Born:
June 25, 1962
in
Newport, Isle of Wight
Best Known For:
Being a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
Early-life:
Born Phillip Christopher Swan in Newport, Isle of Wight, on June 25, 1962. He took his stepfather's surname of Jupitus when he was 16. He's the eldest of three children. He moved with his family to Essex when he was four. He went to school in Barking, before attending Woolverstone Hall near Ipswich as a private boarder. He took eight O levels and was to study for his A levels but dropped out. He then became a civil servant, and while working in an employment office, began writing poetry.
Career:
Jupitus left the civil service, and under the moniker Porky the Poet, started touring with different bands as their support act. While working the student circuit, he met Billy Bragg and Paul Weller, and became involved in the Labour Party-supporting Red Wedge movement. He had a short-lived job at record label Go! Discs. Jupitus directed music videos before landing a radio show on the BBC station GLR in 1995. He became a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 1996, frequently appears on QI, has toured as a stand-up comedian, and hosted the breakfast show on BBC 6Music between 2002 and 2007. In 2009, he joined the West End cast of Hairspray, playing the role of Edna Turnblad. He also played King Arthur in a touring version of Spamalot in 2011.
Quote:
"Hi, hi I'm Phill Jupitus. 20 stone - I know you were wondering."
Trivia:
On Radio 4, Jupitus appears regularly on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.