Andy Parsons

Andy Parsons (born 30 November 1966), born Andrew John Parsons, is an English comedian and writer. He regularly appeared on Mock the Week from Series 3 to Series 14, and with comedy partner Henry Naylor wrote and presented nine series of Parsons and Naylor's Pull-Out Sections for BBC Radio 2. Parsons was born in Poole, Dorset, where his father was a headmaster, and attended Churston Ferrers Grammar School before going to Christ's College, Cambridge to study Law. There he met and formed a double act with Henry Naylor, and the two established TBA, London's first sketch comedy club.

Parsons' first television writing job was for Spitting Image, where he became one of the main writers. He has appeared as a guest on They Think It's All Over, QI and BBC Radio 5 Live's Fighting Talk, and presented The PMQ show on BBC Radio 5 Live. He left Mock the Week in October 2015 after nine series as a regular panelist, sitting on host Dara O Briain's left. He also appeared in World's Most Dangerous Roads alongside Ed Byrne, travelling the Road of Bones in Siberia and sleeping in a tent at -53 degrees Celsius.

As a solo stand-up, Parsons performs at comedy festivals and at The Comedy Store, and won the Time Out Comedy Award in 2002. His touring shows include Gruntled (2011), I've Got A Shed (2013), Live & Unleashed - But Naturally Cautious (2015), Peak Bullsh*t (2017), Healing The Nation (2019) and Bafflingly Optimistic (2023/2024). In 2015 he started the Slacktivist Action Group, a monthly event with MPs, journalists, experts and comedians. He backed the People's Vote campaign for a public vote on the final Brexit deal.