Josh Widdicombe

Now a household name as co-host of Channel 4's The Last Leg, Josh Widdicombe rose to fame from humble beginnings. Although born in London, the comedian was raised in the small hamlet of Haytor Vale, attending primary school with just three other pupils. After a self-described uneventful time at school, Widdicombe headed to Manchester for university, studying linguistics and landing himself a job at The Guardian. After returning to London and delving into comedy on a whim, Widdicombe entered the Amused Moose comedy course and quickly reached the semi-final of the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year 2008.

It took the break up of a long-term relationship to give Widdicombe the motivation to fully dedicate himself to comedy, a far cry from his time working for the Dora The Explorer magazine. Performing over 400 shows across two years, he won the Leicester Mercury New Comedian of the Year competition in 2010. A year later, his appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe secured him further acclaim, including a nomination for Malcolm Hardee’s Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid Award.

The momentum secured Widdicombe a regular hosting spot on The Last Leg, as well as appearances on the likes of Mock The Week and 8 Out Of 10 Cats. His TV credits expanded rapidly, including coveted spots on Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News For You and Taskmaster. He won the inaugural series of the latter. He also joined the presenting teams at Radio 5 Live and XFM, later rebranded to Radio X.