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Clive Anderson

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Comedian, radio/television writer and presenter

Clive Anderson is a barrister by training, but he is best known as an award-winning and multi-talented presenter, performer and writer. He rose to fame as the host of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, before going on to front ten series of his own show, Clive Anderson Talks Back, as well as making numerous other programmes and appearances.

He acquired his taste for comedy when he studied at Se...

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...lwyn College, Cambridge from 1972-5. He was President of the Cambridge Footlights for a year and wrote and performed in several revues including Stage Fright, which he directed. He continued performing as a stand-up comedian and in revue groups until he moved on to radio in 1986 and hosted several series of The Cabaret Upstairs, an alternative comedy show on BBC Radio 4.

In 1988, he was the natural choice to be chairman of a new comedy show also on Radio 4 entitled Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Such was its success that it quickly transferred to television, on Channel 4, with the same cast, where it ran for ten years.

In 1989, Clive presented the first of ten series of his own comedy chat show, Clive Anderson Talks Back, also for Channel 4. He was awarded the television industry's Comedy Presenter of the Year Award in 1991 and in 1992 he won the award for top Channel 4 Presenter given by the British Comedy Awards. The show also successfully transferred to the US.

During this time, Clive also wrote for a number of other shows and comedy partnerships, including Alas Smith & Jones (BBC TV), The World According to Smith and Jones (LWT TV), several hours of Head to Head conversations for Smith and Jones, Not The Nine O'Clock News (BBC TV), Around Midnight (LWT TV), Weekending, Marks in His Diary, Injury Time, and The Frankie Howerd Variety Show (BBC Radio 4).

In autumn 1996, his talk show transfered to BBC1 with the title Clive Anderson All Talk, where it ran for five years. He has presented many other topical programmes that take a sideways look at the news including Clive Anderson Now (BBC1), Clive Anderson's Chat Room (BBC Radio 2), The Last Word (More 4), News Knight (ITV), The Sharp End and The Guardian Sports Quiz (Channel 4).

Clive has stood in for other broadcasting legends such as Michael Parkinson and Terry Wogan. He has appeared as a guest or presented episodes (or whole series) of many classic shows including The News Quiz, Aspel & Company, Have I Got News For You, Don't Quote Me, Speaking Volumes, Did You See, Question Time, Time Cycle, Points of View, If I Ruled The World, Mastermind, God Almighty, The Big Read, Loose Ends, Notes and Queries, and Underdog.

He has also hosted many Radio 4 shows that explore real-life cases and legal controversies, illustrating the impact that the law can have in difficult situations; these include Unreliable Evidence, The Devil's Advocate and Hypotheticals.

Clive has written and / or presented several documentaries on subjects ranging from the Montreal Comedy Festival (Just For Laughs, Channel 4), the Bayeaux Tapestry (Every Picture Tells a Story, BBC), great railway journeys of the world and Our Man In ... for the BBC. His journalism has appeared in The Times, The Observer, The Listener and The Independent on Sunday.

He is a brilliant and unflappable live host, having fronted many events including the BAFTA Craft Awards, the Evening Standard Film Awards, The Olivier Awards and a live 2 hour special debate during Channel 4's general election coverage. He is also much in demand as an after-dinner speaker.