Phil Ellis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 October 1981 Preston, England |
| Occupation | Stand-up comedian |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Known for | Taskmaster (2025) |
| Notable work | Phil Ellis Is Trying |
Phillip Michael Ellis (born 16 October 1981) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. [1] [2] [3] Ellis's TV appearances include Drunk History (2016), The Russell Howard Hour (2017), The Tez O'Clock Show (2019), Roast Battle (2019), and Redknapp's Big Night Out (2021). [4]
In 2023, his Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Phil Ellis's Excellent Comedy Show won the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality and was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. [5] [6] He competed in the 20th series of Taskmaster in 2025. [7]
Ellis was born in Preston, Lancashire. [8] He grew up in the Fulwood and Plungington areas of Preston. [9] He attended Archbishop Temple School in Preston, and then Runshaw College in Leyland. [10]
His interest in comedy began as a child when he would ask his mother for comedy VHS tapes, which she would buy from the Asda where she worked, including Bottom , The Young Ones , The League of Gentlemen , and Red Dwarf . [11] Ellis cites Rik Mayall, Bob Mortimer, Sean Lock, Lee Mack, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith among his influences. [11] [12]
Ellis later attended University of Staffordshire, graduating in 2002, [13] and was awarded a third in media and production. Afterwards, he moved to Sandbach in Cheshire, and worked at an airbag factory for a number of years and at Domino’s as a pizza delivery driver. [11] [12] [13]
Ellis "started writing down all the silly, funny and absurd thoughts I had", which led to him trying out stand up. His first gig was at the Comedy Balloon in Manchester. [13] Deciding to pursue a career in comedy, Ellis spent most of his twenties "moving from one house share to another" in order to fund his gigs. [13]
Ellis wrote and starred in three series of his own BBC Radio 4 show, Phil Ellis is Trying, which ran for twelve episodes from 2018 to 2020. [14] He starred as "a man trying - and failing - to make a success of his life". [15] Written by Ellis alongside Fraser Steele, additional cast included Johnny Vegas, Lolly Adefope, Amy Gledhill, Katia Kvinge, Terry Mynott, and Mark Lamarr. [15] [16]
Ellis has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe every year since 2013. [4] He won the Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel prize in 2014 for Funz and Gamez, a children's game show featuring adult jokes. [17] In his shows, he is known for making up lies about his personal life; a major premise of his 2013 show Phil Ellis: Unplanned Orphan is that his parents told him at 30 he was adopted, and in a later show he claimed to have two children. [18] In 2023, his show Phil Ellis's Excellent Comedy Show won the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality and was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. [5] Ellis's 2025 show Soppy Stern won the Malcolm Hardee Award for Act That Should Make a Million Quid and was a joint-winner for Best Show for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards. [19] [20] Ellis also brought back Funz and Gamez for a two-week run entitled Funz and Gamez Rebootz, which won Best Fringe Kids Show at The List Festival Awards. [21]
In 2025, Ellis was announced as a contestant of the 20th series of Taskmaster along side Ania Magliano, Maisie Adam, Reece Shearsmith and Sanjeev Bhaskar. [22] He initially tied for first place with Magliano and Adam, but lost a tiebreaker challenge and ultimately came second.
In October 2025, Ellis launched his podcast Early Worms with comedian Anna Thomas. [23]
In autumn 2025, Ellis announced his show Bath Mat will tour from 9 December 2025 through 26 April 2026, including a 5-night run at Soho Theatre in London. [24]
Ellis's shows at the Edinburgh Fringe have received many positive reviews: he was described by The Guardian as "a helter-skelter hour of fun", by Broadway Baby as "one of the finest and funniest comedians in the UK today", and by The Skinny as a "conductor of chaos". [25] [26] [27]
Ellis briefly moved back into his parents house in Preston in his early thirties, but eventually moved back out again and rented a flat with five other people in Finsbury Park. [13]
In 2026, Ellis had a Hair transplant. [28]
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Eaten By Lions | Ice Cream Man | [29] |
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Phil's III | Writer | [30] |
| 2012 | The Tape Face Tapes | Various | BBC Comedy Feeds, pilot [31] |
| 2015 | Funz and Gamez | Writer, host, and associate producer | BBC Comedy Feeds, pilot [30] |
| 2016 | Drunk History | Second English Seaman [32] | One episode [30] |
| 2017 | The Russell Howard Hour | Himself | One episode [33] |
| Born Silly | Writer | [30] | |
| 2018 | Life Lessons | Phil | One episode [30] |
| 2019 | The Tez O'Clock Show | Ensemble | Two episodes [4] |
| Jack & Phil's Power Hour | Himself | One-off comedy special | |
| Roast Battle | Himself | One episode | |
| 2020 | There She Goes | Captain Banana Crackers | One episode [30] |
| 2021 | Redknapp's Big Night Out | Hooligan | One episode [34] |
| 2025 | Tell Me When You're Bored from Rob Copland | Ensemble | [35] |
| Sunday Brunch | Himself | ||
| Taskmaster | Himself | Contestant; series 20 [7] [22] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2020 | Phil Ellis Is Trying | Phil | 3 series, BBC Radio 4 |
| 2021 | Backchat | Hans | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2023 | Where To, Mate? | Phil | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2024–2025 | Icklewick FM | Mayor Stanley Power | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2025 | Humanwatch | Roving Reporter | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2025 | Loose Ends | Himself | BBC Radio 4 |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Phil Ellis: Why I Bathe In Ajax | [36] [37] |
| 2011 | Comx | [36] [38] |
| 2013 | Phil Ellis: Unplanned Orphan | [36] [39] |
| 2014 | Funz and Gamez | [36] [40] |
| 2015 | Funz and Gamez Tooz | [36] [41] |
| 2016 | Phil Ellis Is Alone Together (But Mostly Alone) | [36] [42] |
| 2017 | Phil Ellis Has Been On Ice | [36] [43] |
| Funz and Gamez: Flogging A Dead Horze | [4] | |
| 2018 | Phil Ellis Is Ready For The Big Time | [36] [44] |
| 2019 | Phil Ellis: An Revoir | [36] [45] |
| 2022 | Phil Ellis: Hedgehog | [36] [46] |
| 2023 | Phil Ellis's Excellent Comedy Show | [36] [47] |
| 2024 | Funz and Gamez - Returnz | [4] |
| Phil Ellis: Come On And Take The Rest Of Me | [36] [48] | |
| 2025 | Funz and Gamez rebootz | [4] |
| Phil Ellis: Soppy Stern | [36] [49] |