Comedy
A-Z
The A-Z of Jack Whitehall
Learn your ABCs with the comedian, actor, host and terminally annoyed son ahead of his new stand-up tour
A is for Arsenal
Lifelong Gooner Jack Whitehall once got the chance to perform at the Arsneal player’s Christmas party – only to find out it was in a bowling alley and no one knew who he was. Thankfully, as his star rose, so did the opportunities – frequently since appearing on Sky Sports to chat team hopes, and even once getting to shoot penalties with Theo Walcott.
B is for BRIT Awards
Whitehall will once again host the BRIT Awards in 2026, marking his sixth time at the microphone. Calling Coldplay “public school Nickelback”, telling Sam Ryder he looked like a drug dealer and asking Cheryl and Liam what their safe word is have all been highlights, but riling up Piers Morgan enough to get called “a chinless little weed” is still the one to beat.
C is for Clifford The Big Red Dog
Co-starring with an imaginary 25ft red dog apparently wasn’t the biggest challenge for Whitehall in his first big Hollywood role (not counting the time he voiced Rex in The Queen’s Corgi, or an uncredited Troll Priest in Frozen), it was the accent. “I think they intended for it to be an American actor, originally…”, he told The Metro. Oscar-winner Olivia Colman wasn’t too impressed:
D is for Dad
Michael Whitehall isn’t just Jack’s father; he’s an extended cinematic universe. Their dynamic – aloof authority meets needy validation – has now fuelled a five season Netflix travel show, two spin-offs and a live tour.
E is for Bad Education
Whitehall played Alfie Wickers, “the worst teacher ever to grace the British education system” for three seasons of the BBC sitcom from 2012-2014, returning for a feature film in 2015 that saw him lead a class trip to Cornwall (where he rode a naked zipline over The Eden Project, ate John The Baptist’s foreskin and teabagged a swan).
F is for Fresh Meat
To some, Whitehall will always be JP, the posh public school fresher slumming it at a normal uni because he couldn’t get the grades. Fresh Meat (from Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, of Peep Show fame) ran for four seasons and quickly made the jump to cult favourite – cementing Whitehall’s reputation as a proper comedy actor as well as a stand-up.
G is for Gets Around
Whitehall’s second major tour saw him graduate from smaller clubs to a circular stage in the middle of Wembley Arena, entering on a Segway, shooting off fireworks and talking about his last testicular exam. By 2014, Whitehall had most definitely made it.
H is for Harry Potter
When Whitehall’s school held open auditions for the role of Harry Potter, Jack’s dad was a casting agent at the time, making it almost impossibly easy for him to pick up the most coveted child acting role in history. The only problem was, he hadn’t bothered to read the book… when he was asked about the story and he dropped in a reference to “orks” (from Lord Of The Rings), Daniel Radcliffe’s career was set.
I is for I’m Only Joking
Whitehall’s 2020 Netflix special arrived at a pivotal time in his personal life. As he was telling a story about his first proper breakup (and how hearing his ex fart in front of him for the first time was so devastating: “In one gust, she had broken wind and my heart…”) he was also entering a new relationship with model Roxy Horner, now the mother of his child.
J is for Jungle Cruise
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt took the lead roles in Disney’s blockbuster adventure movie, but it was Whitehall’s casting as foppish snob MacGregor that generated the most headlines – playing the second openly gay character in a Disney film and the first to skate Chinese censorship (opening up an even bigger controversy about the studio’s handling of the script). Chatter aside, the film marked a huge step up for Whitehall’s profile in the States, and earned him a new fan in The Rock.
@jackwhitehall To celebrate my gym finally reopening @therock ♬ original sound – Jack Whitehall
K is for KSI
Jack knows how to be down with the kids (he has one of his own now), so getting the Sidemen on his YouTube channel has unsurprisingly resulted in his most popular video to date, by quite a long way. You’d think he’d be more grateful to KSI when he met him again at the 2025 BRITs and called him “as a good a rapper as Aitch… from Steps”.
L is for Lewis Hamilton
“Can you park? Are you good at the whole shebang or just the fast bit?” Whitehall asked F1 legend and Knight of the Realm Lewis Hamilton on The Graham Norton Show, before being laughed at for not having a driving licence. A few months later, he bumped into Hamilton just before he was about to race. Accident? Sure…
@f1 @Jack Whitehall is never living this down #f1 #formula1 #lewishamilton #britishgp #silverstone #jackwhitehall original sound – Formula 1
M is for Malice
No, not talking his sabotage of Lewis Hamilton again – this is the title of the recent Amazon Prime series that’s seen Whitehall take his biggest leap yet away from comedy, starring alongside David Duchovny and Carice van Houten in a very serious psychological thriller that’s been described as “The White Lotus meets The Talented Mr Ripley”.
N is for Nigel Havers
Or for Nepotism? Whitehall’s first break came aged five in the short-lived ITV comedy The Good Guys, starring his godfather and friend of the family, Nigel Havers. He got his next role a few years later in TV drama Noah’s Ark, produced by his dad, Michael. It all backfired when the Harry Potter role came up though (see “H”, above), proving it’s not just who you know, it’s how much you know about the role you’re actually auditioning for…
O is for Off-Stage Rituals
When Jack spoke to us for our Q&A series, Stuck In A Lift, he revealed his pre-performance routine, which involves a Nando’s (“always Lemon And Herb”) and two Imodium (“so I don’t sh*t myself on stage”). He also said he genuinely grew up wanting to be a Thunderbird puppet.
P is for Posh
How posh is posh? How about answering the question, “did any royals attend your school” with, “Yes, Princess Eugene and Kate Middleton, although she doesn’t count because she was a commoner at the time”? Suffice it to say Whitehall is posh enough to have a battle of poshness with Jamie Laing and Francis Boulle (which he won).
Q is for QI
Always a godsend for lists like this, QI has given Whitehall a seat on the panel four times over the years (through the J, K and L seasons). He’s done most of the others too, of course, including stints on Mock The Week, The Last Leg, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Would I Lie To You?, not to mention holding a regular captain spot on A League Of Their Own.
R is for Robert Pattinson
“I’ve built up a little bit of resentment towards R Patz,” said Whitehall, speaking of his former schoolmate – the boy who went on to become Batman. “He became my rival. Rival’s a strong word… Nemesis.”. Sulking in Pattinson’s shadow since he lost all the best parts of the school plays to him, everything came to a head in 2017 when he auditioned for a part in Good Time, playing Pattinson’s “developmentally disabled” brother. He didn’t get the part.
S is for Settle Down
Whitehall’s last big tour was his first since becoming a dad, with his O2 Arena date filmed for another Netflix special. Parenthood was the big topic, of course, but he also found space for dogs, diabetes and the taste of Bertie Basset’s ball sack.
T is for Tory (with a capital T)
Despite his on-stage persona, Whitehall has always been pretty apolitical in his comedy – only ever gently hinting at how his own views clash with his family’s. The same can’t be said for Michael though, who Jack described as “Tory with a capital T” and who apparently impersonated his son in the 2010 general election via postal count to get a double vote in for David Cameron.
U is for Unfiltered
Just one of the adjectives used to describe Jack’s brand new tour, Bad Influence – heading to UK arenas in 2027. It’s also billed as “razor-sharp”, “brilliantly awkward” and full of “mischievous charm”, but we already had things written for those letters.
V is for Variety (Royal)
In 2015 Whitehall became the youngest ever host of The Royal Performance, at just 27-years-old. Within five minutes he roasted Prince Harry, talking about how great it would be if he got to be king for a week instead of his brother. “It’d be amazing – like when your parents go away and leave you the house. The whole country would turn into Risky Business… we look at you and see a man who sees a shopping trolley on a night out and sees a ride home”. Jack wasn’t asked to host again.
W is for Who Do You Think You Are?
Jack and Michael took part in the BBC ancestry series together in 2019, finding a family history of syphilis, vote-rigging, and enacting violent retribution for unlawful protest. “All your ancestors were wrong ’uns,” Jack said to his Dad. “I’m sure Mummy has really nice ancestors.”
X is for Xmas
Jack In Time For Christmas saw Whitehall take on the festive film genre – racing to get home in time for turkey via car, bobsled and husky dog, all with a little help from Jimmy Fallon, Rebel Wilson, Michael Bublé, Dave Bautista and Daisy May Cooper.
Y is for You People Disgust Me
It’s no small thing to contribute to the meme hall of fame, and Whitehall has given internet comment sections so much since 2016 when a scene of him from Fresh Meat first went viral: just him standing in his underwear, saying “you people disgust me”… with a full erection.
Z is for Zodiac
As in, Jack’s zodiac sign is Cancer. It’s been a long alphabet…
Jack Whitehall brings his new tour, Bad Influence, to UK areas in 2027. Find tickets here
