Clive Anderson in profile

Published on 08/02/2013 13:23

Born December 10, 1952, in Middlesex, the son of a retired Scottish bank manager. He attended Harrow County School, alongside Michael Portillo, and studied law at Cambridge University.

Image: The Cuddly Assassin (his nickname)

Best Known for: Being a barrister-turned-chat-show host

He was a member of the Footlights theatre group with Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones and Douglas Adams. He gave up his job as a barrister specialising in criminal law to concentrate on showbusiness.

Career: Anderson did stand-up stints at London’s Comedy Store and wrote scripts for such shows as Alas Smith and Jones, The Frankie Howerd Variety Show and Not the Nine O’Clock News. He found fame presenting Whose Line Is It Anyway? He hosted the Radio 4 series Unreliable Evidence and presented Mastermind when it briefly appeared on the Discovery Channel. These days, he concentrates mostly on radio work. He is an Arsenal FC supporter and president of the Woodland Trust.

Don’t Mention: The Bee Gees, who famously stormed off his chat show after Anderson made a joke at their expense.

Room 101, BBC One, 8.30pm