Les Dennis
Encyclopedia
Les Dennis is an English comedian, television presenter and actor best known as the host of Family Fortunes
for 15 years.
, Liverpool. His father worked in a betting shop
after service in the Royal Navy during World War II
and a period as a football player on the books of Liverpool F.C.
(but did not play for the first team), whilst his mother worked in a factory. He attended the Stockton Wood and Joseph Williams primary schools and then Quarry Bank High School
after passing the Eleven plus
exam. He had a Saturday job in Burton's clothes store whilst still at school and started in entertainment as a stand-up comedian in working men's club
s.
" ITV talent show and appeared on numerous light-entertainment shows. In 1982 he joined as one of the team on Russ Abbot's Madhouse and The Russ Abbot Show
before forming a comedy partnership with fellow impressionist Dustin Gee
, which in turn led to a series of their own, The Laughter Show. Following Gee's death in 1986, Les carried on The Laughter Show as a solo performer and became the third host of Family Fortunes
for a fifteen-year run from 1987 to 2002.
, Bill Snibson in Me and My Girl
in the West End. He had starred in Skylight
at the Water Mill Theatre, Newbury
; Mr Wonderful at the Gateway Theatre (Chester)
, Misery at Oldham Coliseum Theatre
; toured in the play Just Between Ourselves and appeared with Janet Suzman
in Cherished Disappointments In Love at London's Soho Theatre
. He starred with Christopher Cazenove
and John Duttine
in a national tour of 'Art' and as Norman Bartholomew in Anthony Shaffer's dark comedy Murderer at London's Menier Chocolate Factory
. He also starred in a hit season in Neville's Island at Birmingham Repertory Theatre
. He appeared in the role of Mr. Fulton in "High School Musical 2" in a UK tour from late August 2009 to February 2010. He had also made an appearance on two episodes of Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
in The Club sketch, where he played himself. He also took part in a video
-only special of Shooting Stars
in 1993, where Vic Reeves
introduced him pronouncing his name as if it were French saying "Les Dennis, the French fire engine". He is currently touring in Hairspray
as Wilbur Turnblad alongside Michael Ball
, Brian Conley
and Michael Starke – who alternate the role of Edna Turnblad.
, Rupert Graves
and Laura Sadler
and he appeared in the comedy feature film Large and in Wildlife, a short directed by Nick Allsop.
, Merseybeat
, Family Affairs
, Casualty
and the short-lived revival of Crossroads plus Hotel Babylon (for one episode).
.
On 11 August 2005 Dennis appeared as a guest star in an episode of the first series BBC
-series Extras written by and starring Ricky Gervais
and Stephen Merchant
. In this appearance, Dennis portrayed a fictional version of himself, alongside Gerard Kelly
, who played a camp theatre director, the recurring character Bunny.
In early 2006, Dennis presented and performed in BBC One's The Sound of Musicals
and guested in New Street Law
on BBC One.
In summer 2006 he played scriptwriter Nick Chase in a new comedy play called Marlon Brando's Corset, which toured the UK from July 2006, including a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe
.
He appeared as a guest in August 2006 on the ITV
drama series, The Bill
starring as a man suspected of murdering his father. Dennis appeared alongside fellow former Russ Abbot performer Lisa Maxwell, who played D.I. Samantha Nixon in the series.
At the 2006 Edinburgh International Television Festival
, it was announced Les would make a return to the gameshow genre, presenting a new big-money quiz show titled In the Grid
for Channel 5. The show debuted on 30 October 2006. From April 2007 he also hosted UKTV Gold
's TV Now and Then quiz show. The same month he guested on BBC One's Holby City
.
He appeared on The Friday Night Project
as a panellist on "Who knows the most about the guest host?" when Rupert Everett
guest hosted. In theatre Les guest-starred as narrator in Side by Side by Sondheim
at the Venue
, London.
As one of the team, he completed running the Safaricom Marathon in Lewa to raise funds for the BBC Wildlife Fund, screened on BBC One's Saving Planet Earth
in July 2007.
In August 2007 he starred in the hit play Certified Male- about the highs and lows of modern manhood – at the Edinburgh Festival
. He then toured in The Servant of Two Masters, directed by Michael Bogdanov
and at Christmas he returned to pantomime
after a ten year break, co-starring in Cinderella
with Hollywood veteran Mickey Rooney
at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland, produced by First Family Entertainment.
In April 2008, Dennis toured in Eurobeat Almost Eurovision prior to a West End season in the show. Also in 2008, he narrated the new "funny home video" show on Challenge; Les Dennis's Home Video Heroes
, and appeared in the ITV
documentary Les Dennis' Liverpool, which was, coincidentally, broadcast a week after BBC Two
ran Alexei Sayle
's Liverpool, a three-part documentary on the city.
During Christmas 2008 panto season, Dennis appeared as Buttons in Cinderella
at the Liverpool Empire Theatre
. The pantomime also featured Jennifer Ellison
as Cinderella, and Cilla Black
as the Fairy Godmother
. At Christmas 2008, Les was featured on the Wombats
' Christmas single and video Is This Christmas? in aid of MENCAP.
In 2009, Dennis played Herbert Soppitt in JB Priestley's When We Are Married
at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Playhouse, Liverpool. At Christmas 2009, he returned to the Liverpool Empire to appear in Peter Pan
with Fonz actor Henry Winkler
and again in 2010 to play the role of Aladdin's brother, Wishee Washee in Aladdin.
As of 2010, Dennis presents the children's TV program Fee Fi Fo Yum
on the CBBC Channel
.
From October 17, 2011, Dennis is due to start a week-long stint in Countdown's
Dictionary Corner.
Dennis then married actress Amanda Holden
on 4 June 1995. They had a temporary split in 2000 when Holden's affair with actor Neil Morrissey
was exposed in the press, before eventually separating in December 2002 and divorcing in 2003.
Dennis met Claire Nicholson in 2005. The couple have a daughter, Eleanor Grace, who was born on 24 April 2008; Dennis and Nicholson were married on 23 November 2009 in Highgate
. Their son Thomas Christopher was born on 14 April 2011.
Dennis is a Liverpool Football Club
fan, despite the fact that his mother was a Manchester United supporter.
Family Fortunes
Family Fortunes is a British game show, based on the American game show Family Feud. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 6 December 2002 before being revived by the same channel in 2006 under the title of All Star Family Fortunes...
for 15 years.
Early life
Dennis was born in GarstonGarston, Merseyside
Garston is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, and Speke.-History:Gaerstun, meaning 'grazing settlement' or 'grazing farm' in Old English, is one possible root of the name....
, Liverpool. His father worked in a betting shop
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
after service in the Royal Navy during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a period as a football player on the books of Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
(but did not play for the first team), whilst his mother worked in a factory. He attended the Stockton Wood and Joseph Williams primary schools and then Quarry Bank High School
Calderstones School
Calderstones School is an English comprehensive school and specialist science college, located opposite Calderstones Park on Harthill Road in the Liverpool suburb of Allerton.The school's post code is L18 3HS...
after passing the Eleven plus
Eleven plus
In the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
exam. He had a Saturday job in Burton's clothes store whilst still at school and started in entertainment as a stand-up comedian in working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
s.
Early work and Family Fortunes
As a comedian Dennis worked the North West social and working-men's clubs. In 1974 he won "New FacesNew Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
" ITV talent show and appeared on numerous light-entertainment shows. In 1982 he joined as one of the team on Russ Abbot's Madhouse and The Russ Abbot Show
The Russ Abbot Show
The Russ Abbot Show was a British television comedy series which starred Russ Abbot and ran on the BBC from 1986 to 1991, and for 14 episodes on Granada Television from 1994 to 1995...
before forming a comedy partnership with fellow impressionist Dustin Gee
Dustin Gee
Dustin Gee was an English impressionist and comedian most famous for his double act with fellow comic, Les Dennis....
, which in turn led to a series of their own, The Laughter Show. Following Gee's death in 1986, Les carried on The Laughter Show as a solo performer and became the third host of Family Fortunes
Family Fortunes
Family Fortunes is a British game show, based on the American game show Family Feud. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 6 December 2002 before being revived by the same channel in 2006 under the title of All Star Family Fortunes...
for a fifteen-year run from 1987 to 2002.
Theatre work
His theatre work included Amos Hart in ChicagoChicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
, Bill Snibson in Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth....
in the West End. He had starred in Skylight
Skylight (play)
Skylight is a play by British dramatist David Hare. It opened at the Royal National Theatre, Cottesloe, directed by Richard Eyre, in 1995. The production then moved to the Wyndham's Theatre for a short run from 13 February 1996, after winning the Laurence Olivier Award for the 1995...
at the Water Mill Theatre, Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
; Mr Wonderful at the Gateway Theatre (Chester)
Gateway Theatre (Chester)
The Gateway Theatre was a small producing and receiving theatre in the city of Chester, England.The theatre has welcomed many acclaimed performers, including Matthew Kelly, Les Dennis and Dennis Waterman....
, Misery at Oldham Coliseum Theatre
Oldham Coliseum Theatre
Oldham Coliseum Theatre is a theatre in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.Oldham Coliseum is a building-based producing theatre. It has a capacity in its main auditorium of 585 seats; in addition the theatre has a studio with a capacity of 50 seats...
; toured in the play Just Between Ourselves and appeared with Janet Suzman
Janet Suzman
Dame Janet Suzman, DBE is a South African-born-British actress and director.-Early life:Janet Suzman was born in Johannesburg to a Jewish family, the daughter of Betty and Saul Suzman, a wealthy importer of tobacco....
in Cherished Disappointments In Love at London's Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
. He starred with Christopher Cazenove
Christopher Cazenove
Christopher Cazenove was an English cinema, television and stage actor.-Early life and career:He was born Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove, the son of Arnold de Lerisson Cazenove and Elizabeth Laura in Winchester, Hampshire, but was brought up in Bowlish, Somerset...
and John Duttine
John Duttine
John Arthur Duttine is an English actor noted for his roles on stage, films and television. He is well known for his role as Sgt George Miller in Heartbeat....
in a national tour of 'Art' and as Norman Bartholomew in Anthony Shaffer's dark comedy Murderer at London's Menier Chocolate Factory
Menier Chocolate Factory
The Menier Chocolate Factory is an award-winning 180 seat fringe studio theatre, restaurant and gallery. It is located in a former 1870s Menier Chocolate Company factory in Southwark Street, a major street in the London Borough of Southwark, central south London, England. The theatre stages plays...
. He also starred in a hit season in Neville's Island at Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre is a theatre and theatre company based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England...
. He appeared in the role of Mr. Fulton in "High School Musical 2" in a UK tour from late August 2009 to February 2010. He had also made an appearance on two episodes of Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer was comedy double act Vic & Bob's third television sketch show. It aired during January 1999 on BBC2 in the United Kingdom...
in The Club sketch, where he played himself. He also took part in a video
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
-only special of Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
in 1993, where Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
introduced him pronouncing his name as if it were French saying "Les Dennis, the French fire engine". He is currently touring in Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
as Wilbur Turnblad alongside Michael Ball
Michael Ball (singer)
Michael Ashley Ball, born 27 June 1962) is a British actor, singer, and radio and TV presenter who is best known for the song "Love Changes Everything" and musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Edna Turnblad...
, Brian Conley
Brian Conley
Brian Conley is an English comedian, television presenter, singer and actor. At the peak of his television career, he was the highest-paid male television personality in the UK. Outside of television, he is best known for his frequent portrayals of Buttons in pantomime versions of...
and Michael Starke – who alternate the role of Edna Turnblad.
Film work
Dennis' big screen debut was in the film Intimate Relations with Julie WaltersJulie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
, Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as DI Lestrade in the critically acclaimed television series Sherlock.-Early life:...
and Laura Sadler
Laura Sadler
Laura Ruth Sadler was an English actress best known for her role as nurse Sandy Harper in the BBC One hospital drama series Holby City.-TV career:...
and he appeared in the comedy feature film Large and in Wildlife, a short directed by Nick Allsop.
Soap acting
Dennis acted in soap operas BrooksideBrookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
, Merseybeat
Merseybeat (TV series)
Merseybeat is a British police procedural television series shown on BBC One, with a total of four series broadcast between 2001 and 2004. The series follows the personal and professional lives of one shift of police officers from the fictional Newton Park police station on Merseyside, England.In...
, Family Affairs
Family Affairs
Family Affairs was a British soap opera broadcast on Five, from 1997 to 2005. It was the second programme to be broadcast on the channel on 30 March 1997, the channel's launch night...
, Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
and the short-lived revival of Crossroads plus Hotel Babylon (for one episode).
Big Brother and beyond
Dennis appeared in the second series of the UK Celebrity Big Brother during the period when his marriage to Amanda Holden was breaking down again – he described his time in the BB House as "not one of his wisest moves", although he went on to finish as runner-up to Mark OwenMark Owen
Mark Anthony Patrick Owen , is an English singer-songwriter. He is a member of pop band Take That. The band were hugely successful during the 1990s and have enjoyed even more success since their reunion in 2005...
.
On 11 August 2005 Dennis appeared as a guest star in an episode of the first series 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...
-series Extras written by and starring Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
and Stephen Merchant
Stephen Merchant
Stephen James Merchant is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office, as the co-writer, co-director and a co-star of Extras, and as the...
. In this appearance, Dennis portrayed a fictional version of himself, alongside Gerard Kelly
Gerard Kelly
Paul "Gerard" Kelly was a Scottish actor who appeared in many comedies, most notably in City Lights, Rab C Nesbitt, and Scotch and Wry. He had more serious roles, including PC David Gallagher in Juliet Bravo , villain Jimmy in EastEnders and the villainous Callum Finnegan on Brookside...
, who played a camp theatre director, the recurring character Bunny.
In early 2006, Dennis presented and performed in BBC One's The Sound of Musicals
The Sound of Musicals
The Sound of Musicals was a 2006 four part BBC series starring several different musical theatre actors and some other professional singers who performed acts from different musicals. Each week the standard cast was joined by a celebrity guest host who also performed their favourite numbers...
and guested in New Street Law
New Street Law
New Street Law is a British legal drama television series produced by Red Production Company in association with One-Eyed Dog Ltd for BBC One. The series was created by G. F. Newman and Matthew Hall, and starred an ensemble cast headed by John Hannah and Paul Freeman...
on BBC One.
In summer 2006 he played scriptwriter Nick Chase in a new comedy play called Marlon Brando's Corset, which toured the UK from July 2006, including a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
.
He appeared as a guest in August 2006 on the 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...
drama series, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
starring as a man suspected of murdering his father. Dennis appeared alongside fellow former Russ Abbot performer Lisa Maxwell, who played D.I. Samantha Nixon in the series.
At the 2006 Edinburgh International Television Festival
Edinburgh International Television Festival
The Edinburgh International Television Festival, founded in 1976, is held annually over the British August bank holiday weekend at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre....
, it was announced Les would make a return to the gameshow genre, presenting a new big-money quiz show titled In the Grid
In the Grid
In the Grid was a game show that airs on UK broadcaster Five at 6.30pm week nights. It first aired on Monday 30 October 2006.In the Grid was hosted by Les Dennis and was produced by Initial West, one of the Endemol UK companies.-Round 1 - The Grid:...
for Channel 5. The show debuted on 30 October 2006. From April 2007 he also hosted UKTV Gold
UKTV Gold
GOLD is the original channel of the UKTV network, broadcasting to the United Kingdom and Ireland. It launched on 1 November 1992 as UK Gold, and is currently available on Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV and terrestrial subscription via Top Up TV. It shows repeats of classic programming from the BBC...
's TV Now and Then quiz show. The same month he guested on BBC One's Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
.
He appeared on The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
as a panellist on "Who knows the most about the guest host?" when Rupert Everett
Rupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s...
guest hosted. In theatre Les guest-starred as narrator in Side by Side by Sondheim
Side By Side By Sondheim
Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company.-History:...
at the Venue
The Venue
The Venue may refer to any of various places including:* The Venue , former nightclub and cinema in Liverpool* The Venue , now the Leicester Square Theatre...
, London.
As one of the team, he completed running the Safaricom Marathon in Lewa to raise funds for the BBC Wildlife Fund, screened on BBC One's Saving Planet Earth
Saving Planet Earth
Saving Planet Earth is a season of nature documentaries with a conservation theme, screened on BBC Television in 2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of its specialist factual department, the BBC Natural History Unit....
in July 2007.
In August 2007 he starred in the hit play Certified Male- about the highs and lows of modern manhood – at 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...
. He then toured in The Servant of Two Masters, directed by Michael Bogdanov
Michael Bogdanov
Michael Bogdanov , is a British theatre director known for his work with new plays, modern reinterpretations of Shakespeare, musicals and work for Young People.-Early years:...
and at Christmas he returned to pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
after a ten year break, co-starring in Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
with Hollywood veteran Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland, produced by First Family Entertainment.
Recent work
Les Dennis' autobiography, Must The Show Go On?, was published by Orion early in 2008.In April 2008, Dennis toured in Eurobeat Almost Eurovision prior to a West End season in the show. Also in 2008, he narrated the new "funny home video" show on Challenge; Les Dennis's Home Video Heroes
Les Dennis's Home Video Heroes
Les Dennis's Home Video Heroes was a British television programme, which ran for two series on Challenge in 2008. It featured humorous clips from home videos. The show was narrated by Les Dennis, with a special "Laugh-o-meter" segment being narrated by Stuart Hall.The show was repeated on Channel...
, and appeared in the 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...
documentary Les Dennis' Liverpool, which was, coincidentally, broadcast a week after BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
ran Alexei Sayle
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle is a British stand-up comedian, actor and author. He was a central part of the alternative comedy circuit in the early 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007...
's Liverpool, a three-part documentary on the city.
During Christmas 2008 panto season, Dennis appeared as Buttons in Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
at the Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre is located on the corner of Lime Street and London Road in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The theatre is the second to be built on the site, and was opened in 1925. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in Britain and can seat 2,350 people...
. The pantomime also featured Jennifer Ellison
Jennifer Ellison
Jennifer Lesley Ellison is an English actress, glamour model, television personality, dancer and singer...
as Cinderella, and Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
as the Fairy Godmother
Fairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...
. At Christmas 2008, Les was featured on the Wombats
The Wombats
The Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy and Dan Haggis , alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen...
' Christmas single and video Is This Christmas? in aid of MENCAP.
In 2009, Dennis played Herbert Soppitt in JB Priestley's When We Are Married
When We Are Married
When We Are Married is a 1938 play by English dramatist, J. B. Priestley. It is the first play ever to be televised unedited from a theatre.-Productions:* 1938 World premiere, London, England* 16 November 1938 BBC live telecast...
at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Playhouse, Liverpool. At Christmas 2009, he returned to the Liverpool Empire to appear in Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
with Fonz actor Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
and again in 2010 to play the role of Aladdin's brother, Wishee Washee in Aladdin.
As of 2010, Dennis presents the children's TV program Fee Fi Fo Yum
Fee Fi Fo Yum
Fee Fi Fo Yum is a British children's television game show presented by Les Dennis. Two teams of children compete in a series of challenges on the dinner table of Brian the Giant . The losing team is then eaten by the giant...
on the CBBC Channel
CBBC Channel
CBBC is a BBC television channel aimed at 6 to 12 year olds. It complements the CBBC programming that continues to air on BBC One and BBC Two. Launched on 11 February 2002, it broadcasts from 7am to 7pm on Freeview, cable, IPTV and digital satellite, occupying the same bandwidth as, but a different...
.
From October 17, 2011, Dennis is due to start a week-long stint in Countdown's
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
Dictionary Corner.
Personal life
Dennis married Lynne Webster in 1974, from whom he divorced in 1990. The couple have a son, Phillip, born in 1979.Dennis then married actress Amanda Holden
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden is an English actress and presenter. Among her roles are Mia Bevan in Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award...
on 4 June 1995. They had a temporary split in 2000 when Holden's affair with actor Neil Morrissey
Neil Morrissey
Neil Anthony Morrissey is an English actor, media personality and businessman. He is best known for his role as Tony in Men Behaving Badly....
was exposed in the press, before eventually separating in December 2002 and divorcing in 2003.
Dennis met Claire Nicholson in 2005. The couple have a daughter, Eleanor Grace, who was born on 24 April 2008; Dennis and Nicholson were married on 23 November 2009 in Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
. Their son Thomas Christopher was born on 14 April 2011.
Dennis is a Liverpool Football Club
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
fan, despite the fact that his mother was a Manchester United supporter.