Born:
January 28, 1957
in
West Bromwich
Best Known For:
Penning football anthem Three Lions.
Early-life:
Born Graham Christopher Collins on January 27, 1957, in the West Midlands suburb of Oldbury, but he is better known by his stage name Frank Skinner. He is the youngest of former semi-professional footballer John Collins and his wife Doris's four children. He has a Masters degree in English literature and, after a spell of unemployment, became a lecturer. He gave that up in 1989 to become a professional stand-up comedian. He was known as Graham to his family and Chris to his friends, but renamed himself Frank Skinner after a member of his father's dominoes team because Equity already had a Chris Collins on their books.
Career:
A four-year slog on the comedy circuit, financed by a string of day jobs, led to Skinner establishing his own club in Birmingham. The work paid off in 1991, when he won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival ahead of Jack Dee and Eddie Izzard. Fantasy Football League and Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned catapulted Skinner and his co-host David Baddiel into the mainstream during the 1990s and early 2000s. Skinner's solo work has included his own ITV chat show and short-lived sitcom Shane. In 2005, Skinner announced he was to turn his back on TV to return to his stand-up roots, but has since returned with various documentaries and as host of Room 101. He also co-presents a Saturday-morning show on Absolute Radio.
Quote:
"Being a celebrity is great - it's a lot easier than working in a factory, and I've done both. Everyone is loathe to say, 'My life is fabulous', but I'm pretty happy with mine. I like signing autographs and chatting to people."
Trivia:
Skinner plays the ukelele like his hero, George Formby, and wrote and performed the Radio 4 comedy series Don't Start.