24 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 was a panellist in every episode of the comedy show Mock the Week and is one half of the double act Punt and Dennis alongside Steve Punt.

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 was educated at private University College School in London.

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; he decided that he did not want to take the option any further, particularly after 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.

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 was a panellist on Mock the Week and appeared in every episode 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.

Since October 2014, Hugh Dennis plays Toby in the long-running sitcom Not Going Out.

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 Abbot-Anderson in 1996, and they had a son and a daughter before divorcing in 2015.

Hugh Dennis is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and in 2008 he received an Honorary fellowship from the University of Northampton.