Alex Horne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alex Horne
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Horne in 2024
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| Born |
Alexander James Jeffery Horne
10 September 1978 Chichester, West Sussex, England
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| Other names | Little Alex Horne |
| Alma mater | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Comedian, writer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Rachel Gibson
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 3 |
Alexander "Alex" Horne (born 10 September 1978) is a famous English comedian and writer. He is best known for creating the TV show Taskmaster. In this show, he works as the assistant to the main host, Greg Davies. Taskmaster has won a BAFTA award, which is a big award for TV shows.
Alex Horne also leads a funny band called The Horne Section. They have their own podcast and TV show. You might have seen them on shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Alex Horne was born in Chichester, West Sussex, England, on 10 September 1978. He went to a school called Lancing College. Later, he studied old languages like Latin and Greek at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He finished his studies there in 2001.
While at Cambridge, Alex was part of a comedy group called the Footlights. He also wrote for the student newspaper, Varsity. After Cambridge, he studied broadcast journalism at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Comedy Career
Alex Horne started doing stand-up comedy when he was still a student. He performed at "open mic" nights in Cambridge and London. These are events where new comedians can try out their jokes. In 1999, he reached the semi-finals of a comedy competition called So You Think You're Funny.
His first show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was in 2000. This festival is a huge event for performers. In 2003, his show "Making Fish Laugh" was nominated for a "Best Newcomer" award. He won a Chortle Award in 2004 for being a great new act.
Alex also used Microsoft PowerPoint in some of his early shows. He performed "When in Rome" on a tour that visited old Roman towns in Britain. He wrote books called Birdwatchingwatching and Wordwatching, based on his comedy shows.
On 18 January 2007, Alex Horne became the first comedian to perform in a virtual world called Second Life. He did this for a news story on Sky News. For one year, he tried to meet someone from every country living in London. He met people from 189 countries!
Since 2010, Alex has performed with his band, The Horne Section. They host comedy shows together. Their radio show, Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section, was on BBC Radio 4. They also started The Horne Section Podcast in 2018.
During the 2020 lockdown, Alex Horne, Tim Key, and Mark Watson created a fun YouTube series called No More Jockeys. Alex also hosts another YouTube channel called Bad Golf with comedian John Robins.
Television Appearances
Alex Horne has appeared on many TV shows. In August 2008, he was a contestant on the game show Countdown. He won three matches!
In 2011, he was on Celebrity Mastermind, a quiz show. His special topic was the comedian Ken Dodd. Alex came in second place. He has also been a guest on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown many times.
Since 2015, Alex Horne has been the co-host of Taskmaster with Greg Davies. Alex created the show, where comedians try to complete funny and silly tasks. The show was first on Dave and then moved to Channel 4 in 2020. It has won a BAFTA award. A funny running joke on the show is that Greg Davies always calls him "Little Alex Horne".
Taskmaster has become very popular. Other countries like Australia, Sweden, and New Zealand have made their own versions of the show. In 2018, Alex also helped host the American version of Taskmaster.
In April 2018, Alex voiced a talking Button in the BBC One game show The Button. In May 2018, he presented The Horne Section Television Programme. This was a special musical comedy show recorded live. It featured his band and other famous comedians.
A new six-episode TV series called The Horne Section TV Show was released on Channel 4 in November 2022. It mixes musical comedy, talk show elements, and sitcom. A second series was ordered and was filmed in 2023.
Personal Life
Alex Horne is married to Rachel Horne, who used to be a BBC business journalist. They met when they were both at Cambridge University. They have three sons.
Alex enjoys birdwatching. He says it's a great hobby for someone who likes sports and being outdoors. He supports Liverpool F.C. (a football team) and is a director at his local team, Chesham United F.C..
In January 2024, the University of Warwick gave Alex Horne an honorary doctorate. This is a special award for his achievements.
TV Shows and Appearances
Alex Horne has been part of many TV shows, including:
- Countdown (2008) - as a contestant
- Celebrity Mastermind (2011) - as a contestant
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (2013–present) - as a guest
- Taskmaster (2015–present) - as co-host, creator, and writer
- The Button (2018) - as the voice of The Button
- The Last Leg (2018–present) - with The Horne Section band
- Richard Osman's House of Games (2019) - as a contestant
- The Horne Section TV Show (2022–present) - as host
