Darren Harriott

Harriott was born on 1 September 1988 to parents Patrick and Paulette, and grew up in Oldbury, near Birmingham in the West Midlands.^[3][4] His father was a drug dealer who was incarcerated during Harriott's childhood. He died by suicide while Harriott was still a child.^[4]

Harriott moved to London at the age of 26 to pursue a career in comedy. He worked as a security guard at venues including the Hammersmith Apollo to finance his early years.^[5]

Harriott has toured the UK with his shows Visceral and Good Heart Yute,^[6][7] and regularly appears at comedy clubs across the country.^[8] His stand-up shows became the basis for his BBC Radio 4 series Darren Harriott's Black Label.^[9]

Harriott has appeared on multiple television shows such as Live at the Apollo,^[10] The Last Leg,^[11] Ghost Bus Tours,^[12] Hey Tracey!,^[13] Comedy Games Night,^[14] 8 Out of 10 Cats,^[15] The Apprentice: You're Fired!,^[16] The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice,^[17] Catchpoint for Sport Relief,^[18] University Challenge for Comic Relief,^[19] CelebAbility,^[20] The Stand Up Sketch Show,^[21] Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier,^[22] Celebrity Mastermind,^[23] Pointless Celebrities,^[24] Dave Gorman: Terms and Conditions Apply,^[25] Dave's Comedy Against Living Miserably,^[26] Comedy Central Live,^[27] Roast Battle, Mock the Week,^[28] Comedy Central at the Comedy Store,^[29] Hypothetical,^[30] Russell Howard's Stand Up Central,^[31] Don't Hate the Playaz, Love Island,^[32] and The Comedy Bus.^[33]

On radio he has hosted Newsjack Unplugged,^[34] Comedy of the Week^[35] for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC Radio 4 Summer Festival.^[36] Radio appearances include BBC Radio 4 shows Best of the Fest^[37] and The Now Show,^[38] and BBC Radio 5 Live comedy sports panel show Fighting Talk.^[39]

He appeared on Dave's Campaign Against Living Miserably, where he discussed his father's incarceration and death.^[40]

In late 2021, Harriott co-presented the Dave travelogue British as Folk alongside fellow comedians Ivo Graham and Fern Brady. In 2022, he was a regular panellist on Love Island's companion show Aftersun.^[41] He co-hosts the podcast Shame is Delicious with Eshaan Akbar.^[42][43]

In 2023, Harriott was a contestant on the fifteenth series of Dancing on Ice, finishing seventh alongside professional partner Tippy Packard.^[44]