Ben Miller

reference In the early '90s, Ben was halfway through a physics PhD at Cambridge when he crossed paths with Alexander Armstrong, and, honestly, that changed everything. Instead of finishing his research, Ben just ditched the whole thing for comedy, diving into the legendary Footlights club. Four years of sketch gigs, pub tours, and a whole lot of underground hustle later, he and Armstrong landed their breakout moment with the Euro-Rock parody ‘Strijka’ on ‘Saturday Night.’ That Perrier Award nomination in ’96? Huge. It led straight to their own TV show, Armstrong and Miller, which kicked off on the Paramount Channel and then Channel 4, running a few more series into the early 2000s. The duo even hit the road in 2001 for a 17-day tour—nonstop laughs, apparently. After finding his feet in comedy, Ben tried his hand at straight acting, popping up in TV films like Passion Killers and The Blind Date, and even snagged a role in Steve Coogan’s The Parole Officer. Oh, and if that weird monkey from the ITV Digital ads rings a bell, yep, that’s Ben’s voice. Fast forward to 2003—he’s suddenly Rowan Atkinson’s sidekick in Johnny English, then off to Canada for The Prince & Me. By 2005, Ben’s front and center on BBC1 with The Worst Week of My Life, which was such a hit it got a second season. Armstrong and Miller eventually reunited for another BBC1 series, nabbing a BAFTA in 2010 after years of graft. Since then, Ben’s been all over—directing films, starring in Death in Paradise, publishing books, and even treading the boards in the West End. Not bad for a guy who bailed on his PhD, right?