Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson was born in Bradford, Yorkshire. He went to Manchester University to study drama. Whilst he was there he met Rik Mayall, and the pair began performing as 20th Century Coyote. The act continued after university when Adrian & Rik moved to London, and they became two of the leading lights in the new 'alternative comedy' scene, performing at the newly established Comedy Store, and setting up their own club, The Comic Strip, with 'Peter Richardson', Nigel Planer, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Alexei Sayle. This spawned two 1980s TV series: The Young Ones (1982), and The Comic Strip Presents... (1982) In the 1990's Ade & Rik continued their partnership with a new series called Bottom (1991), which ran for three seasons and became a major success on the live circuit. It was basically a live sitcom, liberally sprinkled with slapstick humour, and the pair did 5 long tours between 1993 and 2003. Simultaneously, Adrian established himself as an actor, doing two improvised TV films under the Screen One and Screen Two umbrella, with director Les Blair: Screen Two: Honest, Decent and True (1986), and Screen One: News Hounds (1990) (winner of the BAFTA for best single drama). He was a regular in the hospital drama Holby City (1999) from 2005 - 2008. He took the lead in a drama documentary about the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in the series Surviving Disaster (2006), and appeared as Henry Austen in the TV movie Miss Austen Regrets (2008), the film Blood (2012), and the drama series Prey (2014). But his most notable dramatic role to date is that of Count Rostov in the BBC series War & Peace (2016).
161 acting credits · 7 directing credits
Acting · 161
Midsomer Murders
1997
Death in Paradise
2011
The Graham Norton Show
2007
The One Show
2006
Holby City
1999
Natural World
1983
3 Body Problem
2024
Ready, Steady, Cook
1994
Genius
2017
Alien: Earth
2025
Blackadder
1983
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
2017
Would I Lie to You?
2007
An Audience with...
1978
The Comic Strip Presents...
1982
The Young Ones
1982
Absolutely Fabulous
1992
Great British Menu
2006
Pebble Mill
1991
Jonathan Creek
1997
Richard Osman's House of Games
2017
Going Live!
1987
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
2007
War and Peace
2016
Press Gang
1989
Prey
2014
Celebrity Mastermind
2003
Urban Myths
2017
Celebrity Catchphrase
2018
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
2014
Ronja, the Robber's Daughter
2014
French & Saunders
1987
Bergerac
2025
Catchphrase
2013
Save Me
2018
Between the Covers
2020
Upstart Crow
2016
Bottom
1991
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy
2003
Bancroft
2017
A Spy Among Friends
2022
Spine Chillers
2003
Gadget Man
2012
Back to Life
2019
The Secret Policeman's Ball
1976
One of Us
2016
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
2009
Twisted Tales
2005
The Pact
2021
Filthy Rich & Catflap
1987
Happy Families
1985
The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
2012
Surviving Disaster
2006
Britain's Got More Talent
2007
Cheat
2019
The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
2012
Captain Star
1997
Hardwicke House
1987
Look at the State We're In!
1995
This Morning
1988
Ade in Britain
2011
Out of Her Mind
2020
Rita Rudner
1990
Saturday Live
1986
If You See God, Tell Him
1993
Boom Boom... Out Go the Lights
1980
Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story
2024
Toad & Friends
2023
Miss Austen Regrets
2008
Guest House Paradiso
1999
Teenage Kicks
2008
Blood
2012
The Dangerous Brothers
1986
Doctors and Nurses
2004
School's Out
2006
Eat the Rich
1987
The Trick
2021
Monte Carlo or Bust
2010
The Yob
1988
Interlude in Prague
2017
Dead on Time
1983
Letters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel
2021
The Pope Must Die
1991
The Rizen
2017
Honest Decent & True
1986
Bad News
1983
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments
2008
The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball
1989
Les Dogs
1990
Slags
1984
Ade at Sea
2014
The Best Birthday Ever
2022
Dirty Movie
1984
The Supergrass
1985
Oxford
1990
The Strike
1988
The Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live
1986
Snakes and Ladders
1989
RSC Live: Twelfth Night
2018
Bottom Live 2001: An Arse Oddity
2001
Four Men in a Car
1998
Susie
1984
Sam & Ade Go Birding
2026
The Comic Strip
1981
War
1983
imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter
2023
Gino: Full Story and Pics
1984
Five Go to Rehab
2012
News Hounds
1990
The Best of French & Saunders
2002
Dangerous Brothers Present: World of Danger
1986
Demonella
1993
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye
1995
Space Virgins from Planet Sex
1993
Just Like That!
1989
Happy Families
1985
Five Go Mad in Dorset
1982
Summer School
1983
Mr Jolly Lives Next Door
1988
If It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records Story
2007
Five Go Mad on Mescalin
1983
Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour
2003
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - 40th Anniversary Celebration
2006
Bottom: Exposed
2024
Bottom Live 3: Hooligan's Island
1997
Bottom Mindless Violence
2004
Eddie Monsoon - a Life?
1984
Red Nose of Courage
1992
The Making of 'Guest House Paradiso'
1999
Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase
1993
Four Men in a Plane
2000
South Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie!
1990
How The Young Ones Changed Comedy
2018
Consuela (or, The New Mrs Saunders)
1986
A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques
1984
King Rocker
2020
An Audience With Victoria Wood
1988
French and Saunders' Christmas Carol
1994
The Dangerous Brothers - Dangervision
2008
Holy - Bottom: Christmas Special
1992
Jack and the Beanstalk: The ITV Pantomime
1998
The Comic Strip - A Retrospective
2005
Completely Bad News
2019
The Beat Generation
1983
More Bad News
1988
Rocky Horror Tribute Show
2008
GLC: The Carnage Continues
1990
The Rizen: Possession
2019
Rocky Horror Show Live
2015
Kevin Turvey: The Man Behind the Green Door
1982
South Atlantic Raiders: Part 1
1990
Private Enterprise
1986
Bottom Live 2: The Big Number 2 Tour
1995
The Making of 'The Young Ones'
2007
The Man
1999
Filthy Rich & Catflap
1987
Bottom Live: The Stage Show
1993
Codes
—
Big Bottom Live - The Best of Bottom Live
1999
Bottom Fluff
1996
Britain Beware!
2012
