Richard Ayoade facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Ayoade
Ayoade at Waterstones, London in 2024
Born	(1977-05-23) 23 May 1977 (age 48) Hammersmith, London, England
Education	St Catharine's College, Cambridge (BA)
Occupation	Comedian actor writer director presenter
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Lydia Fox ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	3
Family	Fox family (by marriage)

Richard Ayoade (born 23 May 1977) is a British comedian, actor, writer, director, and TV presenter. He is famous for playing Maurice Moss, a shy IT expert, in the TV show The IT Crowd (2006–2013). For this role, he won a BAFTA award in 2014 for Best Male Comedy Performance.

Richard Ayoade was the president of the Footlights comedy club when he was a student at the University of Cambridge. He created characters like Dean Learner and Garth Marenghi, which became TV shows such as Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004) and Man to Man with Dean Learner (2006). He also appeared in The Mighty Boosh (2004–2007).

Beyond acting, Ayoade has directed music videos for bands like Arctic Monkeys and Vampire Weekend. He wrote and directed the movie Submarine (2010), which was based on a book. He also starred in the sci-fi comedy film The Watch (2012). His second film, The Double (2013), was a dark comedy inspired by a classic story.

Richard Ayoade is often seen on TV panel shows, especially The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. He hosted popular factual shows like Gadget Man (2013–2015) and Travel Man (2015–2019). He also presented the game show The Crystal Maze (2017–2020). He has lent his voice to many animated movies and TV shows, including The Boxtrolls (2014), Early Man (2018), The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), and Soul (2020).

Ayoade has written several funny books about films, like Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey (2014). He also wrote a children's book called The Book That No One Wanted to Read (2022).

Early Life and Education

The ADC Theatre, where the Footlights comedy club performs.

Richard Ellef Ayoade was born in Hammersmith, London, on 23 May 1977. His mother is Norwegian, and his father is Nigerian. When he was young, his family moved to Ipswich. By age 15, he became very interested in films, going beyond popular movies like Star Wars. He started watching films by famous directors such as Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman.

He went to St Joseph's College in Ipswich. He remembers being very interested in the book The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. He even started dressing like the main character, Holden Caulfield.

From 1995 to 1998, Ayoade studied law at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. While there, he won an award for play production. He also became the president of the Footlights amateur theater club. He wrote and performed in shows with John Oliver, who was the club's vice-president.

Career Highlights

Early Comedy Shows

In 2000, Ayoade co-wrote a stage show called Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight with Matthew Holness. They performed it at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This show introduced Holness's character, Garth Marenghi, a fictional horror writer, and Ayoade's character, Dean Learner, Marenghi's publisher. In 2001, they won an award for their next show, Garth Marenghi's Netherhead.

In 2004, Ayoade and Holness brought their characters to TV with Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. This was a funny show that made fun of old horror TV series. Ayoade wrote, directed, and acted in it. He also helped write and direct AD/BC: A Rock Opera in 2004, a comedy about the life of Christ.

Ayoade was part of The Mighty Boosh TV show. He first appeared in the pilot episode. Later, in the second series in 2005, he played the character Saboo, a shaman. He continued working on The Mighty Boosh as a script editor for the third series. In 2005, he also played Ned Smanks in the comedy show Nathan Barley.

In 2006, Ayoade brought back his character Dean Learner for a comedy chat show called Man to Man with Dean Learner. In this show, Holness played all the different guests each week.

The IT Crowd and Directing Films

In February 2006, Richard Ayoade started his most famous role as Maurice Moss in The IT Crowd. Moss is a very smart but socially awkward IT technician. The show's creator, Graham Linehan, wrote the part especially for Ayoade. In 2008, Ayoade won an award for his acting in the show at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. The IT Crowd ran for four seasons until 2010, with a special episode in 2013. For this special, Ayoade won a BAFTA award.

Ayoade also began directing music videos. In 2007, he directed videos for "Fluorescent Adolescent" by Arctic Monkeys and "Run-Away" by Super Furry Animals. He directed more videos for Vampire Weekend in 2008, and for Kasabian and Yeah Yeah Yeahs in 2009. He also directed a live concert DVD for Arctic Monkeys, At the Apollo (2008).

In 2010, Ayoade directed his first full-length movie, Submarine. It's a coming-of-age comedy-drama about a Welsh teenager. The film was well-received by critics. Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys wrote five original songs for the soundtrack. Ayoade was nominated for a BAFTA award for his work on Submarine.

Mainstream Roles and TV Presenting

In 2011, Ayoade directed an episode of the TV comedy Community called "Critical Film Studies". This episode was praised by critics. He also voiced a character in the animated show Full English in 2012.

Ayoade starred in the sci-fi comedy film The Watch in 2012, alongside actors like Ben Stiller. Critics liked Ayoade's performance in the movie. He also voiced Todd Lagoona, a hammerhead shark, in Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy.

From 2013 to 2014, Ayoade voiced Templeton, a smart but shy character, in the animated series Strange Hill High. In September 2013, he took over as the host of Channel 4's Gadget Man, a show about new products and gadgets. He also hosted its spin-off, Travel Man, where he explored different places with a celebrity guest. He was a team captain on the panel show Was It Something I Said? in 2013.

Ayoade's second film as a director, The Double, came out in 2014. It was a dark comedy thriller based on a story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He also voiced Mr. Pickles in the animated film The Boxtrolls (2014).

His first book, Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey, was published in 2014. It's a funny book where he pretends to interview himself about his love for movies. He also voiced a snowman villain in the 2015 animated series Danger Mouse.

In 2017, Ayoade became the host of the game show The Crystal Maze. His presenting style is often described as smart and intense. He made a small appearance in the movie Paddington 2 (2017). His second book, The Grip Of Film, was published in 2017. He has also been a guest host on the panel show Have I Got News for You. In 2018, he voiced Treebor, a caveman, in the animated film Early Man.

From 2018 to 2021, Ayoade voiced Onion in the animated series Apple & Onion. He also directed a music video for The Breeders in 2018. He appeared in the drama film The Souvenir and voiced an ice cream cone in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019). He also voiced the droid Zero in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019).

His third book, Ayoade on Top, was published in 2019. It's a humorous tribute to the movie View from the Top. In 2020, 2021, and 2022, Ayoade hosted the British Academy Television Awards. His 2024 book, The Unfinished Harauld Hughes, is a funny story about making a documentary that never gets finished.

Influences and Favorite Films

Richard Ayoade loves French New Wave cinema, a style of filmmaking from France. He has said that the film Zazie dans le Métro by Louis Malle made him interested in directing. Some of his favorite filmmakers include Louis Malle, Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman, and Paul Thomas Anderson.

In a 2012 poll, Ayoade listed his 10 favorite films. These included The Apartment, Badlands, Barry Lyndon, and Raging Bull.

Personal Life

In 2007, Richard Ayoade married Lydia Fox. She is part of the Fox family, which has many actors. They have three children and live in London.

Filmography

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film Roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Hello Friend	Computer Man	Short film
2004	The Life and Death of Peter Sellers	Wedding Photographer	TV film
2005	Festival	Dwight Swan
2009	Bunny and the Bull	Museum Curator
2012	The Watch	Jamarcus
2014	The Boxtrolls	Mr. Pickles	Voice
2017	Paddington 2	Forensic Investigator	Cameo
2018	Early Man	Treebor	Voice
2019	The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part	Ice Cream Cone
	The Souvenir	Patrick
2020	Soul	Counselor Jerry B	Voice
2021	22 vs. Earth		Voice; short film
	The Souvenir Part II	Patrick
	The Electrical Life of Louis Wain	Henry Wood
2022	The Bad Guys	Professor Rupert Marmalade IV	Voice
2023	The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar	Dr. Marshall / The Great Yogi	Short film; segment: "The Rat Catcher"
2025	The Bad Guys 2	Professor Rupert Marmalade IV	Voice role; in production
TBA	The Semplica-Girl Diaries	Lloyd Turner	Also director and co-writer

Television Roles

Video Games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2025	Fable	Dave

Music Videos Directed

Frequent Collaborators

See also

In Spanish: Richard Ayoade para niños