biography & cv
The six-time Sony Award winning writer, comedian and broadcaster called Jon Holmes holds a joint degree in Radio, Film and Television and English from Canterbury. His first book Status Quo and the Kangaroo was published by Penguin in 2007 and is published in America in 2008. His own Radio 4 comedy series, Listen Against “the mischievous offspring of The Day Today and Feedback” (Guardian) has just finished its second run. The paperback book Rock Star Babylon (Penguin) was published the UK in 2008.
Upon graduating Jon somehow went to his own show on BBC Radio 4 called Grievous Bodily Radio which was “fast and furious… spot on” according to The Independent and “disgusting” according to the East Anglia Gazette. Since then his other Radio 4 credits have included co-creating and writing the multi award winning Dead Ringers, writing and being a regular panellist on The 99p Challenge, writer / performer on the Sony Award winning and Channel 4 Political Award nominated The Now Show and he’s a sometime cohort of Armando Iannucci, most recently on his Sony Award winning Charm Offensive for Radio 4 and Time Trumpet for BBC2. His own Radio 4 comedy series, Listen Against “the mischievous offspring of The Day Today and Feedback” (Guardian) has just finished its second run.
Over on Radio 2 he writes and co-presents The Day The Music Died and hosts his very own Saturday afternoon show on BBC 6 Music where he plays some very good music and messes around in the gaps. His music radio shows have earned him Sony Gold and Best New Presenter Awards but he’s no stranger to talk radio either, having hosted the Drivetime show on London’s LBC 97.3 where he could be regularly heard verbally jousting with mentals. He’s also had his own shows on XFM, Radio 1 and Virgin and it was from the latter that he quite notoriously earned the sack in 2002 when a phone in game called ‘Swearing Radio Hangman for the Under 12s went tragically expensive in terms of a record fine. Jon still holds the record for ‘largest fine ever for taste and decency offences in British broadcasting’. Sadly he didn’t get a certificate or anything. A comedy special Jon Holmes on Radio 1 aired on the station last year.
TV work includes writing, performing and presenting in various combinations on Time Trumpet (BBC2), Mock The Week (BBC2) 7 Days (BBC3), Dead Ringers (BBC2) The Impressionable Jon Culshaw (ITV1), Armando Iannucci’s Gash (CH4) , The State We’re In and Celebdaq (both BBC3), Have I Got News For You, 29 Minutes of Fame, ( both BBC1) and co-hosting Series 5 of The 11 O’Clock Show (CH4). He was also Programme Consultant on the multi award winning V Graham Norton (CH4), regular guest on The Wright Stuff (CH5), and Sky News where he makes the presenter Anna Botting go red and start giggling. He’s also been on This Morning (ITV1) a few times where he once called Phillip Schofield a “witch”. He was approached to see if he wanted to be stuck in the jungle for ITV1’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here but told them to sod off.
His first book Status Quo and the Kangaroo was published by Penguin in 2007 and was published in America in 2008. The paperback book Rock Star Babylon (Penguin) was published the UK in 2008 and is now published in Australia, Russia, India and the USA. He is currently working on a new book.
He wrote the script for the BAFTA Film Awards with, and for, Stephen Fry to great acclaim and was the host for the MOJO Awards. He has also written words for the likes of Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx and Bono. He has been variously described as “clever…but warped” by The Sunday Times, “a genius” by Heat, “wickedly funny” by The Times and “a tosser” by Martine McCutcheon in an interview in Smash Hits. He is most proud of that one.
“clever but warped” The Sunday Times “a genius” Heat “inspired...the wit here is like that of Oscar Wilde” The Evening Standard "fast and furious...spot on" The Independent "magnificent and razor sharp" Radio Times "excellent!" The Spectator “ the best new comedy show in years" The Independent "endearing, funny... bites the hand that feeds him" The Telegraph "wickedly funny" The Times "mostly offensive" The Daily Mail “quite simply the best comedy show on the radio” Heat “a drive-by shooting of a show” The Telegraph "he's a tosser" Martine McCutcheon
television
Armando Iannucci’s Time Trumpet
BBC2
Have I Got News For You
BBC1
Mock the Week
BBC2
Dead Ringers
BBC2
The Jon Culshaw Show (coming 2009)
BBC1
The British Academy Film Awards
BBC1
Heroes - The Official Forum
BBC2
TV To Go
BBC1
V Graham Norton
Channel 4
Horrible Histories
CBBC / BBC1
Driving Me Mad
ITV1
The British Comedy Awards
ITV1
The British Academy Craft Awards
2006
2004 The Stupid Version
BBC2 / BBC3
The Impressionable Jon Culshaw
ITV1
Armando Iannucci’s Gash
Channel 4
The State We’re In
BBC3
Crash Test Danny
Discovery
7 Days
BBC 3
Spongeheads
BBC3
Angus Deayton’s New Years Dishonours List
ITV1
Sir David Frost’s Strategic Humor Initiative writer
NBC America
The 11 O’Clock Show
Channel 4
Patrick Kielty Almost Live
BBC1
The Secret Policeman’s Ball (BAFTA nominated)
Channel 4, Royal Albert Hall
Emporio Armani One Night Only
Channel 4
Tickled Pink for Breast Cancer
Channel 4
Rose d’Or Golden Rose Awards
Lausanne 2004
Rose d’Or Golden Rose Awards
Montreux 2003
Royal Command Performance
Royal Albert Hall 2003
radio
Jon Holmes on BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
The Day The Music Died
BBC Radio 2
The Now Show
Radio 4
Listen Against
BBC Radio 4
Dead Ringers co-creator / writer
BBC Radio 4
Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive
BBC Radio 4
The 99p Challenge
BBC Radio 4
Jon Ronson On….,
BBC Radio 4
Grevious Bodily Radio
BBC Radio 4
Serious About Comedy
BBC 7
4 Jon Holmes on Virgin
Virgin
Jon Holmes on XFM
XFM
Jon Holmes on LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3
other
Status Quo and The Kangaroo (Book)
Penguin 2007
Rock Star Babylon (Book)
Plume (USA) Penguin (UK) 2008
Jon has a weekend column in the Sunday Times. His writing has also appeared in The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, Time Out and The Radio Times among others.
Jon is also in great demand as a speechwriter and has written personal speeches for the likes of Keanu Reeves, Bono, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Helen Mirren and Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC.
awards
Jon Holmes on Music Radio
Sony Awards – Gold, Best Entertainment Show
Best New Presenter- Commercial Radio Awards
The Now Show
Sony Awards - Bronze Comedy
The Very World of Milton Jones
Sony Awards - Bronze Comedy
Dead Ringers
British Comedy Award
Sony Awards - Gold, Best Comedy
Broadcasting Guild Award
Channel 4 Political Awards
Nominee 2005
Rose d’Or international TV Awards
Nominee
Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive
Sony Awards – Silver
The Secret Policeman’s Ball
Nominee 2007 BAFTA TV Awards