1. Paul Merton has been ranked by critics, fellow comedians and viewers to be among Britain's greatest comedians.
42 Facts About Paul Merton
1. 2.
Paul Merton was the host of Room 101 from 1999 to 2007, replacing original host Nick Hancock.
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Paul Merton appears as a panellist regularly on Radio 4's Just a Minute, first appearing in 1989, and became the only remaining regular panellist in 2009 following the death of Clement Freud.
4.
Paul Merton has appeared as one of the Comedy Store's Comedy Store Players.
5.
Paul Merton James Martin was born on 9 July 1957 in Parsons Green, west London, to an English Anglican father, Albert Martin, and an Irish Catholic mother, Mary Ann Power.
6.
Paul Merton lived in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham until 8 years old.
7.
Paul Merton attended St Thomas's School, Fulham and St Teresa's, Morden.
8.
Paul Merton auditioned for Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts at 19 years old.
9.
On joining Equity he found that the name Paul Martin was already taken by a juggler in Leeds, so he renamed himself after Merton, the district of London where he grew up.
10.
Paul Merton commented that he made his professional debut, along with writing partner John Irwin, in Swansea in 1982 which led to having an "affection for Wales".
11.
Paul Merton recalls that on only his second or third night he found the dour role that has informed his comic approach ever since.
12.
Paul Merton has been a member of the London improvisation group The Comedy Store Players since 1985, and still regularly performs with them.
13.
Paul Merton was due to make his West End debut in the 2021 revival of Hairspray at the London Coliseum.
14.
Paul Merton was invited to participate during the following year and has appeared regularly on the programme ever since.
15.
In 2016 Paul Merton overtook Williams to become the second most regular panellist, surpassed only by Clement Freud.
16.
Besides his work on Just a Minute, Paul Merton was a semi-regular guest on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue from 1991 to 1998.
17.
Between 1993 and 1995, Paul Merton was among the regular cast members on the Radio 4 improvisational comedy series The Masterson Inheritance.
18.
In 2009, Paul Merton started a Radio 4 series in which he reads Spike Milligan's war memoirs in an audio-book fashion.
19.
Also in 1996, Paul Merton took a break from Have I Got News for You during its eleventh series, making only one appearance as a guest on fellow captain Ian Hislop's team.
20.
Paul Merton later said that at the time he was "very tired" of the show and that he thought it had become "stuck in a rut".
21.
Paul Merton hosted the first episode after Deayton's departure and was described as "merciless" in his treatment of his former co-star.
22.
In 1999 Paul Merton replaced Nick Hancock as host of Room 101, a chat show in which guests are offered the chance to discuss their pet hates and consign them to the oblivion of Room 101.
23.
Hislop's selections deliberately included items that Paul Merton was known to like, such as The Beatles and the films of Charlie Chaplin.
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Hislop's final choice was Paul Merton himself, done to represent his departure from the show.
25.
Paul Merton cast himself in the room to end the show, although on the condition that Hislop would go in with him.
26.
Paul Merton is one of the recurring stars from the 4 ITV Pantos.
27.
Paul Merton was rumoured to be a possible new host of Countdown to replace both Richard Whiteley and his successor, Des Lynam, but decided not to pursue this.
28.
Paul Merton examined their respective careers, interspersed with moments from a live show in which he presented clips of their work.
29.
Paul Merton took a stage version of this show to the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in late 2007 took the show on a UK tour.
30.
Paul Merton hosted the British version of Thank God You're Here, which aired on ITV in 2008.
31.
In 2009, Paul Merton directed and presented a documentary on the British films of Alfred Hitchcock, in a series of star-presented documentaries on BBC Four.
32.
In May 2010, Paul Merton temporarily co-presented The One Show after Adrian Chiles left the show.
33.
In October 2023, Paul Merton appeared on an episode of Celebrity Antiques Road Trip with his wife Suki.
34.
In 2024, Paul Merton appeared as the guest on the programme Perfect Pub Walks with Bill Bailey.
35.
Paul Merton married actress Caroline Quentin in 1990; they announced their separation in April 1997, which was followed by divorce in 1998.
36.
Paul Merton had a relationship with producer and actress Sarah Parkinson; they were married unofficially in a service in the Maldives in 2000.
37.
Paul Merton married fellow improviser Suki Webster in 2009 and they live in Sudbury, Suffolk.
38.
Shortly before becoming a household name on Have I Got News for You, Paul Merton booked himself into the Maudsley psychiatric hospital for six weeks, because of psychiatric problems caused by the malaria medicine Lariam.
39.
Paul Merton used his experiences at Maudsley as a key framework in his 2012 tour, Out of My Head.
40.
Paul Merton gave many examples of his misadventures there, conversations with staff and fellow patients were played out as sketches with his fellow performers, Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson and Suki Webster.
41.
Paul Merton received the 2004 Broadcasting Press Guild Award for "Best Non-Acting Performer", for his work on Have I Got News for You.
42.
In 2008, Paul Merton presented Bruce Forsyth with a BAFTA Fellowship: Forsyth had given Paul Merton his Best Entertainment Performance award in 2003.