Frank Skinner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frank Skinner |
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Skinner at Wembley Stadium in 2008
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| Birth name | Christopher Graham Collins |
| Born | 28 January 1957 West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England |
| Medium | Radio, stand-up, television |
| Education | Birmingham Polytechnic (BA) University of Warwick (MA) |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Genres | Musical comedy, observational comedy |
| Children | 1 |
Christopher Graham Collins (born 28 January 1957), known as Frank Skinner, is a popular English comedian, actor, presenter, and writer. He won the Best Comedy Entertainment Personality award at the 2001 British Comedy Awards. You might know him from TV shows like Fantasy Football League, The Frank Skinner Show, Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned, and Room 101.
For many years, he hosted The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio. This show was live on Saturday mornings and also released as a podcast. In October 2024, he started a new podcast called Frank Off The Radio with the same team.
Frank Skinner also helped write and sing "Three Lions" with David Baddiel and the band the Lightning Seeds. This was the official song for the England national football team during the 1996 European Championship. They made new versions for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2010 World Cup. The 1996 version is the only song to reach number one in the UK charts four separate times with the same artists. It hit number one again in July 2018 when England did well in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
About Frank Skinner
Growing Up
Frank Skinner was born on 28 January 1957 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England. He grew up in a council house in Oldbury. He was the youngest of four children.
His parents called him Graham, even though his first name was Christopher. His friends also called him Chris. When he became a comedian, he needed a new name because another actor was already called Chris Collins. He chose "Frank Skinner" from a member of his father's dominoes team.
Frank went to school in Oldbury and later studied English at Birmingham City University and the University of Warwick.
Starting His Career
After finishing university, Frank Skinner worked as an English lecturer. In 1987, he decided to try stand-up comedy. He performed his first show that year and appeared on TV a year later.
In 1990, he co-wrote and starred in a comedy show called Packet of Three on Channel 4. His fame as a stand-up comedian continued to grow.
Famous TV Shows and Songs
In 1991, Frank Skinner won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. This was a big award for comedians.
He worked a lot with David Baddiel. They hosted the popular show Fantasy Football League from 1994 to 2004. They also had another show called Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned from 2000 to 2005.
As mentioned, they also wrote and performed the football song "Three Lions" with the Lightning Seeds. This song became a huge hit, reaching number one in the UK charts twice.
In 2001, Frank wrote his autobiography called Frank Skinner by Frank Skinner, which sold very well. He also made a TV show about his life.
Frank is a big fan of Elvis Presley. In 1998, he made a documentary called A Little Bit of Elvis. He bought a shirt for over £11,000 that he thought Elvis wore. It turned out the shirt belonged to Elvis but wasn't worn at the specific concert Frank thought.
From 1995 to 1998, Frank had his own chat show on BBC One. Later, the show moved to ITV and ran until 2005. He also appeared in sitcoms like Blue Heaven and Shane.
In 2003, he was named one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy by The Observer. In 2005, he decided to focus more on stand-up comedy again.
Radio and Podcasts
In 2009, Frank Skinner started hosting the Saturday Morning Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio. He had co-hosts Emily Dean and Gareth Richards. The show was very popular and ran for 15 years.
In March 2024, his contract with Absolute Radio ended. However, in October 2024, he launched a new podcast called Frank Off The Radio. It has a similar style to his old radio show and features the same presenters.
In 2020, Frank also started Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast. In this podcast, he talks about and explains his favorite poems.
Beyond Comedy
Frank Skinner plays the banjo ukulele. He even played it on a song by Fairport Convention called "Ukulele Central." He is a big fan of George Formby, who was a famous ukulele player. Frank hosted a BBC Four TV show about George Formby in 2011.
From 2012 to 2018, Frank hosted the BBC show Room 101. In this show, guests would talk about things they dislike and want to banish to "Room 101."
He is also a longtime fan of Doctor Who. He appeared in an episode called Mummy on the Orient Express in 2014, alongside Peter Capaldi's Doctor.
In 2015, Frank was a contestant on the first season of Taskmaster. This is a comedy game show where contestants complete funny tasks. Frank did well on the show and tied for second place.
In 2023, Frank Skinner was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award for his contributions to entertainment.
In 2023, Frank took part in a special show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival called A Show for Gareth Richards. This show honored his friend and fellow comedian Gareth Richards, who had passed away. The show won an award and raised money for Gareth's family.
His Life Today
Frank Skinner has a son named Buzz Cody with his partner, Cath Mason. Buzz was born in 2012.
He was raised Roman Catholic and still practices his faith. He is also a big fan of the West Bromwich Albion football team and often goes to their games.
At one point, Frank lost a lot of money due to a financial crisis, but he managed to get most of it back.
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