List of former Footlights members

This is a list of former Footlights members who have achieved notability after graduating from the University of Cambridge. The careers of many prominent figures in the world of entertainment began in Footlights, while prominent figures in other industries also took part in Footlights. They include:

Name^[1]	Birth	Death	Career
Douglas Adams	1952	2001	Comedy writer, known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Clive Anderson	1952	—	Comedian, television presenter, barrister
David Armand	1977	—	Comedian, actor, member of The Hollow Men
Alexander Armstrong	1970	—	Comedian, television presenter, singer, half of Armstrong and Miller
Pete Atkin	1945	—	Singer-songwriter, radio producer, known for This Sceptred Isle
Richard Ayoade	1977	—	Comedian, actor, director, co-creator of Garth Marenghi
James Bachman	1972	—	Comedian, actor, writer
David Baddiel	1964	—	Comedian, novelist, television presenter, half of Newman and Baddiel
Morwenna Banks	1964	—	Comedian, actor
Humphrey Barclay	1941	—	Comedy executive, producer of I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
Brian Barder	1934	2017	Diplomat, popular blogger
Tom Basden	1981	—	Comedy writer and performer, singer-songwriter, member of Cowards
Robert Bathurst	1957	—	Actor
Cecil Beaton	1904	1980	Photographer, interior designer, stage and costume designer
Tom Bell	1981	—	Actor, comedian, writer
Peter Bennett-Jones	1956	—	Television producer and agent, co-founder of Tiger Aspect and Comic Relief
Martin Bergman	1957	—	Producer, writer, director
John Bird	1936	2022	Comedian, actor, satirist, member of Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Simon Bird	1984	—	Comedian, actor, known for The Inbetweeners
Timothy Birdsall	1936	1963	Cartoonist
Christopher Booker	1937	2019	Journalist, author, founding editor of Private Eye
Leslie Bricusse	1931	2021	Lyricist, composer, playwright, known for Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Eleanor Bron	1938	—	Actress, writer
Tim Brooke-Taylor	1940	2020	Comedy writer and performer, member of The Goodies
Gus Brown	1974	—	Comedian, actor, half of Laurence and Gus
Spencer Brown	1978	—	Comedian
Robert Buckman	1948	2011	Comedian, writer, television presenter, columnist, physician
Tony Buffery	1939	2015	Psychologist, actor, comedian, writer, known for Twice a Fortnight
John Cameron	1944	—	Composer, arranger, conductor, musician
Jon Canter	1953	—	Comedy scriptwriter, principal writer for Lenny Henry
Graham Chapman	1941	1989	Comedian, actor, writer, member of Monty Python
John Cleese	1939	—	Comedian, actor, writer, member of Monty Python
Olivia Colman	1974	—	Comedian, actor
Peter Cook	1937	1995	Comedy writer and performer, proprietor of Private Eye, member of Beyond the Fringe
Joe Craig	1980	—	Novelist, musician, known for the Jimmy Coates series
Thurston Dart^[citation needed]	1921	1971	Keyboard player, conductor, musicologist
Russell Davies	1946	—	Journalist, broadcaster, presenter of Brain of Britain
Hugh Dennis	1962	—	Comedian, actor, writer, satirist, voice-over artist, half of Punt and Dennis
Penny Dwyer	1953	2003	Comedian, actor, writer, metallurgist
Jimmy Edwards	1920	1988	Comedy actor, writer, star of Take It from Here and Whack-O!
Mark Evans	1970	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Julian Fellowes	1949	—	Screenwriter, director, actor, novelist, known for Gosford Park and Downton Abbey
Paul Fincham	1959	—	Composer
Peter Fincham	1956	—	Television producer and executive, Director of Television at ITV
John Finnemore	1977	—	Comedy writer and performer
Jason Forbes	1990	—	Actor, comedian
John Fortune	1939	2013	Comedian, actor, satirist, member of Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Michael Frayn	1933	—	Playwright, novelist, known for Noises Off and Copenhagen
Robin French	1978	—	Playwright, scriptwriter, songwriter
David Frost	1939	2013	Television presenter, interviewer, satirist, star of The Frost Report
Stephen Fry	1957	—	Comedian, writer, actor, novelist, half of Fry and Laurie, Jeeves in Jeeves and Wooster and presenter of QI
Graeme Garden	1943	—	Comedy writer and performer, illustrator, member of The Goodies
Bamber Gascoigne	1935	2022	Television presenter, author, known for hosting University Challenge
Mel Giedroyc	1968	—	Actor, writer, television presenter, half of Mel and Sue
Stefan Golaszewski	1980	—	Comedian, writer, director, member of Cowards
Lizbeth Goodman	1964	—	Chair of Creative Technology Innovation/Full Professor/Director SMARTlab/author, broadcaster-television & virtual reality
Matt Green	1979	—	Comedian, writer, actor
Germaine Greer	1939	—	Writer, broadcaster, academic
John Grillo	1942	—	Actor, playwright
Lawrence Grossmith	1877	1944	Actor
Nick Hancock	1962	—	Comedian, actor, television presenter, known for Room 101
Norman Hartnell	1901	1979	Fashion designer
David Hatch	1939	2007	Broadcasting manager, producer of Just a Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
Natalie Haynes	1974	—	Comedian, writer
Archie Henderson aka Jazz Emu	1994	—	Comedian, musician
Tony Hendra	1941	2021	Satirist, writer, creator of Spitting Image
Kit Hesketh-Harvey	1957	—	Comedy writer and performer, half of Kit and The Widow
James Hickish	1966	—	Comedy writer, actor, teacher and Church of England minister One Foot in the Grave and Going Live!
Tom Hollander	1967	—	Actor, co-creator and star of Rev.
Matthew Holness	1975	—	Comedian, co-creator of Garth Marenghi
Alex Horne	1978	—	Comedian, creator and co-host of Taskmaster
Kenneth Horne	1907	1969	Comedian, businessman, star of Round the Horne
Claude Hulbert	1900	1964	Comic actor
Jack Hulbert	1892	1978	Actor
Tristram Hunt	1974	—	Politician, historian, broadcaster, newspaper columnist
Nicholas Hytner	1956	—	Film and theatre producer, Director of the National Theatre
Eric Idle	1943	—	Comedian, actor, writer, songwriter, member of Monty Python
Clive James	1939	2019	Writer, poet, critic
Jonathan James-Moore	1946	2005	Comedy producer, theatre manager
Peter Jeffrey	1929	1999	Actor
Rufus Jones	1976	—	Comedy writer and performer, member of Dutch Elm Conservatoire
Simon Jones	1950	—	Actor
Jo Kendall	1938	2022	Actor
Tim Key	1976	—	Comedian, actor, poet, member of Cowards
Paul King	1978	—	Comedy director, known for The Mighty Boosh
Matt Kirshen	1980	—	Comedian
Ian Lang	1940	—	Politician, business executive
Hugh Latimer	1913	2006	Actor, toymaker
Hugh Laurie	1959	—	Comedian, actor, writer, musician, half of Fry and Laurie, Wooster in Jeeves and Wooster and star of House
John Lloyd	1951	—	Comedy producer and writer, creator of Have I Got News for You and QI
Nicholas Luard	1937	2004	Satirist, travel writer, owner of Private Eye, co-founder of The Establishment
Jonathan Lynn	1943	—	Comedy writer, actor, director, creator of Yes Minister
Miriam Margolyes	1941	—	Actor
Christopher Martin-Jenkins	1945	2013	Cricket broadcaster and writer
Daniel Massey	1933	1998	Actor, singer
Dan Mazer	1971	—	Comedian, producer, screenwriter, known for work with Sacha Baron Cohen
Simon McBurney	1957	—	Actor, writer, director, founder of Complicité
Kevin McCloud	1958	—	Writer, designer, television presenter
Geoffrey McGivern	1952	—	Comedy actor
Rory McGrath	1956	—	Comedian, co-founder of Hat Trick Productions
Ben Miller	1966	—	Comedian, director, actor, half of Armstrong and Miller
Jonathan Miller	1934	2019	Theatre and opera director, humorist, sculptor, member of Beyond the Fringe
David Mitchell	1974	—	Comedian, actor, writer, half of Mitchell and Webb
Nick Mohammed	1980	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Lucy Montgomery	1975	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Charles III^[2]	1948	—	King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms
Neil Mullarkey	1961	—	Comedian, actor, writer, founding member of The Comedy Store Players
Jimmy Mulville	1955	—	Comedian, writer, television presenter, co-founder of Hat Trick Productions
Simon Munnery	1967	—	Comedian
Richard Murdoch	1907	1990	Comic actor
Jon Naismith	1965	—	Comedy producer, creator of The Unbelievable Truth, producer of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
Henry Naylor	1968	—	Comedy writer and performer, half of Parsons and Naylor
David Nobbs	1935	2015	Comedy writer, creator of the Reggie Perrin series
Pierre Novellie	1991	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Trevor Nunn	1940	—	Theatre and film producer, Director of the National Theatre
Des O'Connor	1972	—	Television presenter, burlesque performer, musician, lyricist
Bill Oddie	1941	—	Comedian, actor, musician, naturalist, television presenter, member of The Goodies
Michael O'Donnell	1928	2019	Journalist, author, broadcaster, physician
John Oliver	1977	—	Comedian, host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, former correspondent of The Daily Show
Richard Osman	1970	—	Producer, Creative Director of Endemol UK, co-presenter of Pointless, writer
Andy Parsons	1967	—	Comedian, comedy writer, half of Parsons and Naylor
Sue Perkins	1969	—	Comedian, actor, writer, television presenter, half of Mel and Sue
Steve Punt	1962	—	Comedian, actor, writer, half of Punt and Dennis
Jan Ravens	1958	—	Actor, impressionist
Griff Rhys Jones	1953	—	Comedian, actor, writer, co-founder of Talkback, half of Alas Smith and Jones
Blake Ritson	1980	—	Actor, director, writer
John-Luke Roberts	1985	—	Comedy writer and performer, known for Spats
Salman Rushdie^[3]	1947	—	Booker Prize-winning novelist
Tanya Seghatchian	1968	—	Film producer, former Head of the Development Fund at the UK Film Council and British Film Institute
Peter Shaffer	1926	2016	Playwright, known for Equus and Amadeus
Charles Shaughnessy	1955	—	Actor
Paul Shearer	1960	—	Comedy writer and performer, known for The Fast Show
John Shrapnel	1942	2020	Actor
Richard Sisson	1957	—	Pianist, composer, half of Kit and The Widow
Julian Slade	1930	2006	Musical theatre composer, known for Salad Days
Tony Slattery	1959	—	Comedian, actor
Ali Smith	1962	—	Novelist, short story writer, journalist, known for Hotel World
Michael Marshall Smith	1965	—	Novelist, screenwriter, short story writer
Gregory Snegoff	1955	—	Voice-over artist, writer, director
Sarah Solemani	1982	—	Writer, actress
Dan Stevens	1982	—	Actor
Richard Stilgoe	1943	—	Songwriter, lyricist, musician
William Sutcliffe	1971	—	Novelist
Jonny Sweet	1985	—	Comedian, writer
Edward Taylor	1931	—	Comedy writer, radio producer, creator of The Men from the Ministry
Joe Thomas	1983	—	Comedian, actor, writer, known for The Inbetweeners
Emma Thompson	1959	—	Comedian, actress, screenwriter
Sandi Toksvig	1958	—	Comedian, writer, former presenter of The News Quiz, presenter of QI
Peter Tranchell	1922	1993	composer, Precentor of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and Lecturer in Music, University of Cambridge
David Tyler	1961	—	TV and radio producer (aka David Meek)
Richard Vranch	1959	—	Comedian, actor, musician, founding member of The Comedy Store Players
Nicola Walker	1970	—	Actress, known for Spooks
Ian Wallace	1919	2009	Opera singer, actor, broadcaster
Mark Watson	1980	—	Comedian, novelist, radio presenter
Phil Wang	1990	—	Comedian
Robert Webb	1972	—	Comedian, actor, writer, half of Mitchell and Webb
Ed Weeks	1980	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Liam Williams	1988	—	Comedian, actor, writer, director
Christopher Winchester	1972	—	Actor, writer, musical comedian
Mark Wing-Davey	1948	—	Actor, director
Sophie Winkleman	1980	—	Actress
David Wolstencroft	1969	—	Scriptwriter, creator of Spooks
Richard Wordsworth	1915	1993	Character actor
Maury Yeston	1945	—	Broadway and Film Composer/lyricist, musicologist, known for Nine, Titanic, Grand Hotel
Martin Young	1947	—	Television reporter, interviewer, co-creator of Rough Justice

References

1. . Cambridge Footlights. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014.
2. "Prince Charles Could Become Actor King". The Deseret News. 17 September 1968. p. 18.
3. "Desert Island Discs – Castaway : Salman Rushdie". BBC. 18 September 1988. Retrieved 26 August 2013.

External links