Timothy Mark Vine

Timothy Mark Vine (born March 4, 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter, best known for his puns and other one-liners and his role on the TV sitcom Not Going Out (2006-2012, 2014). He has also released a number of stand-up comedy specials and written several joke books. From 2004 to 2014, Vine held the Guinness World Record for the most jokes told in an hour, set at 499 jokes, with each joke required to get a laugh from the audience to count.

Vine was born in the Cheam suburb of London, the son of Diana, a housewife and occasional doctor's receptionist, and Guy Vine, a lecturer in civil engineering. He is the younger brother of broadcaster Jeremy Vine and the older brother of artist Sonya Vine, and was educated in Surrey, attending Aberdour School and Epsom College. His stand-up act consists primarily of quick-fire one-liners and puns, along with comedic songs and a bagful of props. He honed his routine at the Comedy Cafe in London during 1991 and came second in the Hackney Empire New Act competition in 1993.

Vine has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with shows such as The Tim Vine Fiasco (1995), which won him the Perrier Newcomer Award, and Punslinger (2008). In both 2010 and 2014, he won the award for best joke at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and was runner-up for each of the three years between. He met Lee Mack at the Comedy Lounge in Kingston upon Hull in 1996, and the pair later worked together on The Sketch Show, Not Going Out and Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief. He also plays the guitar, bass, piano and drums.