Stephen Merchant co-created The Office and went on to write and direct for the cinema. Simon Amstell writes and directs for the BBC. Sandi Toksvig hosts quizzes, writes books and helped found a political party. Matt Lucas has moved between Doctor Who, musical theatre and the Bake Off tent.
These are five British comedians with interesting careers outside stand-up, each following a different route, and each career is well documented. Here is how they compare.
| Comedian | Second career | Key credits | Route in |
| Richard Ayoade | Film director and writer | Submarine (2010), The Double (2013) | Cambridge Footlights, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace |
| Stephen Merchant | Writer-director and actor | The Office, Extras, Fighting with My Family (2019) | XFM radio, BBC training scheme |
| Simon Amstell | Writer-director | Grandma’s House, Carnage, Benjamin | Popworld, Never Mind the Buzzcocks |
| Sandi Toksvig | Host, author, campaigner | QI, The Great British Bake Off, Women’s Equality Party | Footlights, Radio 4’s The News Quiz |
| Matt Lucas | Actor and presenter | Doctor Who, Les Misérables, The Great British Bake Off | Shooting Stars, Little Britain |
Richard Ayoade: the director
Ayoade was president of the Footlights at Cambridge. In 2000 he co-wrote Garth Marenghi’s Fright Knight with Matthew Holness, and its sequel won the Perrier Comedy Award a year later. He went on to direct, co-write and star in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, and won a BAFTA for playing Moss in The IT Crowd.
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