Humphrey Ker | |
|---|---|
 Ker in 2009 | |
| Born | David Humphrey Rivers Ker[1] (1982-10-11)11 October 1982 (age 43) London, England |
| Notable work | The Penny Dreadfuls |
| Spouse | |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium | Stand up, television |
| Genre | Sketch comedy |
David Humphrey Rivers Ker (/kɑːr/; born 11 October 1982) is a British actor, comedian, writer andfootball executive, who is a member of the sketch comedy troupeThe Penny Dreadfuls.[2] Outside of The Penny Dreadfuls, he has done work as a solo artist, appearing regularly on the comedy television seriesFast and Loose andLive at the Electric, as well as on numerousBBC Radio 4 shows. He has also served as executive director ofWrexham A.F.C. since his friends, fellow actorsRob McElhenney andRyan Reynolds, bought the club.[3]
Ker was born to David Peter James Ker, a fine art dealer, and Alexandra Mary, daughter of Vice-Admiral SirDymock Watson.[4][5] He is also a descendant on his father's side of the politicianHenry Howard, 18th Earl of Suffolk.[6][7][8]
Ker is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) tall. He was educated atLudgrove School[9] andEton College, alongside classmateWilliam, futurePrince of Wales.[10][11] According to Ker, he and William "literally shared a bedroom from [age] 7 until 10".[12] He later studied history at theUniversity of Edinburgh,[13][14] and performed inEdinburgh University Theatre Company pantomime productions.[15] Ker performed with fellow studentsDavid Reed andThom Tuck as a member of this comedy troupe.[16]
In 2006, Ker, together with Reed and Tuck, formedThe Penny Dreadfuls, who have performed their Victorian sketch shows across Britain, including at the Edinburgh Fringe withAeneas Faversham in 2006 andAeneas Faversham Returns in 2007.[17] Since then, he has appeared inComedy Shuffle forBBC Three and the short filmI am Bob, starringBob Geldof.[18] Ker was also co-anchor on the short-lived internet-based satirical news programmeLog.tv.[19] withRufus Hound.
The Penny Dreadfuls radio seriesThe Brothers Faversham was first broadcast onBBC 7 in early January 2008. The second series,More Brothers Faversham, was aired in October 2008 and later repeated onRadio 4. The trio also wrote and starred in a 2010 comedy drama forBBC Radio 4 aboutGuy Fawkes.[20] More recently, Ker has been working increasingly as a solo artist. He was a regular in theimprovisational comedy showFast and Loose, hosted byHugh Dennis in early 2011. Later that year, he appeared as part of the24 Hour Panel People charity show hosted byDavid Walliams forRed Nose Day 2011, in theWhose Line Is It Anyway? section. He has also appeared on8 Out of 10 Cats, and in August 2013, on the show'scrossover withCountdown. He also appeared as a regular on theBBC Three showLive at the Electric.[21]
In August 2011 Ker presented a feature-length debut solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe entitledHumphrey Ker is...Dymock Watson: Nazi Smasher!, for which he won theEdinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer.[22] The show was loosely based on the real-life story of his grandfather, Dymock Watson, who was a Special Operations Executive agent in WWII.[23] Ker has performedDymock Watson: Nazi Smasher! at London'sSoho Theatre, the West End'sFortune Theatre and in Los Angeles at theUpright Citizens Brigade Theatre.[24]
Ker has appeared as a guest on variousBBC Radio 4 shows, includingIt's Your Round withAngus Deayton,Sandi Toksvig andMilton Jones andDilemma withSue Perkins,Phill Jupitus andSusan Calman. He is the host of the upcomingBBC Radio 4 sketch showSketcherama.[25] In April 2012 Ker appeared as a panelist on BBC'sHave I Got News for You,[26] in May 2013, on the BBC Radio 4 showThe News Quiz,[27] and in August 2013 on8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.[28] Ker also guest-starred on theNBC comedySean Saves the World in January 2014.[29]
In 2013, Ker was the Curator in series 6 of theBBC Radio 4 comedy panel gameThe Museum of Curiosity.
In 2018, Ker was cast in the reboot ofGreatest American Hero forABC,[30] and appeared in an episode ofIt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
In December 2021, Ker began playing the part of Elliot on the NBC sitcomAmerican Auto.[31]
Ker appears in theApple TV+ original showMythic Quest, which was co-created by his wife,Megan Ganz.
In November 2025, Ker andDavid Reed's comedy playSherlock Holmes and The 12 Days of Christmas will premiere at theBirmingham Repertory Theatre. It will feature original songs byTim Rice andAndrew Lloyd Webber.
While filming the opening season ofMythic Quest, Ker introduced his fandom forEnglish football, and watching midweek matches ofLiverpool F.C., to fellow actor, and Executive Producer ofMythic Quest,Rob McElhenney. During theCOVID-19 lockdowns, Ker recommended McElhenney watch the sports series documentariesSunderland ’Til I Die andAll Or Nothing. Ker later said of McElhenney:[32]
"I thought, 'That’s the key to this. He's a storyteller. He needs to understand the story of football'... TheAll Or Nothing documentaries are very good, but they don't cut to the heart of the game, which is the fans. Rob being Rob, he devoured every documentary. He's a doer, so he said, 'Let's buy a football club'."[33]
Not long after exposing McElhenney to the fanaticism of the sport, McElhenney sent Ker back to his home country to find a football club for McElhenney and his friend, actorRyan Reynolds, to buy. Ker established a set of criteria, among them facilities, fanbase, history and finance. Ker's research led him to theWelsh football clubWrexham A.F.C.
In September 2020, McElhenney and Reynolds announced their intention to buy Wrexham A.F.C. In February 2021, Ker was announced as executive director at the club following the takeover by McElhenney and Reynolds.[3]
The process of Ker's involvement with the club and McElhenney and Reynolds' investment in Wrexham is covered by the multi-season TV documentary seriesWelcome to Wrexham.
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