Stand up comedian and comedy writer Lee Hurst's very first job was as a trainee telephone engineer but his quick wit led him into comedy.
After earning his spurs on the UK comedy circuit Lee became the warm-up man for Have I Got News For You? Then he was asked to be the warm-up man for the sports quiz They Think It's All Over. Lee's wit and wisdom won the producers over and he was soon a regular panellist. Although he had no sporting prowess and he knew next to nothing about football, he soon had a fan base of millions of viewers each week with his quick witted banter. Lee appeared as a regular panellist in the first five series of They Think It's All Over. He appeared in the Comic Relief 24 Hour Panel People Special on 6 March 2011.
Lee's other TV credits include presenting Shark Tank, Salvage Squad and The Warehouse, and guest appearances on That's Showbusiness, The Stand Up Show and Have I Got News For You. He also appeared as a regular panellist on Don't Give Up Your Day Job as well as fronting ITV's short-lived revival of the entertainment show Saturday Live. Lee was the creator of Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment, which ran for five series on Channel 5 between 1997 and 2000.
On radio, Lee has guested on The Steve Wright Show, Euromix, Two Men and a Transmitter and The Robert Elms Show. He was team captain on Hold The Front Page. He also presented Wriggling with Eels, a study of Cockney comedians for BBC Radio 4.
In 2000, Lee decided to semi-retire and concentrate on running his comedy venue, the Backyard Comedy Club, acting as resident compere. In 2010, Lee closed this club in favour of developing a hotel which will also be home to a new Backyard Comedy Club.
Lee's live comedy show 'Man v Woman' was performed in a few venues around the country and was so well received that it spurred him on to book a 50 date tour called 'Too Scared to Leave the House' in 2012.