Richard Ayoade is brilliant actor, writer, director, host, and overall comedian. Born on May 23, 1977, in Hammersmith, London, Richard Ellef Ayoade studied law at Cambridge University before embarking on a successful entertainment career. His breakout role in “The IT Crowd” catapulted him to fame, leading to a diverse body of work spanning comedy, acting, directing, hosting, and writing. Ayoade’s unique blend of humor, intelligence, and creativity continues to captivate audiences worldwide, solidifying his status as a multifaceted talent in the entertainment industry.
Richard Ayoade: Comedy Show Writer | Actor | Director | Music Videos | Panel Shows | TV Show Host | Author
Many UK funny people play up certain elements of their character. The public grows to perceive them in a particular way, and that perception can be mined for comedy by them or other comedians. For David Mitchell it’s poshness (shall I do posh and repressed or repressed and posh.), for Noel Fielding it’s glam-eccentricity (a motorbike made of jealousy).
Richard Ayoade makes use of a very carefully constructed public persona, and gets more mileage out of his persona than any other working UK comedian. Throughout his career, he’s built a fully formed image as to who he is as a person. As a viewer, you feel like you know and understand him well as the nerdy-socially awkward intellectual.
His role on the IT Crowd helped to thoroughly establish this persona, but importantly, his un-scripted in-character moments, feel genuine and have an endearing quality. He leans into this persona and often purports that he isn’t an entertainer or isn’t funny or talented as an actor, and often seems uncomfortable or out of place in whatever situation he finds himself in.
For instance, he seems like the kind of person who would never be comfortable doing an impression, it seems out of his comfort zone, which makes the times that he does belt out an impression extra funny due to its out-of-character nature. Ayoade is able to pick key moments to go against his established persona for hilarious juxtaposition. His comedy is usually delivered dry and straight-faced and finding a genuine laugh from him is quite rare.
Writer
As a writer, Richard Ayoade worked on the short-lived sketch comedy show “Bruiser”, a treasure trove of up-and-coming comedic talent with the likes of Olivia Colman, Robert Webb, David Mitchell, Rickey Gervais, Martin Freeman and Mathew Holness all involved. Ayoade would collaborate with Mathew Holness on a number of future projects including most notably Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace which is to me one of the funniest shows ever made.
It’s a perfect cult series which is oddly fitting for the subject matter of the show, it wasn’t popular when it first aired and was canceled after one series but over time, generated a loyal fan base. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is a genre and medium parody, akin to something like Black Dynamite. Ayoade co-wrote the series with Mathew Holness, co-stars as Producer Dean Learner, and also directed every episode. The show only ran for 6 episodes but brings me to the point of painful laughter in every single one of them.
The characters of Garth Marenghi and Dean Learner first debuted 4 years earlier at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and if you’re a fan of the series and want a little extra content, there was a spin-off called Man to Man with Dean Learner. It was basically a chat show hosted by Ayoade’s producer character Dean Learner. The same people were involved including Mathew Holness who played a different character in each of the show’s 6 episodes, Garth Marenghi being one of them.
Between the two was AD/BC: A Rock Opera, which Ayoade directed, co-wrote, and co-starred alongside many frequent collaborators Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt and Matt Berry, all of whom were also in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. Julian Barratt had a small role as a priest, and Noel Fielding had a teeny tiny role in a monkey suit.
All of them were also involved in The Mighty Boosh in its many incarnations. Ayoade actually played Dixon Bainbridge in the pilot, a role that would end up being played by Matt Berry instead due to contract issues. Ayoade ended up playing a different role on the show later on, in an early episode one of the mutants is even called Ayoade as a little in-joke. He was also involved in the writing and script editing of the show.
Of all Richard Ayoade’s frequent collaborators, he’s worked the most with Noel Fielding. The two are often paired up out of character and their chemistry is great. You can feel a genuine sense of friendship when they appear together on panel shows or anywhere out of character. I would love to see a show where the two can fully perform as a comedy duo. Ayoade played a handful of different roles on Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy.
Actor
Richard Ayoade had a supporting role in the Charlie Brooker and Christopher Morris-penned “Nathan Barley” and the oddity that is “Time Trumpet,” but his most well-known role is Maurice Moss on “The IT Crowd.” It’s a great character and a stellar performance, one that earned him a BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance. Frequent collaborators Noel Fielding and Matt Berry also have large roles on the show, created by Graham Linehan, who had a minor involvement with “AD/BC: A Rock Opera.”
Ayoade was also the only actor to reprise his role as Maurice Moss in the attempted American remake of the IT Crowd. The American version didn’t make it past the pilot and for good reason. The Chris O’Dowd role went to Joel McHale. Ayoade and McHale would have a future overlap when Richard Ayoade would end up directing an episode of one “Community.” He directed the episode Critical Film Studies, (that’s the Pulp Fiction episode if you don’t know.)
Richard Ayoade’s one big American film “The Watch,” in which he starred alongside Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Jonah Hill. The film is a comedy about a neighborhood watch group that has to deal with an alien threat. There’s a bit of historical context around the film that poisoned its chances of success. The film was released right after George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch member, shot and killed Treyvon Martin. A very poorly timed release. Even in isolation, the film isn’t anything great. Ayoade is easily the best part.
Director
Ben Stiller also served as an executive producer on Richard Ayoade’s feature-length directorial debut Submarine. Ayoade’s two feature films “Submarine” and “The Double” are both great and I would highly recommend them. You don’t need to be a fan of his as an actor or a comedian, they’re just expertly made, high-quality films. And they are both incredibly different. ‘Submarine’ is a heartfelt coming-of-age tale with creative presentation choices and a top-notch cast, and the double is a technically impressive, dark, moody, thriller with excellent cinematography, incredible production design, and a strong sense of atmosphere and world-building.
The Double was released around the same time as the Dennis Villeneuve film Enemy. Enemy is a brilliant film, Click here for the video essay on this site.
The Double and Enemy have a lot of similarities and overlap however they may have hurt each other’s viewership, both are thrillers about doppelgangers with their leads playing dual roles and both were adapted from novels both also titled ‘The Double’. They aren’t actually adapted from the same book, but two separate books that share the name, the double, and are of course similar in content. The ‘Enemy’ movie is an adaptation of the novel by Jose Saramago’s ‘The Double’, while the movie ‘The Double’, is an adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s ‘The Double and The Gambler‘.
Music Videos
He has a track record for directing music videos as well for bands like Vampire Weekend, the Yeah, Yeah Yeahs, and The Arctic Monkeys, whose frontman Alex Turner composed the original soundtrack to Ayoade’s film Submarine.
British Panel Shows
Richard Ayoade has made appearances on a variety of British panel shows, showcasing his wit and comedic talent. Here are some of the notable ones:
- “The Big Fat Quiz of the Year” – Ayoade is a frequent guest on this annual quiz show, often paired with other comedians like Noel Fielding and David Mitchell.
- “8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown” – A spin-off of “8 Out of 10 Cats,” this show combines comedy with a traditional letters and numbers game. Ayoade has appeared as a guest, contributing to the comedic chaos.
- “Would I Lie to You?” – This comedy panel show involves guests trying to deceive each other with unlikely truths and plausible lies. Ayoade has made memorable appearances, adding his distinctive humor to the mix.
- “Never Mind the Buzzcocks” – A music-based panel show where Ayoade has appeared as a guest, participating in various music-related games and discussions.
- “Have I Got News for You” – Ayoade has appeared as a guest panelist on this long-running satirical news quiz show, where his sharp wit and humor shine.
- “QI” – Ayoade has been a guest on this quiz show hosted by Stephen Fry (and later by Sandi Toksvig), which focuses on interesting and obscure facts.
- “As Yet Untitled” – Hosted by Alan Davies, this show features guests discussing various topics and sharing amusing anecdotes. Ayoade has contributed to the lively conversations.
- “Taskmaster” – Although not a regular contestant, Ayoade has appeared in special episodes or segments of this show where comedians compete in absurd and creative tasks.
- “Was It Something I Said?” – Ayoade was a team captain on this short-lived panel show, which revolved around quotes and famous sayings.
- “The Last Leg” – Ayoade has been a guest on this show that combines comedy and current events, adding his unique perspective to the discussions.
These appearances have allowed Richard Ayoade to showcase his quick wit, dry humor, and unique comedic style, making him a beloved figure on the British panel show circuit.
TV Show Host
In addition to being a guest on a plethora of panel shows, Richard Ayoade has hosted several TV shows. Here are some of the shows he’s presented:
- Gadget Man (2013–2015): A show where Ayoade introduced the world to new gadgets and technology.
- Travel Man (2015–2019): A travel documentary series where Ayoade spent 48 hours in different cities to discover the must-see tourist attractions.
- The Crystal Maze (2017–2020): A revival of the classic UK game show where contestants take on a series of challenges.
- Have I Got News for You (2018): A comedic news quiz show where Ayoade appeared as a guest host.
- Have I Got a Bit More News for You (2018): An extended version of the previous show, with Ayoade also serving as a guest host.
These shows highlight Ayoade’s versatility as a host, comfortably navigating through different genres from technology to travel. His distinctive humor and intelligence have made each of these shows memorable and enjoyable.
Author
And that’s everything from Richard Ayoade, except, oh wait there’s more! He’s written four books – three on film and a children’s book.
Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey is essentially an interview-style book in which one fictionalized Richard Ayoade interviews a second fictionalized Ayoade.
Over ten brilliantly insightful and often erotic interviews, Ayoade examines himself fully and without mercy, leading a breathless investigation into this once-in-a-generation visionary.
His second book, The Grip of Film features an introduction and footnotes from one of the fictionalized Ayoade’s from the first book while being primarily written by Gordy Lasure. And don’t worry, Gordy Lasure isn’t a real person, it’s still Ayoade all the way. The Grip of Film is styled as a film encyclopedia with the humor arising from Gordy Lasure’s tremendous character flaws.
(Description from Amazon) In Ayoade on Top, Richard Ayoade, perhaps one of the most ‘insubstantial’ people of our age, takes us on a journey from Peckham to Paris by way of Nevada and other places we don’t care about. It’s a journey deep within, in a way that’s respectful and non-invasive; a journey for which we will all pay a heavy price, even if you’ve waited for the smaller paperback edition. Ayoade argues for the canonization of this brutal masterpiece, a film that celebrates capitalism in all its victimless glory; one we might imagine Donald Trump himself half-watching on his private jet’s gold-plated flat screen while his other puffy eye scans the cabin for fresh, young prey.”
The life of a book isn’t easy, especially when people judge you by your cover (not every book can be adorned with sparkly unicorns!). And this narrator should know—it’s the book itself, and it has a lot of opinions. It gets irritated when readers bend its pages back, and it finds authors quite annoying. But it does have a story to tell. Through witty direct address and charming illustrations, readers meet a book that has never been read, with a cover the boring color of a school lunch table and pages so dry they give bookworms indigestion. But what happens when this book meets you, a curious reader? Readers of all ages will be delighted by the myriad bookish references and laughs on every page.
If you only know Richard Ayoade as Moss from “The IT Crowd” you are missing out on all this multi-faceted Renaissance Man has to offer.