28 Facts About Hugh Dennis

Peter Hugh Dennis was born on 13 February 1962 and is an English comedian, presenter, actor, impressionist, and writer.

Hugh Dennis is perhaps best known for appearing as a panellist in every episode of the comedy show Mock the Week.

Hugh Dennis has appeared in the comedy double act Punt and Dennis with Steve Punt and played Dr Piers Crispin in the sitcom My Hero, Pete Brockman in the sitcom Outnumbered, Toby in the sitcom Not Going Out, and the Bank Manager in the first season of the comedy-drama series Fleabag.

Peter Hugh Dennis was born in Kettering on 13 February 1962, the son of schoolteacher Dorothy Mary and Anglican priest John Dennis.

Hugh Dennis grew up in the Mill Hill suburb of London as his father was appointed vicar of the local John Keble Church soon after his birth.

Hugh Dennis went on to read for the Geographical Tripos as an exhibitioner at St John's College, Cambridge.

Hugh Dennis's thesis was titled "The Spatial Distribution of Elementary Education in 19th-century Wakefield".

Hugh Dennis joined the Footlights, where he first met Steve Punt and club president Nick Hancock, and the trio collaborated on a number of projects besides the annual revue.

In 2016, Hugh Dennis said that he was approached by MI5 agents whilst at Cambridge University and attended a preliminary interview to join them; however, he eventually decided that he did not want to take the matter any further, particularly due to being told during the interview that the job would require him to "do people over".

Whilst at Unilever, Hugh Dennis became a brand manager of Lynx deodorant.

Hugh Dennis was put on sabbatical by Unilever, as rehearsals for the show were to take place on a weekday, but he never returned to the company and instead chose to pursue comedy full-time as a result of the show's success.

Equity told him that this would normally have been allowed, but advised against it as Peter Hugh Dennis was the chair of the union's naming committee at the time.

Hugh Dennis appeared twice as a contestant on the topical panel show Have I Got News for You, including one opposite former schoolmate Self.

Hugh Dennis is friends with Chris Morris and has had cameos on Brass Eye as well as doing the narration for the CBBC show Sam and Mark's Guide to Dodging Disaster.

In December 2009, Dennis joined Oz Clarke in presenting the 60-minute Christmas special Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas broadcast on BBC Two.

In December 2010 the pair returned for a four-part series called Oz and Hugh Dennis Raise the Bar, which puts them in a competition to create a bar featuring only local British food and drinks.

Hugh Dennis has starred in a number of sitcoms, including My Hero, in which he played obnoxious GP Piers Crispin.

Besides his regular television work, Hugh Dennis is a panellist on Mock the Week and has appeared in all episodes since its premiere in 2005, with the exception of a special episode of the programme that was broadcast as part of David Walliams' 24 Hour Panel People.

In 2011, Hugh Dennis hosted the short-lived improvisational comedy series Fast and Loose.

From October 2014, Hugh Dennis has started appearing in the sitcom Not Going Out as Toby.

In 2016, Hugh Dennis appeared as the Bank Manager in the BBC Three series Fleabag, acting alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the first, fourth, and final episodes of series 1.

In February 2021, Hugh Dennis started presenting The Great British Dig on More 4.

Hugh Dennis married Miranda Carroll in 1987 and they divorced in 1993.

Hugh Dennis married Catherine "Kate" Abbot-Anderson in 1996, and they had a son and a daughter before divorcing in 2015.

Hugh Dennis is a supporter of Arsenal FC, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a member of the Cloud Appreciation Society.

Hugh Dennis took part in the 2007 L'Etape du Tour, cycling an open stage of the Tour de France for amateurs which was held in the mountains two weeks before the main event, and completed it in 11 hours and 7 minutes.

In 2008, Hugh Dennis received an Honorary fellowship from the University of Northampton.

In 2011, Hugh Dennis completed the Great South Run in Portsmouth for the Alzheimer's Society.