyton Orient programme. His uncle, Eric Lee
, played in The Football League
for Chester City
. He is a cousin of Peter Lee, a former Montreal Canadiens
first-round draft pick.
In 1983 Bob played a villain as Lon's Bodyguard in Doctor Who
opposite Peter Davison
as The Doctor and Martin Clunes
as Lon.
He is also a regular pundit on BBC Radio Five Live
's Fighting Talk
, and was the holder of the coveted Copa de Croix St. Simon, awarded to the annual FT Champion of Champions, having defeated Martin Kelner
in the 2010 Final. This, he recently revealed, is his "most prestigous achievement in a life of anonymity." He lost the 2011 Final to Tom Watt.
On 07/10/2011 Bob made his debut on Radio 4's highbrow news quiz show The News Quiz
.
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a British comedian, notable for his appearances in cult TV series such as In Bed with Medinner
In Bed with Medinner
In Bed with Medinner was a 1990s late-night British TV programme starring Bob Mills. It is a precursor to both the contemporary Harry Hill's TV Burp and Russell Brand's Ponderland....
and The Show, the latter an attempt to do a non-fictional British version of The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
.
Born in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, after a very short spell training for the Merchant Navy, he quit and worked as a valet in King's Cross in London. After seeing Kevin Day and Eddie Zibbin (Pat Condell) at the Market Tavern in Islington in 1983, he decided to become a comedian and has been a mainstay of the British 'Stand-Up' circuit ever since.
In the 1990s he hosted the daytime quiz show Win, Lose or Draw on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and the computer games
Computer Games
"Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1979 in Australia and New Zealand and in 1981 throughout Europe. It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand...
programme Games World
Games World
Games World was a British computer games-based television programme, made by Hewland International and broadcast on Sky One each weekday from 1993-98...
on 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...
. During the 2000s Mills hosted several shows on VH1
VH1 UK
VH1 is a specialist music television channel from MTV Networks Europe. The channel broadcasts into the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The channel is based on the original VH1 American channel of the same name...
.
Bob Mills is also a writer, having written the Michael Barrymore
Michael Barrymore
Michael Kieron Parker , better known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is a British comedian who appeared as a presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s and 1990s. These included Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People, My Kind of Music and Kids Say...
comedy Bob Martin '. He created and wrote the Robson Green vehicle Christmas Lights, and the spin-off series 'Northern Lights'. He also wrote the screenplay for the film Pierrepoint.
He is a well-known supporter of Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
and writes a regular column in the Leyton Orient programme. His uncle, Eric Lee
Eric Lee (footballer)
Eric Lee is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He has made the fourth most Football League appearances for Chester City, with 363 such appearances made from 1946 to 1957...
, played in The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
. He is a cousin of Peter Lee, a former Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
first-round draft pick.
In 1983 Bob played a villain as Lon's Bodyguard in Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
opposite Peter Davison
Peter Davison
Peter Davison is a British actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, which he played from 1982 to 1984.-Early life:Davison was born Peter Moffett in Streatham,...
as The Doctor and Martin Clunes
Martin Clunes
Alexander Martin Clunes is an English actor and comedian. Clunes is perhaps best known for his roles as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly, Doctor Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin and the title character in Reggie Perrin....
as Lon.
He is also a regular pundit on BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
's Fighting Talk
Fighting Talk
Fighting Talk is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. Its first series aired in October 2003, and was presented by Johnny Vaughan. The second series featured Christian O'Connell. It is currently hosted by Colin Murray and is aired on Saturday...
, and was the holder of the coveted Copa de Croix St. Simon, awarded to the annual FT Champion of Champions, having defeated Martin Kelner
Martin Kelner
Martin B. Kelner is a British journalist, author, comedian and radio presenter, educated at Stand Grammar School, in Whitefield near Manchester....
in the 2010 Final. This, he recently revealed, is his "most prestigous achievement in a life of anonymity." He lost the 2011 Final to Tom Watt.
On 07/10/2011 Bob made his debut on Radio 4's highbrow news quiz show The News Quiz
The News Quiz
The News Quiz is a topical panel game broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4.-History:It was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently it was chaired by Simon Hoggart, Barry Took , and then again by Simon Hoggart until March 2006. Hoggart was replaced by Sandi Toksvig in...
.