Justin Lee Collins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Justin Lee Collins |
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Collins signing autobiography Goodtimes
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| Born | 1974 Bristol, England |
| Medium | Radio, television, stand-up, music |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 1997–2016 |
| Genres | Observational comedy, surreal humour, slapstick |
| Subject(s) | Celebrities, pop culture |
| Spouse |
Karen Lee Collins
(m. 2003; separated 2010) |
| Children | 4 |
| Notable works and roles | FAQ U The Convention Crasher The Friday Night Project Bring Back... The Justin Lee Collins Show Heads or Tails Good Times Turning Japanese |
Justin Lee Collins (born 1974) is a former actor and presenter from Bristol, England. He became well-known for his work on radio and television.
Collins started his career as a comedian in the 1990s. He then presented many TV shows in the UK. From 2003 to 2005, he hosted his own radio show on XFM. He was also part of a duo presenting The Sunday Night Project (which used to be called The Friday Night Project) with Alan Carr for Channel 4.
He also hosted special shows on Channel 4 called 'Bring Back...'. These shows reunited the cast and crew from famous TV shows and films. Some of these included Dallas, Star Wars, The A-Team, and Fame. Later, he took on fun challenges to learn new skills. He tried becoming a Mexican wrestler, a surfer, a ballroom dancer, a ten-pin bowler, a high diver, and even a West End star. He later performed in the West End musical Rock of Ages.
In 2014, Collins returned to UK screens in the comedy horror film The Hatching. He also had a small role in the time-travel comedy Time Slips in 2015. He hosted an independent radio show on Fubar Radio until 2016. After that, he presented a short-lived football-themed show called FanTV UK.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Justin Lee Collins was born in 1974 in Bristol. His parents are Anita and Danny Collins. His father worked as an electrician. Justin is an only child.
In 1990, he finished school at Speedwell Secondary School when he was 15. He did not get any qualifications. After school, he started working at Marks & Spencer as a warehouseman.
Career Highlights
Comedy and Theatre Work
Collins began his career in entertainment as a stand-up comedian. At the same time, he worked part-time selling double-glazing windows. In 1997, he won the Best New Comedy Act award at the Glastonbury Festival. In the same year, he reached the finals of the BBC New Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Collins stopped doing stand-up comedy in 2002. He wanted to focus on presenting TV and radio shows. He said he did not plan to return to comedy. In 2007 and 2010, Collins won the Funniest Man award at the Loaded Lafta Awards.
In 2008, Collins performed in the popular musical Chicago. He played the role of Amos Hart. He rehearsed for this role at the Cambridge Theatre. Collins was very excited about the part.
From August 2011 to September 2012, Collins played Dennis Dupree. This was in the West End production of Rock of Ages. In 2013, Collins returned to stand-up comedy for one night. He took part in an event called "What’s the Fuss?". This event was organized by Helen Lederer.
Radio Shows
Collins started hosting a radio show on XFM in 2003. At first, his show was on Sundays from 1 to 3 am. Later, it moved to Saturday afternoons from 3 to 6 pm. He left XFM in December 2005. He returned to host the Saturday 2 to 6 pm slot in April 2011.
On September 17, 2011, Collins filled in for Dermot O'Leary's Saturday show on BBC Radio 2. In January 2008, Collins did a Tom Jones impression on BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles show.
In 2014, Collins returned to radio with his own weekly show. This was on Fubar Radio, an uncensored station. The show was also available as a podcast on iTunes.
Television and Film Appearances
In 2002, Collins made shows for Bravo and MTV. He also became the host of the show that went along with the first series of Strictly Come Dancing. The next year, Claudia Winkleman took over as host. The show also moved from BBC Three to BBC Two.
In 2005 and 2006, Collins presented The Games: Live at Trackside on E4. He hosted this show with Caroline Flack. It was the companion show to Channel 4's sports reality program The Games.
He was one of the presenters for Channel 4 and Paramount's Flipside TV. He also hosted a series for Channel 4 called The Convention-Crasher. This show aired in late 2007 and early 2008. In it, he learned skills like clowning and ventriloquism. He used these skills to try and win prizes at professional conventions.
On May 7, 2007, he was a guest presenter on The New Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4. This was when Paul O'Grady was taking a break. Collins appeared on Top Gear with Alan Carr on June 22, 2008. They were on the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment.
In June 2008, a show called Justin Lee Collins: 180 aired on Sky One. This show followed his journey to become a professional darts player. In the show, he practiced with Keith Deller. He also played in the BDO International Open on June 15, 2008. He lost in the first round.
He signed a deal with ITV for a show called The Justin Lee Collins Show. This show was on ITV2 from March to May 2009. It focused on current topics with a funny twist. That year, he became the host of the Sky One show Oops TV. This show featured home videos of people doing funny or clumsy things.
In August 2009, he appeared in JLC Is. This was a six-part series on Sky One. It showed Collins taking on challenges. He tried to become a Mexican wrestler, a surfer, a ballroom dancer, a ten-pin bowler, a high diver, and a West End star.
In September 2009, it was announced that Collins had signed a deal with Channel 5. He then hosted the game show Heads Or Tails. Players could win money by correctly guessing coin flips. He also hosted a chat show called Good Times.
In Justin Lee Collins: The Wrestler, Collins trained for 10 days in Mexico. He trained with a Mexican Luchador (wrestler) named Cassandro. Justin created a "bad guy" wrestler character called El Glorioso, or the Glorious Lee One. He even had his own wrestling mask. He later fought Cassandro in a Lucha libre event in London.
In 2014, Collins was cast in the British film The Hatching. He played the role of Stan. The film was directed by Michael Anderson. Collins starred alongside Andrew Potts and Thomas Turgoose. The next year, he had a small part in the time-travel comedy Time Slips. This film was directed by Stephen Hyams.
In August 2016, Collins returned to TV. He became a regular presenter on FanTV. The show had a small audience and was cancelled a few months later.
Music Endeavors
In 2010, Justin Lee Collins tried to be chosen to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest. After this, he announced his plan to try and represent Ireland. His song was written by Boyzone star Ronan Keating. However, his song was not chosen for the Irish final.
In 2007, Collins signed a deal with Universal for three albums. Due to other work, the first album was never released. The deal was later cancelled. Collins said in an interview that he would like to release music in the future.
Writing a Book
In September 2009, Collins' autobiography was published. It was called Good Times! and was released by Ebury Press. An audiobook version was also made available.
Personal Life
Family Life
In 2003, Justin Lee Collins married Karen Lee. They had their first child, a boy, in May 2005. In January 2008, Collins announced that his wife had given birth to their second son. Collins and his wife separated in late 2010.
Legal Matter
In 2017, Collins won a lawsuit against the British newspaper The Sun. The newspaper had falsely reported that he was fired from FUBAR Radio for sexism. The court proved this claim was false. The newspaper had to pay him money and print an apology. The apology stated that Collins did not behave in that way and was not fired from Fubar.
Television Credits
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