Jack Whitehall has in a matter of a year jumped from panel show guest to one of the UK’s favourite comic actors and stand-ups.
With the second series of the brilliant Fresh Meat airing tonight, we take a look at how Jake’s risen up the food chain of funny so quickly.
A frustrated actor (he sites being in the same school as Robert Pattinson as the reason he didn’t get the parts in the school plays), Whitehall turned to comedy and started doing stand-up at the age of 16.
Eight years on he’s on the cusp of stardom, having come through the regular routes aspiring British comics do these days. TV panel shows. Having appeared on Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and A League Of Their Own, he’s shown in the flashes allowed to him why he’s thought of so highly.
While he’d been given the hosting duties of Channel 4’s ill-fated The TNT Show alongside Holly Walsh, it pushed Jack even further into the TV spotlight.
Whitehall’s booster rocket came in the shape of last year’s first series of Fresh Meat, which garnered him and the show huge critical praise, earning Whitehall nominations for both a British Comedy Award and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award.
Despite being Whitehall’s first acting gig, he acquitted himself brilliantly, even managing to nail the moments of quiet pathos that so many comedians fail to grasp when they move into the world of acting.
Bad Education has been a real boon for Whitehall too, with its first episode breaking the record James Corden and Mathew Horne achieved as the highest rated first episode of a comedy. Both it’s star and it’s writer, it was a real showcase for Whitehall.
The show went on to be a big success for BBC Three, always ranking in the top five rated shows of the week and securing itself a second season despite some mixed reviews.
At the same time as this has been going on, Whitehall has still been off gathering huge acclaim for his live sets, with him being nominated for both an Edinburgh Comedy Award and a British Comedy Award and already got his first U.S. chat show appearance already under his belt at the hands of Ellen DeGeneres.
With his cut glass accent and utterly charming, effervescent comedy style, Jack Whitehall looks set to become one of the U.K’s premier stand-up comedians over the next couple of years. We just can’t wait to see him back as the posh idiot JP tonight on Channel 4.
Fresh Meat starts up again on Channel 4 tonight at 10pm.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith
Tagged in Channel 4 Jack Whitehall