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).
Photos
Films (89)
Codes
2026 · Head of MI6
Rik Mayall: Magnificent B'Stard
2026 · Self
Rik Mayall's Sketches: Rare And Unseen
2026 · Self (archive footage)
Partridge and Moulding Want To Get Laid
2026 · Thanks
Bottom: Exposed
2024 · Himself, Director
imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter
2023 · Self
L’Anniversaire de Tommy
2022 · Granny (voice)
The Trick
2021 · Edward Acton
Letters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel
2021 · Self
King Rocker
2020 · Self (archive footage)
Completely Bad News
2019 · Vim Fuego, Music, Writer
The Rizen: Possession
2019 · The Interviewer
How The Young Ones Changed Comedy
2018
RSC Live: Twelfth Night
2018 · Malvolio
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
2017 · Captain Peavey
Interlude in Prague
2017 · Herr Luptak
The Rizen
2017 · Interviewer
Rocky Horror Show Live
2015 · Narrator
Five Go to Rehab
2012 · Dick
Blood
2012 · Tom Tiernan
Britain Beware!
2012 · Self (Presenter)
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments
2008 · Self - Baron von Richthoven (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rocky Horror Tribute Show
2008 · Brad
Miss Austen Regrets
2008 · Henry Austen
If It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records Story
2007 · Self (Narrator)
The Making of 'The Young Ones'
2007 · Self (Archived Footage)
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - 40th Anniversary Celebration
2006 · Self
The Comic Strip - A Retrospective
2005 · Self
Bottom Mindless Violence
2004 · Vyvyan / Eddie Catflap / Sir Adrian Dangerous / Dreamy Time Escort / Eddie Hitler / Eddie Ndingombaba (archive footage)
Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour
2003 · Edward Hitler
More Great Comedy Moments
2003 · Vyvyan Basterd / Eddie Hitler (archive footage), Writer
The Best of French & Saunders
2002 · Various
Bottom Live 2001: An Arse Oddity
2001 · Eddie, Writer
Mirrorball
2000 · Director
Four Men in a Plane
2000 · Ian Crisp
Guest House Paradiso
1999 · Eddie Elizabeth Ndingombaba, Director, Writer
The Making of 'Guest House Paradiso'
1999 · Self
Big Bottom Live - The Best of Bottom Live
1999
The Man
1999 · Ash
Jack and the Beanstalk: The ITV Pantomime
1998 · Dame Dolly
Four Men in a Car
1998 · Ian
Bottom Live 3: Hooligan's Island
1997 · Eddie Hitler
Bottom Fluff
1996
Bottom Live 2: The Big Number 2 Tour
1995 · Eddie
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye
1995 · Zyke
French and Saunders' Christmas Carol
1994 · Tim Goodchance
Bottom Live: The Stage Show
1993 · Eddie
Demonella
1993 · Sid Vicious
Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase
1993 · Gregory Dawson
Space Virgins from Planet Sex
1993 · 'K' / Air Traffic Controller
Holy - Bottom: Christmas Special
1992 · Edward Elizabeth Hitler, Writer
Red Nose of Courage
1992 · John Major/Coco the Clown
The Pope Must Die
1991 · Father Rookie
News Hounds
1990 · Phil Burke
Les Dogs
1990 · Best Man
French & Saunders LIVE
1990 · Director
Oxford
1990 · 2nd MI5 Man / Fan
South Atlantic Raiders: Part 1
1990 · Billy
South Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie!
1990 · Billy
GLC: The Carnage Continues
1990 · Billy/Prince Charles/Giles Cricket Bat Portland
The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball
1989 · Self
Just Like That!
1989 · Self
An Audience With Victoria Wood
1988 · Self
The Yob
1988 · Michael
Mr Jolly Lives Next Door
1988 · Dreamy Time Escort, Writer
More Bad News
1988 · Vim Fuego, Director, Writer
The Strike
1988 · Adrian/Slim/Policeman
Eat the Rich
1987 · Charles
The Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live
1986 · Self
Honest Decent & True
1986 · Alun Pickersgill, Theme Song Performance
Private Enterprise
1986 · Brian, Writer, Director
Dangerous Brothers Present: World of Danger
1986 · Sir Adrian Dangerous
Consuela (or, The New Mrs Saunders)
1986 · John
The Supergrass
1985 · Dennis Carter
Slags
1984 · Ace
Eddie Monsoon - a Life?
1984 · Eddie Moonson, Writer
Gino: Full Story and Pics
1984 · Gordon/Bill
A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques
1984 · Billy
Susie
1984 · Martin
Dirty Movie
1984 · Bean, Writer
Five Go Mad on Mescalin
1983 · Dick
Summer School
1983 · Peter
Bad News
1983 · Vim Fuego/Alan Metcalfe, Writer, Music
The Beat Generation
1983 · Desmond
War
1983 · Various Roles
Dead on Time
1983 · Fool
Five Go Mad in Dorset
1982 · Dick
Kevin Turvey: The Man Behind the Green Door
1982 · Keith Marshall
The Comic Strip
1981 · Writer
Séries (77)
Sam & Ade Go Birding
2026
Alien : Terre
2025 · Atom Eins
Bergerac
2025 · Nigel
Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story
2024 · Phil
Le Problème à 3 corps
2024 · Denys Porlock
Crapaud et compagnie
2023 · Toad
Un espía entre amigos
2022 · Sir Roger Hollis
Un pacte secret
2021 · Richard
Out of Her Mind
2020 · Lewis
Between the Covers
2020 · Self
Back to Life
2019 · John Boback
Obsession
2019 · William Vaughan
Celebrity Catchphrase
2018 · Self - Contestant
Save Me
2018 · Gideon Charles
Bancroft
2017 · Superintendent Cliff Walker
House of Games
2017 · Self - Contestant, Self - Participant
Genius
2017 · David Hilbert
Urban Myths
2017 · Leslie Conn
One of Us
2016 · Peter Elliot
Upstart Crow
2016 · Dogberry
War and Peace
2016 · Ilya Rostov
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
2014 · Self
Prey
2014 · DCI Warner
Ade at Sea
2014 · Self
Catchphrase
2013
Gadget Man
2012
The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
2012 · Headmaster Wackville
The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
2012 · Self - Contestant
Ade in Britain
2011
Death in Paradise
2011 · Charles Crabtree
Monte Carlo or Bust
2010
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
2009 · Self - Contestant
Teenage Kicks
2008 · Creator
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
2007 · Self
Would I Lie to You?
2007 · Self
Britain's Got More Talent
2007 · Self
The Graham Norton Show
2007 · Self
The One Show
2006 · Self - Guest
School's Out
2006 · Self
Great British Menu
2006 · Self - Guest Judge
Surviving Disaster
2006
Twisted Tales
2005 · Ed Barnes
Doctors and Nurses
2004 · Dr. Roy Glover
Celebrity Mastermind
2003
Spine Chillers
2003
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy
2003
Holby City
1999 · Percy "Abra" Durant
Captain Star
1997
Jonathan Creek
1997 · Brendan Baxter
Midsomer Murders
1997 · Hugo Welles
Look at the State We're In!
1995 · Dewhurst
Ready, Steady, Cook
1994 · Self - Guest
If You See God, Tell Him
1993 · Gordon Spry
Absolutely Fabulous
1992 · Hamish
Pebble Mill
1991 · Self
Bottom
1991 · Edward Elizabeth Hitler, Writer, Creator
Rita Rudner
1990
Snakes and Ladders
1989 · Giles Tewkesbury
Screen One
1989 · Phil Burke
Press Gang
1989 · Simon Knowles
This Morning
1988 · Self
Going Live!
1987 · Self
French & Saunders
1987 · John
Hardwicke House
1987 · Tiny
Filthy Rich & Catflap
1987 · Edward Catflap
Saturday Live
1986
The Dangerous Brothers
1986 · Sir Adrian Dangerous, Creator
Happy Families
1985 · Guy Fuddle
Screen Two
1985 · Alun Pickersgill
Natural World
1983 · Narrator
Blackadder
1983 · Baron von Richtoven
The Young Ones
1982 · Vyvyan
The Comic Strip Presents...
1982 · Dick, Eddie Monsoon, Mike/Hatchett/Julio/Bolsen/Man in Cage/Jenkins/Zarkoff, Desmond, Gordon/Bill, John, Peter, Martin, Billy, Vim Fuego, Ace, Bean, Dreamy Time Escort, Brian, Adrian/Slim/Policeman, Michael, Billy/Prince/Giles Cricket Bat Portland, 2nd MI5 Man/Fan, Bestman, Writer, Director
Boom Boom... Out Go the Lights
1980
An Audience with...
1978 · Self
The Secret Policeman's Ball
1976 · Self
Film '72
1971 · Self