A man with a shaved head wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with embroidered patterns, holding a guitar against a blue background.

A man sitting on a wooden chair, leaning forward with hands on his knees, wearing a navy blue cardigan with red accents, striped trousers, black socks, and oversized brown leather shoes, against a blue background.

A man wearing a costume made of plastic bottles around his head, holding a microphone and speaking.

Tim Vine stands as a pioneering force in modern British comedy. The first man ever to appear on Channel 5 alongside the Spice Girls, he has hosted and appeared on numerous TV quiz shows and is best known for his roles in The Sketch Show (ITV) and the sitcom Not Going Out (BBC). He also makes regular appearances on Countdown (Dictionary Corner guest since 2009) and Celebrity Mastermind, showcasing the same wit that defines his stage act.

His stand-up career began to take off in the mid-1990s. In 1995, his show The Tim Vine Fiasco earned him the Perrier Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, marking his emergence as a major new voice in comedy.

From 2004 to 2014, Vine held the Guinness World Record for most jokes told in an hour – an astonishing 499, each requiring an audience laugh to count. That same year, he also hosted the prestigious Rose d’Or Awards in Austria. His mastery of the one‑liner genre was further cemented at Edinburgh, where he won the “funniest joke of the Fringe” award in 2010 and 2014, and finished runner‑up in each of the intervening years.

He continues to tour nationwide with trademark enthusiasm and dizzying joke-per-minute density – earning legions of fans and influencing a generation of one‑liner comedians. Whether appearing on a TV studio couch, a quiz show, or performing at the London Palladium, Tim’s rapid‑fire wit reminds audiences that laughter truly is timeless.

We’re so grateful that Tim has agreed to be a friend of Havenswood Trust and we look forward to working with him in the future.

Tim Vine