Christopher Graham Collins

Frank Skinner, born Christopher Graham Collins on 28 January 1957 in West Bromwich, is an English comedian, actor, presenter and writer. At the 2001 British Comedy Awards, he was named Best Comedy Entertainment Personality. His television work includes Fantasy Football League from 1994 to 2004, The Frank Skinner Show from 1995 to 2005, Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned from 2000 to 2005, and Room 101 from 2012 to 2018. From 2009 to 2024 he hosted The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio, and in October 2024 he launched the Frank Off The Radio podcast.

Skinner grew up in a council house in Oldbury, the youngest of four children born to John and Doris Collins. He graduated from Birmingham Polytechnic in 1981 with a degree in English, followed by a master's degree in English literature at the University of Warwick. He adopted the stage name Frank Skinner when the actors' union Equity told him there was already a singer called Chris Collins on their books, taking the name from a member of his late father's dominoes team. After graduating he worked as a lecturer in English at Halesowen College before performing his first stand-up gig in 1987 and making his television debut a year later. He is a high-profile recovering alcoholic who gave up drinking in 1986.

Skinner won the 1991 Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, beating Jack Dee and Eddie Izzard. Along with David Baddiel, he provided vocals and wrote the lyrics for "Three Lions," the official song in collaboration with the Lightning Seeds to mark England's participation in the 1996 European Championship, reprising it for the 1998 World Cup and 2010 World Cup. The 1996 version is the only song ever to have four separate stints at number one in the UK singles chart with the same artists. In 2001, he released his autobiography Frank Skinner by Frank Skinner, which became a bestseller.