Ben Elton

Ben Elton (born Benjamin Charles Elton, 3 May 1959, in London) is a British comedian, writer and novelist who became one of the leading stand-up performers of the UK's 1980s alternative comedy movement. Raised in Catford before his family moved to Guildford, Surrey, he studied drama at Manchester University before establishing himself as a regular stand-up comedian and host at the Comedy Store in Soho, London, known for a rapid fire, politically satirical delivery. He gained wider exposure as host of the live television showcase Friday Night Live and later starred in his own stand-up and sketch series, Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie, in 1990 and 1994, followed by The Ben Elton Show in 1998. Alongside his stand-up career, Elton became one of British television's most successful comedy writers, co-writing the sitcoms The Young Ones, Blackadder and Mr. Bean and writing Upstart Crow, work that earned him three BAFTA awards for Best Comedy Series. He has also published sixteen novels spanning dystopian, comedy and crime genres, plus an autobiography. Elton holds dual British and Australian citizenship, obtained in 2004, and has lived in Western Australia with his Australian wife, bassist Sophie Gare, while keeping a home in East Sussex, England. He continues to tour live, taking his stand-up show Authentic Stupidity through the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand in 2024 and 2025.