Steve Pemberton

Steven James Pemberton (born 1 September 1967) is a British actor, comedian, director and writer. He was a writer and actor for BBC Television's The League of Gentlemen with Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson. Pemberton and Shearsmith also co-wrote and starred in the television black comedy Psychoville and the anthology series Inside No. 9. His other notable television performance credits include Doctor Who, Benidorm, Blackpool, Shameless, Whitechapel, Happy Valley and Mapp & Lucia. He also appeared in feature films such as Lassie, The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Mr. Bean's Holiday and Better Man.

Pemberton has won four awards for the series Inside No. 9.

Early life

Steve Pemberton was born in Blackburn, Lancashire^[1] on 1 September 1967^[2] and grew up around Chorley,^[3] attending Saint Michael's Church of England High School in the town.^[4] He trained as an actor at Bretton Hall College of Education where he met Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith.^[3]

Career

Film and television

Pemberton's television performance credits include Whitechapel, Doctor Who, Benidorm, Under the Greenwood Tree, Hotel Babylon, The Last Detective, Randall and Hopkirk, Blackpool and Shameless. In 2004, he portrayed Dr Bessner in Death on the Nile and Harry Secombe in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. He also appeared in the film Lassie (2005).

Pemberton is best known as being a member of the sketch comedy team The League of Gentlemen, along with fellow performers Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith, and co-writer Jeremy Dyson, all of whom he met at Bretton Hall College in his late teens. The League of Gentlemen initially began as a stage act in 1995, then transferred to BBC Radio 4 as On the Town with the League of Gentlemen in 1997, and finally arrived on television on BBC Two in 1999. The latter has seen Pemberton and his colleagues awarded a British Academy Television Award, a Royal Television Society Award, and a Golden Rose of Montreux.

From 2007 to 2015, Pemberton appeared as Mick Garvey in Benidorm. Pemberton appeared in 43 episodes.

In the 2008 English language DVD re-release of the cult 2006 Norwegian animated film Free Jimmy, Pemberton voiced Mattis, a heavy-set and bizarrely-dressed biker member of the Lappish Mafia. In June 2009, Psychoville aired and marked Pemberton's return to BBC Two.^[5][6][7][8] It was co-written by Pemberton and his fellow League of Gentlemen member, Reece Shearsmith. Both of them play numerous characters in the series, similar to the format of The League of Gentlemen.

Pemberton portrayed Rufus Drumknott in 2010's Terry Pratchett's Going Postal. He appeared as Vice Principal Douglas Panch in the Donmar's 2011 production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In 2014, he played Georgie Pillson in an adaptation of E. F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia. He also wrote the adaptation, which featured his League of Gentlemen colleague Mark Gatiss. It was broadcast during Christmas 2014.^[9] Since 2014, he has starred as various characters in the dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9, which he co-created with Shearsmith, airing on BBC Two. The series ran for 10 years ending with series 9 on 12 June 2024 with a documentary aired on 22 December 2024 titled "The Party's Over".^[10][11]

Pemberton reunited with his The League of Gentlemen colleagues in 2017 for three special episodes, transmitted in December 2017 on BBC2.^[12][13][14] He appeared as himself in the 2018 short film To Trend on Twitter in aid of young people with cancer charity CLIC Sargent with fellow comedians David Baddiel, Reece Shearsmith, Helen Lederer and actor Jason Flemyng.^[15]

In October 2021, Pemberton was nominated for Best Outstanding Comedy Actor at the inaugural National Comedy Awards for Stand Up to Cancer^[16] for his appearances in series 6 of Inside No. 9.

Pemberton was a contestant on the seventeenth series of the Channel 4 show Taskmaster in 2024.^[17]

Pemberton portrayed Peter Williams, the father of Robbie Williams in the singer's musical biopic film Better Man, directed by Michael Gracey which was released in late 2024.

Theatre

Pemberton's early work centred mainly around fringe theatre; he was a founding member of the 606 Theatre with Gordon Anderson, Tom Hadley, and producer Shane Walter. He has produced, performed in, and directed various stage productions.

In 2020 it was announced that Pemberton would join Aaron Taylor-Johnson on West End stage in Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, directed by Matthew Dunster.^[18] However, due to the COVID-19 situation, the run was postponed until 2021. Pemberton said, "It's been a dark time for the performing arts and I can't wait to have the theatres open again. Unfortunately, The Pillowman has to be put to bed for now, but I very much hope that we'll be able to bring Martin's dazzling play to the West End before too long."^[19] The play was staged from 10 June 2023 to 2 September 2023 at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End with Lily Allen, Paul Kaye, Pemberton, and Matthew Tennison.^[20][21] The Guardian praised Pemberton's performance as "unfailingly excellent",^[22] although other reviews of the play were mixed.^[23][24]

On 3 May 2024, it was announced that Pemberton and Shearsmith would write and star in a stage adaptation of Inside No. 9 called Stage/Fright which opened at the Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End from 18 January 2025 for a limited run until 5 April, directed by Simon Evans. Tickets for the 85 shows were released on 8 May 2024.^[25][26][27] Due to the success of the London run, the show toured the UK in autumn 2025.

Other

Pemberton has written for Variety and was the assistant editor of the International Film Guide from 1991 to 1998.

Personal life

Pemberton lives in North London, with his partner, Alison Rowles, and their three children: Lucas, Madeline, and Adam .^[28][29][30]

He also speaks German and French.^[31]

The University of Huddersfield awarded Pemberton an Honorary Doctorate of letters in 2003 alongside Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith and Jeremy Dyson.^[32] In July 2024 he received two Honorary Fellowships which are from the University of Central Lancashire and University of York (alongside with Reece Shearsmith).^[33][34]

Pemberton is a football fan and a supporter of Blackburn Rovers F.C.^[35]

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage credits

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ "Netflix to release new short film involving Steve Pemberton". Lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
2. ^ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 20 May 2026.
3. ^ Guardian Staff (10 February 2001). "Interview with The League of Gentlemen". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2024. Born in 1969, Reece Shearsmith grew up in Hull. where he used to decapitate his Action Men.
4. ^ Townend, Jon (13 June 2021). "Steve Pembertons shows have become cult hits"
5. ^ Dowell, Ben (9 October 2008). "League of Gentlemen duo back with BBC2 comedy Psychoville". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
6. ^ "TV Preview: Psychoville + panel discussion". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
7. ^ "Psychoville". BBC. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
8. ^ "New show for League of Gentlemen". BBC Online. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
9. ^ "BBC announces adaptation of EF Benson's Mapp and Lucia". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
10. ^ Chase, Stephanie (28 April 2021). "Inside No. 9 confirms series 6 return date". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
11. ^ "TV tonight: Diane Morgan crashes The League of Gentlemen cast reunion". The Guardian. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
12. ^ "'League of Gentlemen' revival and 'Alan Partridge' documentary among BBC highlights for Christmas 2017". NME. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
13. ^ Moreland, Alex (13 December 2017). "The League Of Gentlemen: everything you need to know about this cult comedy revival". Metro. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
14. ^ Wollaston, Sam (19 December 2017). "The League of Gentlemen review Royston Vasey: just as terrifying as ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
15. ^ "Top Comics Join Short Film". Chortle. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
16. ^ McGee, Sarah (13 October 2021). "Blackburn comedians nominated in Channel 4 comedy awards". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
17. ^ "Taskmaster season 17: Release date, cast and latest news". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
18. ^ Orlova-Alvarez, Tamara (28 February 2020). "West End: Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Steve Pemberton to Star in The Pillowman". Ikon London Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
19. ^ Mayo, Douglas (4 June 2021). "Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman delayed – New dates announced soon". British Theatre. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
20. ^ Thomas, Sophie (14 March 2023). "'The Pillowman', starring Steve Pemberton, announces further West End casting". London Theatre. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
21. ^ Putnam, Leah (13 March 2023). "Paul Kaye and Matthew Tennyson Join West End Revival of The Pillowman". Playbill. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
22. ^ Akbar, Arifa (22 June 2023). "The Pillowman review – Lily Allen fails to deliver visceral punch". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
23. ^ Thompson, Jessie (22 June 2023). "The Pillowman review: A dark, twisted triumph despite lightweight Lily Allen's one-note turn". The Independent. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
24. ^ Allfree, Claire (21 June 2023). "The Pillowman, Duke of York's Theatre, review: Lily Allen all at sea in dull revival". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
25. ^ Rook, Olivia (3 May 2024). "Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's 'Inside No 9' to be adapted for the West End". London Theatre. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
26. ^ Garrett, Olivia (10 May 2024). "How to get Inside No.9 Stage/Fright tickets for Pemberton and Shearsmith's West End show". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
27. ^ Wiegand, Chris (May 2024). "Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith announce stage version of Inside No 9". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
28. ^ Bletchly, Rachael (11 April 2012). "Benidorm's Steve Pemberton: I had a heart attack at 25 ... but it took me 20 years to scare me into losing two stone". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
29. ^ "Lucas James Pemberton". Variety. 31 May 2000. Archived from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
30. ^ "Steve Pemberton's diary". Evening Standard. 10 April 2012.
31. ^ "Actor Steve Pemberton reveals secret heartache". Daily Mirror. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
32. ^ "Honorary Graduates". University of Huddersfield. 24 April 2017. Archived 24 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
33. ^ "BAFTA award-winner recognised by 'local' university". University of Central Lancashire. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
34. ^ York, University of. "Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton". University of York. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
35. ^ "Steve Pemberton: "It is fantastic the club reaches out to the community"". 12 December 2023. – via YouTube.
36. ^ "2002 Archives | Official London Theatre". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
37. ^ "Writers' Guild Awards winners 2018". Writers' Guild of Great Britain. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
38. ^ "BAFTA Television 2019: Winners of the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards + British Academy Television Craft Awards". BAFTA. 12 May 2019. Archived 14 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
39. ^ "2025 Archives | Official London Theatre". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 2026-05-31.

Sources

• "Steve Pemberton". PBJ Management. 2006. Archived 3 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 June 2008.

External links

• Steve Pemberton at IMDb