Jack Whitehall

Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall (born 7 July 1988) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television personality. He is known for his roles as JP in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Fresh Meat (2011–2016) and as Alfie Wickers in the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education (2012–2014, 2022–2024). He also co-wrote the latter and its film adaptation, The Bad Education Movie (2015).

From 2012 to 2018, Whitehall was a regular panelist on the comedy game show A League of Their Own. In 2017, he appeared alongside his father, Michael Whitehall, in the Netflix comedy documentary series Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father and starred in the BBC comedy-drama series Decline and Fall. From 2018 to 2021, and again in 2025 and 2026, he hosted the BRIT Awards.

Whitehall performed his first stand-up comedy show at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, for which he was nominated for 'Best Newcomer' at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. He has written and performed five stand-up tours: Jack Whitehall Live (2010–2011), Gets Around (2014), At Large (2017), Stood Up (2019), and Settle Down (2023–2024).

Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall was born on 7 July 1988 at Portland Hospital in London's West End, the son of actress Hilary Amanda Jane Whitehall (née Isbister; stage name Hilary Gish) and television producer Michael Whitehall. Whitehall Senior has frequently featured in his son's television programmes. Jack Whitehall has described his father, a staunch Conservative, as "Tory with a capital T", noting that in the 2010 general election, the first that he was eligible to vote in, his father impersonated him via postal vote to ensure he would vote for the Conservative Party. Whitehall also has a younger sister and brother.

Whitehall is a descendant of Welsh lawyer Thomas Jones Phillips (not to be confused with Mayor Thomas Phillips), who was a major opponent of the Newport Rising of 1839. He had two godfathers: actors Nigel Havers and Richard Griffiths. He attended Tower House School in London's East Sheen area, where he was a schoolmate of actor Robert Pattinson. He has often joked that he resented Pattinson for taking all the best acting roles in the school plays. Whitehall auditioned for the title character in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), but the casting director was unimpressed with him because he had not read the book. His parents sent him to boarding school at the age of seven. He was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford and then Marlborough College. He took a gap year in which he decided to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. He attended the University of Manchester to study history of art, dropping out after two terms.

In 1997 Whitehall (then aged nine) appeared in the series Noah's Ark. In June 2008, he presented the first week of Big Brother's Big Mouth on E4, returning in August to present the twelfth week. In September 2008, Whitehall made his first appearance on Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats.

In January 2009, Whitehall presented Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth and appeared on The Sunday Night Project. On 5 June, his third appearance on 8 Out of 10 Cats was broadcast. In June 2009 Whitehall co-presented topical-satire series The TNT Show with Holly Walsh on Channel 4. In August, he appeared on Charlie Brooker's Channel 4 panel show You Have Been Watching, followed in September by his first appearance on Would I Lie to You?. He made his first of many appearances on BBC Two satirical panel show Mock the Week, and in October, he guest-presented an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

In January 2010, Whitehall made his fourth appearance in 8 Out of 10 Cats, followed in February by his second appearance on Mock the Week, and a first appearance in Argumental on Dave. In April, he featured on Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, which had been filmed live at The O2 Arena in London in March. In April, he appeared on James Corden's sport show A League of Their Own, and on 11 June made his fifth appearance on 8 Out of 10 Cats, followed in June by his third appearance on Mock the Week. In June and July 2010, Whitehall was a regular performer on the first series of Channel 4's Stand Up for the Week alongside Andi Osho, Kevin Bridges, Rich Hall and presenter Patrick Kielty. In September he made his sixth appearance on 8 Out of 10 Cats, and in September and October, his fourth and fifth appearances on Mock the Week. In October, he appeared on a second episode of Argumental, and he honoured Big Brother presenter Davina McCall on the Channel 4 show A Comedy Roast. In October, he headlined the second episode of Dave's One Night Stand, followed by his second appearance on A League of Their Own, and on 1 November he appeared on Ask Rhod Gilbert. In December, he appeared on the Royal Variety Performance 2010, and in December he appeared on the sixth series of Live at the Apollo, which had been filmed on 27 September.