Richard Ayoade

Infobox actor
name = Richard Ayoade
birthname =
birthdate = 1977
location = Whipps Cross, London, England
height =
othername =
yearsactive = 1997 – present
spouse =
homepage =
notable role = "Maurice Moss"
in "The IT Crowd"
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Richard Ayoade (born 1977 in Whipps Cross, London [cite news|first=Charles|last=Nevin|title=When you're smiling|url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,1644941,00.html|work=The Guardian|date=2005-11-19|accessdate=2007-08-12] ) is an English comedian and actor. Recently, he has also dabbled in music-related film directing. His father is from Nigeria and his mother is from Norway.

Ayoade studied in Ipswich, Suffolk and later studied law at St Catharine's College, Cambridge where he became president of the prestigious Footlights. [cite news|title=1997-1998|url=http://www.footlights.org/1990.html|accessdate=2007-10-20]

Television work

Garth Marenghi

Ayoade co-wrote the stage show "Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight" with Matthew Holness, appearing in the show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2000 where it was nominated for a Perrier Award. In 2001 he won the Perrier Comedy Award for co-writing and performing in the sequel to "Fright Knight", "Garth Marenghi's Netherhead".

In 2004 Ayoade and Holness took the Marenghi character to Channel 4, creating the spoof horror comedy series "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace". He directed and also appeared as Dean Learner, Garth's publisher, who plays Thornton Reed, a camp hospital administrator who bears a trademark shotgun and answers to Hospital boss "Won Ton". He also has a habit of upstaging Garth.

Ayoade's "Darkplace" character, Dean Learner was resurrected in 2006 to host a comedy chat show, "Man to Man with Dean Learner," on Channel 4. The different guests were played each week by Holness.

The Mighty Boosh

Ayoade was part of the original cast of Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding's "The Mighty Boosh": he was selected to play the role of dangerous villain Dixon Bainbridge. However, by the time the radio series transferred to television he was under contract by Channel 4 and was only able to act in the pilot before leaving the Boosh. The part was taken by fellow Darkplace actor Matt Berry. He later returned in the second series, to play the part of the belligerent shaman Saboo, where he improvised the line 'an erotic adventurer of the most deranged kind' when describing Noel Fielding's nephew, who was also in the scene. Ayoade continued his association with The Mighty Boosh in the third series, acting as script editor and also reprising his role of Saboo in the episodes "Eels", "The Strange Tale of the Crack Fox" and "Party".

The IT Crowd

Ayoade is now a recognisable face in Britain due to his role as the technically brilliant but socially awkward Maurice Moss in Channel 4's "The IT Crowd", which has so far run for two series. A third series has been confirmed, [cite web| last = Simpson| first = Gemma| title =Q&A: Graham Linehan| publisher =silicon.com| date =October 12 2007| url =http://management.silicon.com/itdirector/0,39024673,39168797,00.htm| accessdate = 2007-10-16] while Ayoade may find himself performing the same material in America having reprised his role of Moss for the pilot of an NBC remake of the British show. He is the only actor from the original line-up to have been carried over. [cite web | title = Richard Ayoade to star in U.S. IT Crowd too | url = http://www.sitcom.co.uk/news/news.php?story=000111 |publisher=Sitcom.com|accessdate=2007-05-26] The American show was originally announced to have a mid-season (2007/2008) debut, although it's unclear whether NBC will go ahead with it as no further episodes have been made. [cite web | title = NBC May Unplug 'IT Crowd' | url = http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcmaydroptheitcrowd,0,7647371.story ]

Other notable work

In 2005, he played the role of Ned Smanks in Chris Morris' and Charlie Brooker's "Nathan Barley".

Ayoade also directed, co-wrote and co-starred (with fellow "Darkplace" castmember Matt Berry) in , and has appeared on T4.

He directed the video for the Arctic Monkeys song 'Fluorescent Adolescent' and has recently directed Super Furry Animals' new video "Run Away", which has Matt Berry in the lead role.Fact|date=November 2007 He has also directed the video for The Last Shadow Puppets song Standing Next to Me, as well as videos for Oxford Comma and Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa by Vampire Weekend.

He was a stand-up comedian for a short time performing on The Stand Up Show on BBC1 amongst others. His stand-up segment from Radio 4 programme 4 At The Store in London's Comedy Store is now available on CD along with other comedians performing. He was quite successful in stand-up before moving onto comedy acting.

In 2008 he directed the new Arctic Monkeys DVD entitled "Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo" which was recorded at the Manchester Apollo. It is due to be released in November 2008, but will be seen in several VUE cinemas in October 2008.

Filmography

* 2000 - "That's Life" (himself)
* 2003 - "Hello Friend" (The Subject's friend)
* 2003 - "The Stand-Up Show " (Himself)
* 2004 - "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace" (Dean Learner/Thornton Reed)
* 2004 - "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" (Photographer at Wedding)
* 2004 - " The Mighty Boosh Pilot" (Dixon Bainbridge)
* 2004 - "" (Joseph)
* 2005 - "" (himself)
* 2005 - "Nathan Barley" (Ned Smanks)
* 2005 - "Festival" (Dwight Swan)
* 2005 - "The Mighty Boosh" (Saboo)
* 2006 onwards - "The IT Crowd" (Moss)
* 2006 - "Time Trumpet" (himself)
* 2006 - "Man to Man with Dean Learner" (Dean Learner)
* 2006 - "Snuff Box" (Music Show Presenter)
* 2007 - "Parallel Worlds - A User's Guide" (Narrator)
* 2007 - "The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz" (Himself)
* 2007 - "The Mighty Boosh" (Saboo)
* 2007 - "prince kramiaon " (Richard Dean Hark)

References

External links

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